In my last post, I mentioned that I would be trying a new doctor (Reproductive Endocrinologist). I don’t think I really elaborated on my reasons though. It’s been almost 2 years since we initially went to the RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) just to get all of our testing done and I liked the first practice that we went to. They seemed thorough and knowledgeable, however, when we found out that my husband had low sperm count, the immediately started talking to us about IVF. We were literally only a couple of months into our journey so thinking about something as drastic as IVF was crazy to us. After that, we felt that they were all about money. Even when we asked them about going to a urologist, they basically said “well, you can try a urologist, but with his count being so low, it’s probably not anything that they can do”. Even if that were true, we felt that they could have been a little more encouraging. So anyway, that’s what led us to our new RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist).
So we had our appointment and it went really well. This particular doctor was recommended to me by some friends of mine that I made through my infertility support group. They spoke really highly of him although they did warn me that his bedside manner could come off a little cold. I didn’t feel that way though. Anyway, back to the appointment. He gave me tons of information about assisted reproductive technology (ART). He also told me straight up that he recommends that we go straight to IVF. We were thinking that we could try IUI first but he said that he wouldn’t recommend it since we only have $12,000 in coverage and the success rate for IUI is lower than IVF. I’ll be honest with you, that was a hard pill to swallow. I didn’t walk in thinking that we would be talking about IVF. Since my husband just started his job, I went to the appointment alone so I told him that I would talk to my husband about it and we would make a decision soon.
I have mixed feelings about IVF. On one hand, I think it’s awesome that this type of advanced treatment, technology, and science is available to help people who are unable to or having difficulty conceiving on their own. I just never imagined that I would be one of those people. It feels weird to think about my baby being conceived in a lab. However, I want a baby and if this is what we have to do to get one, I think we should at least consider it. Of course we need to pray about this. This is a major decision and we can’t make it without God’s approval. I pray that he leads us in the right direction. I pray that he gives us the wisdom that we need no matter what decision we make. We trust God.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:5-6
Kristen D. Johnson
