I have been putting this off.

And mostly because we did not really receive good news.
We were hoping Chris would just have an infection or a varicocele, so we could fix the problem and be on our merry way. But they did not find either one of those. What they did find was a epididymal cyst. But according to the urologist, she made it sound like that would not contribute to the fertility issues. She basically told Chris that some guys just have bad sperm, and that he is probably one of those guys and you pretty much just have to deal with it (not in those exact words of course.) She told him that there is still a chance of conceiving naturally because, although a very small amount, there are SOME good sperm. She said we should just keep trying. Some times it just takes people a couple of years, and that we should keep trying for another year. They scheduled appointments in January for him to have blood work done so they can test some other things and his hormones, along with an ultrasound. I love how everything takes a whole month to move on to the next step, it can be so annoying. But the fact of the matter is that this isn't something very serious so they aren't going to rush things, which is fine, that is life. She was also telling him that from comparing his 3 S/A's that she did not think his morphology was that bad, and that his motility was the worse of the two, which is opposite of what my OB told me, so I was trying to explain to Chris that I am taking my OB's stand on this because she is looking at it from a change of conception point of view. Then the urologist proceeded to tell him that we should look into both of us taking sudafed. She said that there was not any substantial evidence that it works, but that many couples have tried it and for some reason it worked for them. I honestly do not think that I need to take, since I am supposedly fine, but Chris going to give it a go this next cycle. I mean why not, what can it hurt I guess.
But from what I read online it basically just helps you get out more semen, which I guess wouldn't be bad if there were some more good ones in there. My friend also told me that they made her husband do this before as well, so I guess this is something they do in the urology world because my doctor was like oh.....ok?

Ok, pause...I am going to apologize for this being so long, but to really know what is going on I have to include all the details.

So here is what we have talked about and decided: Chris will get his testing done, we will keep trying naturally for a while, and then proceed to trying an IUI.

So I called my OB to tell her all of this info. She apologized that they did not find anything concrete and said that it sounds like they are doing the right amount of work up for him for the next steps.
I told her our plan and she said that if we want to try an IUI she would support us in that. She wasn't pessimistic but she was not exactly optimistic either. She basically said that for our situation she would not typically send people down that path to getting an IUI and she still thinks that we should meet with the RE to get their opinion.

Ok, really....here is my question then: If you would NOT suggest our next step to be an IUI, what would it be then?!!! IVF?! Ok, I am certainly well aware that we may have to go down that road, but seriously, we do not have ten grand for one, and two, we are not going there until we have exhausted our other options.

It makes more sense. Chris has probably at least 1 mil. good sperm in there. If we get an IUI she told me that the afternoon I get a positive OPK to call the office, the next morning Chris will give his sample, they will spin them out to get "the best and the brightest" and then put them past my cervix and into my uterus. Now I am well aware that people do this procedure all the time and that there is not a guarantee that it will work, but come on. If it is all of his good sperm, and I am fine....I just don't see how they wouldn't make it to the egg. I guess I am just really hopeful about this. And I do not get why my OB was not. Everyone else I have talked to agreed. Can I get anyone elses opinion here?? I guess our thinking is that we just are not yet ready to move on to all of this other more serious stuff until we have tried for a while longer and tried an IUI or two. If the IUI's do not work then we are definitely going to meet with the RE to see what he tells us.

It is interesting, the doctor we would be seeing is the doctor that my friend Jess from work goes to. I feel so awful for her...her husband had testicular cancer and just had a procedure done this past week where they had to cut out a chunk....ugh...poor guy! But the sperm is on ice, so that is good! They HAVE to do IVF, and they have to do the special IC SI method, which is even more labor intensive. He is going to Iraq soon and she will be implanted right before he is going to come home, I am so super excited for them. She keeps telling me how great the doctor is, so that is good at least.

Oh, and by the way....
One of my best friends, Kerri, whom I work with...she is pregnant.
Yup.