Skip to main content

The Cost of Infertility (part 2)

We talked about the first cost of fertility- the financial cost (part 1). This one might be a greater cost than financial & that is the physical cost.

Physically it takes a large toll on your body. The most common infertility medications are Clomid & Fermara (Letrozole). These two drugs were what I was prescribed first by my OBGYN & secondly by the fertility clinic.

Both drugs are used in IUIs (Inter Uterine Insemination) because they can help induce ovulation, thus helping clinics to know when women will have the highest 2 day window of conception & be able to inject sperm. This is especially helpful if cycles are not consistent or if there has been a suspected lack of ovulation.

These two drugs, along with trigger shots, and nice inter-uterine-insemination have been what my body has personally had to endure.

We did Letrozole for seven cycle months with the OBGYN & then have done an additional six cycles of Letrozole along with two cycles of Clomid.

The saddest part is that these drugs have so many chemicals and they are obviously meant to help hormones which means I feel all many of the symptoms that a women in her first trimester of pregnancy feels. The nausea is sadly included.

So for three weeks a month I feel bloated and nauseous.

Usually with a headache that turns migraine.

Breast & chest aches that make me uncomfortable.

Mood Swings that should not be allowed, especially since the only time I am "medicine free" is when I am on my period so cue the mood swings indefinitely.

Working out is one of the things that had helped out most since the infertility diagnosis but even that feels so hard and I feel physically incapable of my normal gym routines because most days I am just trying not to be sick and have enough energy to get out of the bed in the morning. Let alone, I have strict orders for egg retrieval and IVF transfer to not lift over 10 pounds and stay on a modified bedrest which takes a toll.

It takes a lot out of me physically just to do the basic stuff because for majority of the last 24 months my body has felt like I was preparing for a baby over and over again without getting to carry a baby.

As someone who use to hate needle pokes and blood draws, it has now become second nature. I think of people who have never ending needle pokes and blood draws and my heart goes out to them because I know how bad my own bruising can get and I know theirs is far worse.

IVF injections left me bruised and scarred and with a 15 pound weight gain from all the hormones & I wouldn't wish it on my top 5 least favorite people ever (looking at you, mean mechanic from a couple days ago). 

Physically, the cost has gotten to be so much more than I think I can bear. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

real talk.

I've been living in Provo now for a few weeks, and everything is actually lovely. I like my cute little apartment that I get to call home. I love my roommates. I like my YSA ward. I've been on a few fun dates, I have a kid sitting next to me in my Eng 2040 class who has the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. (Like I can't talk to him without completely staring because they are beautiful). I've been able to go zip lining with my stake, swimming with my building, and Disney movie watching after ward prayer on Sundays. Life is really happy, which is something it hasn't been in quite a while for me. But a little too often it hits me. It hits me that a year from now everything will be different. It hits me that my little sister isn't sleeping in the room next to me, it hits me that my brother is probably building something and I don't even know about it. It hits me that at any second my mom could call from the hospital, and it hits me that every time I go ho...

The Cost of Infertility (part 1)

Infertility is a whole lot of things: heartbreaking, hopeful, exhausting, and also expensive.  The obvious cost of infertility is the first one I'm going to talk about on here because its often the one people know a little bit about- the actual financial cost you pay to actually receive infertility treatments. When we started on medications I was actually still seeing an OBGYN. It had been a year of TTC with no luck, so we went to the doctors and started on a treatment plan.  The medications were timed around my cycle and horribly enough, they made me feel like I was pregnant even when I wasn't. They made me nauseous (so there was another med to counteract that) and some made my headaches turn to migraines for 4-5 days straight. (but more on the physical tolls of infertility later...). Luckily, during this phase of our journey, we were only paying about $300 a month for medications and appointment co-pays. We saw that OBGYN doc for nine months before setting up an appointment ...

Senior Advice {27 helpful hints}

To the cute sophomores who will soon be walking down the halls, and the juniors who think they have it all figured out, here are a few handy dandy little things I've learned- 1. Be kind - be kind to your friends, family, teachers, the people who only talk to you sometimes, strangers, and everyone you come across. I promise it will make the biggest difference in your life 2. Smile - smile through the good days, the bad days, the silly days, and all the days in between. Everyone needs a smile, and smiles are contagious :) 3. If you don't know someone who is sitting at your lunch table, meet them. You instantly gain a friend, or at least a familiar face in the hallways 4. If you are stuck in the commons and the bell for lunch rang over 5 minutes ago, simply wait until the last ten minutes of lunch to grab your food or you will be waiting FOREVER . (Or take a friend to wait with you, or make a friend in the lunch line. Either way) 5. Turn in things on time. A 1...