Conceive This!: The 'Conceive This!' Story

Just in case it's your first time visiting, I want to give you a little taste of what this blog is all about. I'm 'Murgdan' and I'm 33 years young. I'm married to D, my Italian Prince Charming, who unfortunately has pretty gosh darn low sperm counts for some unknown cursed reason. Thus, despite sex and sex and more sex we will never reproduce in the way that most of humankind has been able to since the beginning of time. The only way we can get pregnant is through IVF/ICSI--so basically his sperm couldn't even find their own way into my egg even if they found their way to my egg and wanted to enter...so they're kind of blind, two-headed and handicapped...or 'fertilization impaired' to be more politically correct.
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Our first IVF/ICSI cycle in May 2009 was a bust. We had 21 eggs retrieved and 20 fertilized. 2 blasts were transferred on Day 5 and 2 blasts were frozen on Day 6. Coming in June/July 2009...FET with the second-best embryos (because who doesn't like to be the second choice?). Can you feel my excitement?

September 2000

We met and fell in love...little did we know of our life adventures to come. Read "Happy Anniversary" to learn how we met. Then read "We'll Always Have Paris" to learn how we fell in love.

September 2002

We get married on September 21, 2002. Before getting married D tells me quite clearly he never wants children. I decide I can live with that, considering I was quite ambivalent myself at that stage in life.

November 2006

I turn 30. Biological clock activates. We re-discuss the 'children' issue. D is open to discussion, but now is not the right time. He is in school. I am in school. Drop it.

August 2007

We decide we're going to have kids. I'll finish Grad school next year--so we get started with the trying. I'm sure I'm already pregnant this month. Buy lots and lots of pregnancy books to tide me over for the next 9 months. Plan nursery. Strategize about daycare arrangements.

December 2007

I'm sure this is just a fluke. Put away pregnancy books. Buy 'How to Get Pregnant' books. Start BBT monitoring. OPKs. I must not be 'relaxed' enough.

May 2008

I graduate with my Master's Degree of Science in Nursing. Put away 'How to Get Pregnant' books. Buy 'Infertility' books. Maybe I'm just slow. Just in case I make an appointment to see my NP in July--but I'm sure I'll get pregnant before then.

July 2008

I prepare to leave the land of TTC and enter into the world of FTC (failure to conceive). Read 'Scared Kitty' for my last post before I lost my fertility virginity and stepped into the stirrups for infertilty for the first time.

My NP tells me I'm not 21 Anymore, but nonetheless schedules me for an Infertilty Consult.

August 2008

We have our initial consult for our officially diagnosed infertility. Ob/Gyn explains the statistics of pregnancy in 'Rollin' Sixes'. This month D gives his first Semen Analysis, which was really more of a Semen Fiasco.

September 2008

Read about our SA and HSG in 'Piece of Cake/Piece of Poop'

HSG: Normal
SA: 1.5 million/ml, 22% motile, Morphology: 0%
US: Normal

Urology Consult: 'And the Urologist Says....'

RE Consult: 'Could you REpeat that?'

October 2008