When I saw Dr. P for my annual, we discussed J and I wanting to begin trying to have children. She is supportive but due to my irregular periods of late, decided to order some blood-work. The results of which I received today. Keep in mind the blood-work was drawn on my Cycle Day 14.
FSH, SERUM
5.9 (mIU/mL)
According to the chart on the results sheet, this means I was in the follicular part of my cycle, which can last about 14 Cycle Days.
LH (LUTEINIZING HORMONE SERUM)
10.3 (mIU/mL)
The references ranges for this particular result are confusing. My result could indicate that I was in the follicular part of my cycle, or the Luteal phase.
ESTRADIOL
39.3 (pg/mL)
My result indicates, once again, that I was in the follicular phase of my cycle.
TSH (THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE)
1.12 (uU/mL)
This level is within the reference range.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
6/17/2014: Annual Exam with Dr. P
I had my annual gyno exam with Dr. P today. She will also be our OB once we are prego.
My period has been completely out of whack for quite some time, which I'm chalking up to stress. I discussed this with Dr. P and she decided to order some blood-work to see what's going on. She mentioned that the weight I've gained could be an issue, but since these issues started just a few months ago she agrees it's likely due to stress.
I let her know that we'd like to start trying to get pregnant in the very near future and she supports us completely. The doc and I talked about the doctor J and I are considering, Dr. K, and she had positive experiences with her so that's great. She said she'd be more than happy to refer which is even better!
Dr. P let me know that my cycles would likely need to be regulated with Clomid regardless of their irregularity now so she gave me her blessing to contact Dr. K's office and she even made sure the blood-work she was ordering was sent there as well.
According to Dr. P everything looks good so we're just waiting for the results on the blood-work and the pap just be sure.
Once I got my blood drawn, I hurriedly called Dr. K's office to make an appointment. We are set for our first appointment on July 31st! Though I think this worked out the way it was supposed to, I'm bummed Dr. K's receptionist told me in May that I needed a referral, which is why we've been waiting until the appointment with Dr. P. Oh well.
Onward!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
6/11/2014: We chose a donor!
J and I decided on a donor tonight! We found a sperm bank in our area that has a number of donors that share the characteristics we are most looking for and is a bit more affordable than others we've found to boot! We've been waiting for awhile for finally sit down and read over the profiles together. It was nice to finally get that accomplished after having a nice dinner together. I guess some might consider that a strange date night, though.
Since I'll be carrying, we decided to choose donors who share some of J's qualities. Mainly, we are looking at ethnicity/heritage, height, education level/profession, and family health history. Out of nearly 20 donor profiles, we chose our top five candidates.
Donor #1:
Shares J's ethnicity, is over 6' tall, does not smoke, has brothers and sisters, is currently in med school, and has living grandparents in their 80s and 90s. This donor only has ICI specimens available, which we are hoping we can have the fertility clinic wash in order to make them IUI specimens.
Donor#2:
Shares J's ethnicity, is almost 6' tall, doesn't smoke, has brothers and sisters, works in banking management, and has living grandparents in their late 70s. His paternal grandparents were smokers who died in their 60s from cancer. These specimens would also require washing in order to make them IUI units.
Donor #3:
Shares 7/8 of J's ethnicity with a dash of another that she doesn't share, is nearly 6' tall, does not smoke or drink, only has brothers, works in real estate as well as attends college, and has living grandparents in their 80s and 90s save for one grandfather who passed away due to exposure to the elements from being lost in the mountains. This donor has IUI specimens available.
Donor #4:
Shares many of J's and my own ethnicity, is 6' tall, does not smoke or drink, only has sisters, studies full-time, and has living grandparents in their late 70s and 80s. IUI specimens are available for this donor.
Donor #5:
Shares J's ethnicity as well as some others that do not run in either of our families, is nearly 6' tall, does not smoke, is a medical resident with a 4.0 GPA, and has two living grandparents in their around 80 years old and two deceased grandparents who lived until their 80s. This donor has IUI specimens available.
It's crazy to think we could be staring at a sheet of paper that represents the other half of our children's genetic makeup! The next steps are to see Dr. P for my annual exam and hopefully get into a reproductive endocrinologist as soon as possible.
