Sage Randall IUI and IVF Story

 My husband and I were married about 9 years ago, and I immediately wanted to start trying to get pregnant so we never took birth control. About a year later I decided to go see a doctor, and we found out I didn’t ovulate on my own. I started Clomid, Famara and ovulation tests to time it just right. Six months later we started doing IUIs; we did about 8 IUIs and then when my doctor was delivering a baby another doctor came in and told me it wasn’t going to work and that my husband needed to be checked. After that we were told that he needed to be on medicine and that it was worth a shot to do a few more IUIs before starting the IVF process. On our very last IUI 3 years in, before IVF, we found out we were pregnant with our little girl.

A few months after she turned one, we decided to get back on our meds and go in for another IUI to try and have another baby, since we knew it would probably take some time. After I got in there and was told this IUI most likely wasn’t going to work, we found out we got pregnant with our little boy on that first try.

Now comes the part I’m in now. After my little boy worked the first time, I just knew it was going to work again. After multiple failed IUIs, I started to get really upset and worried. We started getting test after test and nothing was wrong and samples looked better than they had in the past. We were left so confused and upset. We decided after about 8 IUIs and being on more medication than ever before, it was time to go see a specialist and consider IVF again. The specialist thought it was definitely worth trying an IUI at the fertility clinic so we tried two with a lot of the IVF injections, and still nothing. This was it, and we were so drained physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Almost 2 years in, and at this point I thought I was going crazy because I told my husband over and over I know I have more children. Yet nothing every single month. I knew if I didn’t try IVF, I would always wonder if it would have worked where I was having such strong feelings. So we talked to our families and decided IVF was what we were going to do.

 At first when I started the injections, I was excited and had done so much already at that point that I felt fine, then as the process and hormones kept going it got very physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. They told me I was young with good eggs and thought I had a good chance. Going to my egg retrieval we were told that we had to do IVF, and pretty much that our other 2 kids were miracles. Waking up from my egg retrieval I was told I got 9 eggs. I immediately bust into tears. How? I hear all the time of people getting so many and I only got 9? After IVF we had 7 eggs make it to fertilization. Going into my embryo transfer I went in thinking I still had 7 eggs, last I had heard they were all still growing. When I got in there they told me that day that I only had ONE good egg and three possible potentials that they needed to watch for another day but they were at a stage 1 and needed to be at least a stage 3 to freeze. Once again I started to cry. How did I only have one? What if I wanted more children? What if this one didn’t work and I didn’t have any more? Me and my husband just started to pray and have faith that what needed to happen would.

We put in that sweet little embryo and went home and just hoped it worked and hoped for good news on the others. We got the call the next day and to my surprise two had grown to a stage 5 and one to a stage 4, so I got to freeze three, which made me so thankful and I could finally relax. About a week later I started to get cramps and all the same feelings I had every failed IUI. I started to cry, I got a cold sore, I would dry heave all day. I just paid all this money and this was my last resort. I started taking pregnancy test because online people started getting positives by then. Negative, negative, negative every single day. I was devastated. I called my doctor and asked if I could stop the painful progesterone shots and she told me it could still be early and to give it couple more days. And the very next day POSITIVE. IT WORKED. I couldn’t believe it, I get to grow my family!!! My heart is so full and I am so beyond thankful!! I’m so glad I had faith, and hope, and didn’t give up!! This sweet baby was worth every shot, tear, the blood work, the medication, times a million.

So here I am a couple weeks later, hoping and praying things still go great. A few things I have learned along my journey is that you never know what anyone is going through and how they feel, so be kind, and most the time what you say doesn’t make them feel better so just let them know they are loved. Also, I want to be there for anyone ever going through infertility because it is the most lonely I have ever felt and the people around me helped me more than they will ever know. I think I have changed and grown so much through this process and learned to lean on my husband and go with my gut and do what we feel is right, and best. Just because I have two children didn’t mean I wasn’t able to want another, and it didn’t take away my love and gratitude for my other two children.

For anyone going through infertility, have faith and hope, do what you think is right, and know that there are so many people out there who understand and love you! The infertility community is so great and caring and kind, don’t be afraid to put your struggles out there because going through them with others Is better than struggling by yourself!

– Sage Randall