Our story started when I finally started to investigate why I wasn't having a regular monthly cycle. And when I say not having one I'm not talking irregular I'm talking none, zero, zip. In fact, I hadn't had a natural one that wasn't induced by birth control for over two and a half years. So my ob-gyn recommended me to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) to figure out what was going on. After some medical history, blood tests, and an MRI of the brain, it was confirmed I had hypothalamic amenorrhea. In a nut shell hypothalamic amenorrhea is a condition in which menstruation stops for several months due to a problem involving the hypothalamus but more on this later in another post.
If I had known more and cared more to really find out what was wrong with my body I probably would have realized this is what I had awhile ago when I was given the progesterone challenge which I indeed failed. But at that time of my life that kids were the last thing I was worried about and I really didn't know what kind of trouble I might be in when it came to actually wanting to get pregnant. Reproductive health wasn't on my mind nor priority list and my ob-gyn didn't seem to think it really was a problem so I went on doing my thing. Hindsight 20/20 I should have further investigated but I didn't know what I didn't know.
So that brings us to my diagnoses and what I needed to do to move forward with starting a family. The first RE I went to who ultimately first diagnosed me mentioned all the typical fertility methods and the progression he would recommend for me. First the most common clomid, then something stronger, then injectables if those two didn't work, and then of course the ultimate course of action IVF. Unfortunately, I did not mesh well with the doctor nor the medical staff at this RE office. After several frustrations trying to get through to talk to the medical staff I was on the search for possibly another RE. At this time is also when I started to share my condition with a select number of friends who I knew had been through some kind of fertility struggles and started to learn more.
I cannot be more thankful for those friends that have been placed in my life in the last few years that were so willing to open up and share their experiences. It can be said that people come into your life for a specific reason although at the time you may not realize exactly why. I now 100% believe that saying and I cannot believe how lucky I've been to have those friends who have been so supportive since day 1 of my journey!
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