Donor #1:
Shares J's ethnicity, is over 6' tall, does not smoke, has brothers and sisters, is currently in med school, and has living grandparents in their 80s and 90s. This donor only has ICI specimens available, which we are hoping we can have the fertility clinic wash in order to make them IUI specimens.
Donor#2:
Shares J's ethnicity, is almost 6' tall, doesn't smoke, has brothers and sisters, works in banking management, and has living grandparents in their late 70s. His paternal grandparents were smokers who died in their 60s from cancer. These specimens would also require washing in order to make them IUI units.
Donor #3:
Shares 7/8 of J's ethnicity with a dash of another that she doesn't share, is nearly 6' tall, does not smoke or drink, only has brothers, works in real estate as well as attends college, and has living grandparents in their 80s and 90s save for one grandfather who passed away due to exposure to the elements from being lost in the mountains. This donor has IUI specimens available.
Donor #4:
Shares many of J's and my own ethnicity, is 6' tall, does not smoke or drink, only has sisters, studies full-time, and has living grandparents in their late 70s and 80s. IUI specimens are available for this donor.
Donor #5:
Shares J's ethnicity as well as some others that do not run in either of our families, is nearly 6' tall, does not smoke, is a medical resident with a 4.0 GPA, and has two living grandparents in their around 80 years old and two deceased grandparents who lived until their 80s. This donor has IUI specimens available.
It's crazy to think we could be staring at a sheet of paper that represents the other half of our children's genetic makeup! The next steps are to see Dr. P for my annual exam and hopefully get into a reproductive endocrinologist as soon as possible.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
6/1/2014: About the Two Chicks
Hi there! We are J and G, otherwise known here as the Two Chicks.
J and I first met in the fall of 2010 after initially meeting online. Some people may have thought we were moving too fast, but everything just seemed to fall into place. Sometimes when it's meant to be, it's just easy! We will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary this August and have two fur babies (dogs) we love more than anything. We were lucky enough to be one of roughly 300 couples that were legally married in Michigan this past March.
J is almost 30 and works as a retail manager for a major corporation.
G is almost 28 and works in higher education for a local university.
For as long as we've discussed having children it has been a no-brainer that G will carry. J has no interest in being pregnant while G has a strong desire to carry and give birth.
This blog will document our journey to parenthood. including our unique perspective as a same-sex couple. G will be the main author, but J may chime in occasionally.
We decided to start this blog to share our thoughts, feelings, and the events leading up to becoming parents so that we can look back someday or even show our future kids. But mostly we decided to blog our journey as a way to connect with others, provide others with insight/advice, and to talk about what will surely be a road of highs and lows in an anonymous fashion. It's not that we don't want to share this journey with those we call family, it's just that we feel this is stressful enough without people expecting to educate them or answer all their probing questions, etc. Only a handful of people in our real life know we are taking these steps.
We hope you enjoy sharing in our journey!
J and I first met in the fall of 2010 after initially meeting online. Some people may have thought we were moving too fast, but everything just seemed to fall into place. Sometimes when it's meant to be, it's just easy! We will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary this August and have two fur babies (dogs) we love more than anything. We were lucky enough to be one of roughly 300 couples that were legally married in Michigan this past March.
J is almost 30 and works as a retail manager for a major corporation.
G is almost 28 and works in higher education for a local university.
For as long as we've discussed having children it has been a no-brainer that G will carry. J has no interest in being pregnant while G has a strong desire to carry and give birth.
This blog will document our journey to parenthood. including our unique perspective as a same-sex couple. G will be the main author, but J may chime in occasionally.
We decided to start this blog to share our thoughts, feelings, and the events leading up to becoming parents so that we can look back someday or even show our future kids. But mostly we decided to blog our journey as a way to connect with others, provide others with insight/advice, and to talk about what will surely be a road of highs and lows in an anonymous fashion. It's not that we don't want to share this journey with those we call family, it's just that we feel this is stressful enough without people expecting to educate them or answer all their probing questions, etc. Only a handful of people in our real life know we are taking these steps.
We hope you enjoy sharing in our journey!
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