Diagnosis...Finally.

Well we made it through the holidays and Gracie's due date, and we are feeling much more hopeful about our future children these days. If you can remember from my original post, we realized there was an issue with my body before we had even gotten married. The problems began as long cycles, which turned into no cycles, and resulted in the loss of our baby Taylor Grace. Before the pregnancy, my doctor had run a profile of hormone tests. These tests appeared to be normal for the time of cycle we assumed I was in. The doctor decided it would be best to wait a cycle and run more hormone tests at various points throughout that cycle. This never happened, of course, because we were pregnant the following cycle. Unfortunately, this pregnancy resulted in a loss that we will always mourn. After the pregnancy, my ob/gyn told me to wait 3 cycles and try again. I started charting again in hopes that the pregnancy might have reset my body. Instead, it appeared to make it worse. Not once did I identify signs of ovulation, even though my cycle was a "normal" length for two months in a row. As I waited for the 3rd cycle to come to an end so we could try again, I realized that I was back where we started. This cycle lasted over 70 days before I called the doctor to get progesterone to cause a withdrawal bleed. She told me to wait and see what the next cycle did. This one lasted 50 days before I gave in and called the doctor. I did not want to wait another long cycle for more answers, so I decided to investigate other clinics.

It did not take me long to identify 2 clinics I was interested in working with. The first clinic I remembered from the only Couple-to-Couple League class my husband and I attended (long story short, the teacher didn't know what to do with my charts, so out of frustration we skipped the next 2 classes). This clinic is called the AALFA clinic. The other clinic I was interested in trying was one that focused on natural care through the use of essential oils and supplements. First, I set up an appointment with the natural clinic. I had to wait a little over a month to get in, but my friends kept assuring me the doctor at this clinic was worth the wait. I took the day off to go see this doctor only to have her call that morning to let me know my appointment had to be cancelled  since she was ill. I was absolutely devastated. Not only had I been waiting so long to see this doctor in hopes of having an answer, but I also took off one of the few remaining sick days I had. (Catholic school teachers don't get that many.) I called my HR director in tears to find out whether I would have enough sick days to go see her another day, or if I could come in to save the sick day I had used that day. My lovely HR director assured me I had enough sick days to stay home for my mental health. She then called me back in a half hour to recommend the AALFA clinic. I am so glad that I called that clinic.

I was able to get in with the AALFA clinic the following Monday. On Mondays, most of my day is prep time, so I was able to go to the appointment without using anymore sick time. The lovely doctor I saw flipped through the hormone tests I had brought with me, as well as my NFP charts, and was quickly able to diagnose my problem. I have PCOS. She explained that PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is caused by "naughty genes" that I inherited. From my understanding, it is essentially an insulin resistance that causes issues with weight loss and hormones. My symptoms matched right up: low progesterone during the pregnancy, my hormone ratios, acne, facial and stomach hair, excess weight around my middle, and long, irregular, even nonexistent cycles. With a diagnosis, I am now able to get proper treatment. This happy, well-informed doctor listed off the natural supplements that would help me, informed me of the diet I should be eating, and prescribed medicine to treat the insulin resistance. She also made it quite clear that we should be pregnant within the next three months.Yay! I am looking forward to getting healthy and the possibility of having our little Clara.