Remember those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from childhood?
You know, the ones where the reader gets to choose the outcome of the story? You read a few pages, then you're given two or three options to choose where you go next and how the story ends.
Following the aftermath of the surgery results and moving beyond the initial emotional hump, it's like Brian and I suddenly became the protagonists of our own "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.
Our book starts with a decision to regroup with our fertility doctor to discuss where we go from here. What are our options? How much MORE are we going to have to financially and emotionally invest in this journey to parenthood?
On September 28, we met with Dr. Young. It reminded me a lot of our very first consultation with him. We sat in the same big chairs across the desk from him. We'd had a few phone conversations leading up to and after the surgery, so he already knew what we were up against. (Thank goodness––because I was in no mood to explain everything yet again.)
Going into this appointment, it was obvious that our two remaining options were adoption and donor sperm. It was a pretty quick appointment this time around. We asked our questions regarding donor sperm:
How do we go about picking a donor? We have four preferred sperm banks listed on our website. You can check those out and have the sperm sent directly to our office.
What's the process? We'd start with Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) where we'll place the donor sperm directly into your uterus via a catheter.
Are there meds I need to be on? You can choose to take ovulation medication like Clomid. However, if you decide to take it, your chances of conceiving multiples (twins, triplets, etc.) is about 7%.
How much does all this cost? The cost of the procedure is roughly $525, but then you'd have to factor in the blood tests, ultrasounds if needed, meds, and the cost of the donor sperm.
What's the likelihood IUI will work? We recommend trying it anywhere from 4-6 cycles.
What if it doesn't work? If it doesn't work, we can go the IVF route with the donor sperm.
He also informed us that I'd have to have more lab work to test for a large panel of diseases to make sure I don't a choose donor that wouldn't match well with my DNA. This is required by the FDA (for the donor as well as the recipient).
Lots to think about–it's time for us to choose our next adventure:
A. Turn to October if you choose to have the genetic testing
B. Turn to November if you choose to explore adoption
C. Turn to the end of this book if you choose to do nothing
We chose option A. We weren't ready to make a decision on donor sperm or adoption just yet, but we decided to do my tests to see if there are any other surprises waiting for us on this crazy journey. And we're definitely not ready to close the book.
Here's the thing: we didn't come this far to only get this far.
We're still in the race, just in a different lane than where we started. Brian's diagnosis is not the end of the road for us––just a lengthy detour to another route. It's like our inner GPS has constantly been"recalculating" over the last couple years, so what's another reroute?
Keep following along to hear about my genetic labs and what adventure we choose next.
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