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I hope to inspire and give hope to all you wonderful ladies! A little long...
I'm 35 years old and my husband and I have been trying for close to 7 years and one month ago I finally got my big fat positive! But this didn't come easy, I have two older children, an 11 year old and a 9 year old. When trying to conceive them, all my husband had to do was look at me and I was pregnant LOL. I was super fertile so you could imagine my shock when we started trying for baby number three and one year later I still wasn't pregnant. This is where my infertility journey started.
My periods were regular, a little longer than 28 days but nonetheless I was getting it every month. So when it stopped I for sure thought I was knocked up. Not the case. So fast forward to one year of trying, and one year of no period, I decided to finally schedule an appointment with my primary doc. He immediately referred me to see an endocrinologist but before I was scheduled an appointment he scheduled for me to get an MRI of my pituitary gland. It was in that scan that we found the reason behind my infertility...I was diagnosed with Hyperprolactinoma with a pituitary adenoma (benign tumor on my pituitary gland that secreted prolactin). Basically my body thought I was pregnant so it stopped all ovulatory actions and I was producing breast milk like a cow. Mind you my youngest at that time was already 3 years old, while he was breastfed I stopped when he was a year old. Normally after a woman is done breastfeeding, the pituitary gland signals to stop producing milk but since I had a tumor that never happened. I immediately started treatment, I was put on Bromocriptine to shrink the tumor, the side effects were horrendous it seriously made me think whether or not I still wanted more kids because of how crummy the meds were making me feel. I continued with treatment for three more months, I finally told my doc that I couldn't handle the side effects any longer, he switched me to Cabergoline, the side effects were quite manageable. After being on it for 6 months I went in for another MRI and the tumor had grown in size instead of shrinking, my periods were back on track but still not ovulating and still had breast milk. So he upped the dosage on my meds, which meant more intense side effects, I took it like a champ because at this point I'm at year number 2 of trying and I was 30 years old my time was running out. The older I am the less mature eggs I would produce. In November of 2012 (I was 32) I got the news I wanted to hear, tumor is gone and my prolactin levels had gone down to normal... Yeyyyy I for sure thought I'd be pregnant the following month, sadly I was mistaken again. Towards the end of 2013 I decided that I'd let go and let God. I was on year 4 of trying with nothing but heartaches month after month.
In February of 2014, I was admitted into the hospital for signs and symptoms of a stroke, while I was there the doctor came in and told my husband and I that we were expecting! My jaw DROPPED. Lol. I was floored and filled with excitement. That excitement was short lived one month later when we found out that I had an ectopic pregnancy and we had to terminate the pregnancy. I was depressed for so long, my husband is active duty military so we were relocated to Alaska in November of 2014 so the move took my mind off of wanting a baby. After getting settled into our new home here in Alaska, I decided I'd give baby trying another chance (one last chance). January 2015 I saw the Gynecologist here on base she did a thorough work up and it was once again determined that although, I get my periods, I'm not ovulating due to my Hyperprolactinoma (again). So her plan was to refer me off base to the best fertility doctor in Anchorage. After getting all the referral issues straightened out I had my first appointment May 1, 2015. My fertility doc did extra tests and scans and he determined that I'd be a good candidate for Clomid (Clomiphene) I was set to start taking one pill for five days starting on day 5 of my cycle..simple enough, except my periods stopped AGAIN. It was determined that my prolactin levels were super high once again and it was signaling my pituitary gland that I was pregnant so of course my periods would stop. It took all of June, July, and August to finally kick start my periods. September 2015 came and so did my period, yeyyyyy finally I can start Clomid. I took it as directed and on day 14 of my cycle I went in to get a follicle scan to see if the Clomid did what it was suppose to do (make you ovulate) ... More good news, I had two mature follicles that we're getting ready to ovulate 12-36 hours. So it was time to hit the sheets with my husband! October came and I was patiently waiting to NOT get my period so I could take a pregnancy test, unfortunately my period came on day 24. I was sad but hopeful for next month, so same thing I took the Clomid as directed and went in on day 14 for another scan and there it was 1 mature follicle. I was given an HCG trigger at that scan to trigger ovulation immediately so my husby and I hit the sheets agai twice in 36 hours.. November came and so did my period on November 4th. At this point, I'm in tears coz I felt like this would never work for me, nonetheless, I did my third cycle of Clomid went in on my 35th birthday for a follicle scan and another HCG trigger was given, husby and I did some birthday lovin' and hoped for no period the next month. December 4th came the day my period was scheduled to come and she never came. I sent my doc a text and he said to take a pregnancy test... I did and it came back a faint positive VERY faint positive. I sent the picture of it to my doc and he told me to come in and get a HCG quant test, I did and that afternoon I got the call I had been waiting for "hello, mommy" is what my docs nurse said on the other line! I cried so unbelievably hard. I still wasn't out of the woods, since I have a history of ectopic pregnancies this could have been one too, so on December 24th 2015 I came in to get my first pregnancy sonogram and there it was a intrauterine pregnancy with a good strong heartbeat... My Christmas miracle made on my birthday! Lol. Sorry for the long post I hope this serves as an inspiration to whomever reads it..
