And so it goes...

for a moment, pretend you are a patient anxiously waiting for your doctor at the OB's office. You're on the table, half naked with a white sheet covering your lower half.

You're here b/c it's been 45 days since your last period, you've had cramping for almost 3 weeks straight and you want to know what's going on in that body of yours.
All the pregnancy tests you've taken at home have come out negative. You wanted to see your regular doctor, or at least one you've seen before and somewhat liked, but they're all on vacation. Your options were either seeing one you've met before and disliked very much or someone totally new. You take the lesser of two evils and opt for someone new.

Your new doctor enters the room.

He asks you "How frequent are your periods?"

you: "most my life they've been 26-28days. I've been off the pill for over a year. I had a D&C / Miscarriage in January. Since then, my period was 44 days 1 cycle, and every cycle after has shortened. My last one was 34 days."

Doc: "There is no evidence shown that a D&C procedure or miscarriage causes one to have irregular periods."

You think to yourself..."What kind of evidence is he referring to? I have spoken to REAL women who have had the procedure and or a miscarriage and have had the same period issues I've had."

Doc: "I checked the pregnancy test and it is negative."

You: "All the ones I have taken have been negative too."

Doc: "It is possible you are currently only 10-13 days pregnant and the hormone levels are not high enough to be detected right now."

Doc then does a quick internal exam.

Doc: "I think you may have PCOS, which explains the irregular periods. And also can explain issues with infertility."

You: "What issues with infertility?? Last time my husband and I tried to get pregnant, we got pregnant. This is only the 2nd time we've tried to get pregnant, THIS cycle. You said you think it is possible that I might be pregnant, and now you are saying I may have issues with infertility?"

Doc: "Well, let's start you on some progesterone. It will make you get your period and help you to ovulate. It also will not have a negative affect if you are pregnant, we actually give it to patients who need help maintaining an early pregnancy."

You: "Um, okay, if you say it won't hurt, then ... okay."

Doc: "You take them for 12 days, put 2 high up in your vagina every night before bed. It will make you get your period afterwards. Once you get your period, schedule an appt for bloodwork on the 3rd day of your period. If the 3rd day falls on a Sunday, scheduled it for the 2nd day. It's better than coming in on Monday the 4th day. You may also get your period while you are still taking the progesterone. If so, stop taking it and schedule the bloodwork on the 3rd day as well. Then we can talk about putting you on fertility drugs. The side effect with that is you might have twins"

You think to yourself, b/c if you speak outloud it will sound like you need to be put in an insane asylum... "What in the hell?! I might be pregnant, and also should consider taking fertility drugs b/c I may have infertility issues???"

You start tearing up, b/c you are so damned confused, finally, you ask...

You: "you just said I may be pregnant, I may have PCOS and need to take fertility drugs. can you explain this to me."

Doc looks at you like you are his feebleminded 14 year old thug son who does nothing but disappoint him and says, "I don't see what you're not understanding, it's all pretty explanatory."

You: "Okay, I still don't understand."

Doc doesn't answer you and begins writing things down. He writes up a form for the bloodwork you're supposed to have done after you get your period while taking the progesterone and says .. "I can't guarantee you will get all the correct blood tests done, but this paper should help you get close to what you need."

You think to yourself, "This guy is insane! I'm just going to sit through the rest of this nonsense, leave and wait until MY doc comes back from vaca and talk to her."

Doc says some other nonsense not worth listening to.

You nod your head, as if you care.

He says, "Goodbye.", "It's been a pleasure."

You say, "yup, okay" and think to yourself, "what the hell just happened?"

You get off the table and get dressed, you hurry out the exit and into your car.

You call your husband crying b/c you're so confused, frustrated and annoyed. After talking it out with your husband you realize you still never found out why you have this cramping going on and think why did the doc offer to take some blood tests to test hcg levels? Why didn't he do an ultrasound to see if you have remnants of a ruptured cyst that was causing the problems like your last doc did? Last doc found fluid from a ruptured cyst on ultrasound and hcg levels tested positive for pregnancy. Why Why Why...do you always wind up seeing whack job doctors.

Once you get home, you get online and start researching about PCOS and over-analyze the symptoms. You start thinking, maybe the doc is right, but how can one diagnose someone only having done a quick internal exam.

You take a break from reading and giving yourself major anxiety. You get back online to blog about it and find it theraputic.

-Fin



So, the hubby and I talked about it and we are going to wait a week to see if I get my period or get a positive preg test result. If neither occur, I will take the progesterone. Maybe I do have PCOS? I just never thought of myself as having fertility issues. Wow.