Baby Steps Update

The week before last, I gave you all an update on where Justin and I are at with our adventures in trying to have a family. Yes, it is a deeply personal experience I am sharing with the world. I know some might be asking themselves, "Why is she posting this all over the Internet?" Well, this is for a couple of reasons. One reason is to keep family and friends who do read the blog updated. I also feel that it is important for anyone who has been through this or might be experiencing the same issues a means of support and valuable information. It has taken me some time to digest the whirl-wind of appointments, tests, and results. This has all been even harder to share personally with others without breaking down into tears or deterring my eye contact from a conversation because I am on the verge of possible tears. I am actually finding it easier to type this all out and share it via my little food blog versus verbally telling the story.  I'm not looking for sympathy, but empathy. I feel, for some reason out of some journalistic integrity, information needs to be shared for no one is alone in the human experience. 

After we got Justin's test results back, my doctor felt that further testing needed to be done on me. I went in for a procedure called a hysteropingogram. My x-ray results displayed that something was occurring on my left side. Originally, the radiologist told me that I was not ovulating on my left side. We departed the office thinking that I had a bum ovary. This left us with a lot of questions because the copious amounts of blood work I've had up to this point have always tested positive for FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and positive for ovulation. On top of blood work, I have even bought numerous ovulation predictor kits over the course of three years all of which tested positive for ovulation. Later, while we were on vacation, my doctor called to further discuss the results. This answered a lot of our questions. Both of my ovaries are working; however, my left fallopian tube is blocked. While my body is trying to ovulate and is producing all of the hormones necessary to do so the poor little egg is not getting where it needs to be in order for conception to be possible on the months my left side chooses to operate. The right side is all fine and dandy. Good news, there is a chance!!! Bad news, the blockage will need to be investigated and fixed or there are some health risks. We will also need a little assistance from a fertility specialist in order to figure out when the right side is working and up the ante on our chances for a baby. Long story short, we're having to work a little harder than others. I am just happy that we have some answers. There is hope:)