Overcoming Infertility

We hope this testimonial gives hope to those struggling with infertility.  This special mom was told her chance of having another baby was less than 5%.  Twenty weeks later she is well on her way to being a mother of two.

We began trying for our second child when I was 36 years old. After 6 months of trying on our own with nothing happening we went to see a Reproductive Endocrinologist. He discovered that my progesterone levels were a little low so we did three cycles of artificial insemination with Femara. That did not work.

The infertility specialist did all kinds of testing and discovered that my FSH level was a high (it was normally around 12, one month it was 24), meaning that I was pre-menopausal at the age of 37. We did approximately 2 more cycles of artificial insemination, again using Femara, estrogen patch for the thin lining and a trigger shot.

The doctor explained to us that since I was pre-menopausal and since my eggs were old and I couldn’t produce many, that there was no point in doing in-vitro fertilization with my own eggs because I didn’t produce enough eggs to even complete a cycle. He said that my chance of ever getting pregnant was less that 5% and my only hope was to do in-vitro fertilization with a donor egg. (I forgot to mention that my husband’s sperm count was low and motility was a little low but within the normal range.) We decided to go ahead with one more round of Femara protocol that we had used previously before moving onto donor egg in-vitro fertilization.

Meanwhile, about four years earlier (before the first Femara cycle) my sister in-law had recommended acupuncture and gave me the name of a great acupuncturist. While I had an open mind to it, I thought even if it worked it would take forever and I wanted the quick fix. I just thought it was worth a try and if nothing else I’d probably end up healthier than when I started. I was trying to get back on track with my life, emotionally and physically.

The first visit with Sara she took my pulse and looked at my tongue. She put my husband and I on a regimen of Chinese herb. I went to see her at least twice a week and she put needles in my abdomen, my feet, my arms, my head and legs, pretty much everywhere. This was not painful, it was actually quite relaxing and healing.

I gradually started to feel better physically and emotionally and with my final cycle timed perfectly with acupuncture and IUI, I was pregnant! Incredible! I was just about to turn 40 years old when I found out I was pregnant. It had been a solid four years of infertility treatment with western doctors and in one year of timed acupuncture and cycle monitoring I was pregnant! I still find it hard to believe. I continue to see Sara for my morning sickness and occasional headaches, I will continue with my acupuncture treatments long after the upcoming birth of our second child in January 2012.