My periods were regular, a little longer than 28 days but nonetheless I was getting it every month. So when it stopped I for sure thought I was knocked up. Not the case. So fast forward to one year of trying, and one year of no period, I decided to finally schedule an appointment with my primary doc. He immediately referred me to see an endocrinologist but before I was scheduled an appointment he scheduled for me to get an MRI of my pituitary gland. It was in that scan that we found the reason behind my infertility...I was diagnosed with Hyperprolactinoma with a pituitary adenoma (benign tumor on my pituitary gland that secreted prolactin). Basically my body thought I was pregnant so it stopped all ovulatory actions and I was producing breast milk like a cow. Mind you my youngest at that time was already 3 years old, while he was breastfed I stopped when he was a year old. Normally after a woman is done breastfeeding, the pituitary gland signals to stop producing milk but since I had a tumor that never happened. I immediately started treatment, I was put on Bromocriptine to shrink the tumor, the side effects were horrendous it seriously made me think whether or not I still wanted more kids because of how crummy the meds were making me feel. I continued with treatment for three more months, I finally told my doc that I couldn't handle the side effects any longer, he switched me to Cabergoline, the side effects were quite manageable. After being on it for 6 months I went in for another MRI and the tumor had grown in size instead of shrinking, my periods were back on track but still not ovulating and still had breast milk. So he upped the dosage on my meds, which meant more intense side effects, I took it like a champ because at this point I'm at year number 2 of trying and I was 30 years old my time was running out. The older I am the less mature eggs I would produce. In November of 2012 (I was 32) I got the news I wanted to hear, tumor is gone and my prolactin levels had gone down to normal... Yeyyyy I for sure thought I'd be pregnant the following month, sadly I was mistaken again. Towards the end of 2013 I decided that I'd let go and let God. I was on year 4 of trying with nothing but heartaches month after month.
In February of 2014, I was admitted into the hospital for signs and symptoms of a stroke, while I was there the doctor came in and told my husband and I that we were expecting! My jaw DROPPED. Lol. I was floored and filled with excitement. That excitement was short lived one month later when we found out that I had an ectopic pregnancy and we had to terminate the pregnancy. I was depressed for so long, my husband is active duty military so we were relocated to Alaska in November of 2014 so the move took my mind off of wanting a baby. After getting settled into our new home here in Alaska, I decided I'd give baby trying another chance (one last chance). January 2015 I saw the Gynecologist here on base she did a thorough work up and it was once again determined that although, I get my periods, I'm not ovulating due to my Hyperprolactinoma (again). So her plan was to refer me off base to the best fertility doctor in Anchorage. After getting all the referral issues straightened out I had my first appointment May 1, 2015. My fertility doc did extra tests and scans and he determined that I'd be a good candidate for Clomid (Clomiphene) I was set to start taking one pill for five days starting on day 5 of my cycle..simple enough, except my periods stopped AGAIN. It was determined that my prolactin levels were super high once again and it was signaling my pituitary gland that I was pregnant so of course my periods would stop. It took all of June, July, and August to finally kick start my periods. September 2015 came and so did my period, yeyyyyy finally I can start Clomid. I took it as directed and on day 14 of my cycle I went in to get a follicle scan to see if the Clomid did what it was suppose to do (make you ovulate) ... More good news, I had two mature follicles that we're getting ready to ovulate 12-36 hours. So it was time to hit the sheets with my husband! October came and I was patiently waiting to NOT get my period so I could take a pregnancy test, unfortunately my period came on day 24. I was sad but hopeful for next month, so same thing I took the Clomid as directed and went in on day 14 for another scan and there it was 1 mature follicle. I was given an HCG trigger at that scan to trigger ovulation immediately so my husby and I hit the sheets agai twice in 36 hours.. November came and so did my period on November 4th. At this point, I'm in tears coz I felt like this would never work for me, nonetheless, I did my third cycle of Clomid went in on my 35th birthday for a follicle scan and another HCG trigger was given, husby and I did some birthday lovin' and hoped for no period the next month. December 4th came the day my period was scheduled to come and she never came. I sent my doc a text and he said to take a pregnancy test... I did and it came back a faint positive VERY faint positive. I sent the picture of it to my doc and he told me to come in and get a HCG quant test, I did and that afternoon I got the call I had been waiting for "hello, mommy" is what my docs nurse said on the other line! I cried so unbelievably hard. I still wasn't out of the woods, since I have a history of ectopic pregnancies this could have been one too, so on December 24th 2015 I came in to get my first pregnancy sonogram and there it was a intrauterine pregnancy with a good strong heartbeat... My Christmas miracle made on my birthday! Lol. Sorry for the long post I hope this serves as an inspiration to whomever reads it..
Just wanted to update all of you, on March 14th we found out we're having a little girl. My son isn't too happy (LOL) but we (hubby, myself and daughter) sure are over the moon excited.
Congratulations thank you for the inspiration your story is very similar to mine I found out February 2015 that I had a pituitary adenoma my numbers were high I did not take any medication to lower it but 6 months later my number dropped significantly still not normal but close, fast forward I have taken my second round of Clomid increased dose of 100mg waiting to not see my cycle although I feel like my cycle is coming expected in 3 days wish me luck
You ladies are all welcome!! Pregnancy is going well in three weeks we will be able to find out if baby number three is a boy or a girl. I've been experiencing terrible "all day sickness." But I'm embracing every curve ball this pregnancy is throwing at me. I pray you all get your big fat positive soon! Take care and please keep me updated as well on your journey, ladies.
Thanks so much for your inspiring story. My husband and I have been trying for 7 years and every time we begin the process for fertility treatments we always get orders to PCS. This time same thing we started blood work and they found I have fibroids and need to have surgery. So by the time I have the surgery we will be preparing to PCS. I pray this next move we'll be able to welcome a new member into our family. Thanks so much for the encouragement.
Ahhhhh so lovely to hear. I've been trying 6 yrs, lost my baby Nov 2015 hope it happens soon xxx
Ahhhhh so lovely to hear. I've been trying 6 yrs, lost my baby Nov 2015 hope it happens soon xxx
Wow; such a journey. I hope you are still enjoying a healthy pregnancy after such a struggle. That will be one loved baby!
All the best and hope you have a healthy baby soon in your hands. Inspires us who are TTC
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