Pregnancy Journal: Numero Uno

This blog is about to get real, ya'll.  

*cheesy grin*

After countless hours of scouring the internet for information, and reading blog upon blog of women's journeys to pregnancy, I've decided to start blogging about my own journey.  So, welcome to the first entry of the pregnancy adventures of Tom & Marissa...


Tom & I tied the knot 21 months ago.  We made a life-changing decision 3 months prior to have my last round of birth control.  I was on the Depo-Provera, which is a shot you get every 3 months.  I'd done a lot of research and found that my chances of conceiving right away seemed slim-to-none, so we figured we'd have 6-12 months before actually getting pregnant.  Our goals, pre-pregnancy, were to buy a house & a new car for myself.  Check, and check.  Next?  Baby.  Knowing the extended time it takes Depo to completely escape your system, I didn't get my hopes up too much in the first 12 months.  We planned to set up a doctor appt at the 1 year mark, which actually came up pretty quick.  


I went to the appointment with high hopes in finding out more information on what I needed to do to conceive.  The first thing the doctor told me was that I was overweight.  He was pretty optimistic if I lost 30 lbs, my body would regulate itself, and I'd have no problems conceiving.  I left the office feeling a little discouraged, but decided it was a good idea to start exercising & dieting.  From January to March, I dropped 25 pounds with healthy eating & mild-moderate exercise (depending on the week & my ambition level).  

It wasn't until talking to a close friend, who had gone through the same process only to find out she was unable to conceive, did I realize I needed to question the doctor a little bit more, because what I was going through was not normal.  I decided to change doctors, and find an office that was more geared toward infertility & women's health.  When I made the appointment, it had been 18 months off birth control.  As soon as I walked into the new office, I felt right at home.  The whole setting was relaxing & inviting, and my doctor is amazing.  I explained my situation to her, told her everything my previous doctor had me do, and her response was really what sealed the deal.  She told me the weight loss was definitely a good thing, but she was sure my problems ran deeper than just weight, and asked that we do some tests to confirm.  I was already feeling like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  She suggested an ultrasound right off the bat, which she was able to do that day in her office.  It took her only a couple seconds to show me the reason was not pregnant yet.  My ovaries were covered in cysts.  


After some blood work, it confirmed that I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, more commonly called PCOS.  
It felt so good to finally have an answer.  The next step was finding out what the heck that was!  I'd never heard of it, nor did I know what to do with that information.  My doc suggested I buy a PCOS Workbook and really read through it to get informed completely.  (You can find it here, if interested- http://www.amazon.com/The-PCOS-Workbook-Complete-Emotional/dp/0615217842) 
Tom & I read through it together, and it answered a lot of questions I've had for years.  First, we found out PCOS is the most common infertility disorder in women, which eased my mind quite a bit.  We learned it's linked to insulin resistance & diabetes.  That alone helped explain a lot of my issues with food.  The workbook goes through a whole cycle of how my body doesn't break down glucose like it should, making my body irregular, therefore unable to ovulate.  (I'll go into more detail on my next blog post.)  With this information, I was able to pinpoint the changes that needed to be made, and we are finally onto our next step...


Fertility Treatment!