Finally!

(I know that word is a dangerous one in the world of infertility, but no worries, I'm not using it in reference to being pregnant...)

I'm just FINALLY able to post about something that Michael and I have been thinking about, praying on, discussing, overanalyzing, etc. since Thanksgiving. It's been killing me not to post! While we were down in Alabama, Michael happened upon an opportunity to run a Congressional campaign. Which is really cool! Long-term, the idea is that if/once the candidate is elected, Michael will be in a great position to join his staff in a senior role up here on the Hill. (We also have several back-up plans if his candidate doesn't win.) That is the good news. The bad news is that he had to quit his existing job (rather than taking a leave of absence like we were originally thinking) and he will have to be in Alabama from January through the election in November. Kind of puts a damper on the fertility thing, huh?

The thing is, we will still be able to do IVF. So it really doesn't put a damper on it. He'll be able to come home for a few days each month - so we'll just arrange for that during egg retrieval in the month we do IVF. My nurse told me I can come into the office and she can give me my progesterone shots. (Which is good news for Abby, who kindly offered to take on that fun and exciting responsibility.)

All that said, I guess there is still part of me that was holding out for a spontaneous pregnancy - you know, the good old fashioned way. This eliminates any chance for that. I know I've said previously here that I've accepted we will need IVF to get pregnant, but that obviously wasn't totally true. Maybe I'm more of an optimist than I thought. The doctor has said we have a 1% chance of getting pregnant on our own at this point. Guess I held on to that 1% - because it was still a CHANCE.

Another big thing - we've decided to hold off on the January IVF. I'm seeing the endocrinologist next week about my thyroid, but as my step-mom pointed out - it's not like things will be figured out and resolved in that one meeting. It will take time. So, we decided that it was better to wait and figure out the thyroid than to "waste" one of my remaining 2 IVF cycles. One of the things that was driving me towards the January IVF is that age 35 is rapidly hurtling in my direction. The IVF success rates drop dramatically once you turn 35 (from about 45% to 30%). Michael aptly noted that it wasn't some alarm that goes off on your birthday, so there was really no point in trying to sneak one in under the wire - which is exactly what I was trying to do.

So I'm having mixed emotions. My life, yet once again, is not happening according to plan. You'd think I'd get used to that! I don't necessarily LIKE the decisions we are making, yet I think they are the right ones 100% (well, maybe 99%). I don't LIKE putting off IVF until we figure out my thyroid (heck, I wanted to be pregnant 2 1/2 years ago!), but it's the logical thing to do. I don't LIKE that I will have to be 800 miles away from my husband for 11 months, but I believe that the end game is worth it. I think the word "finally" will have a whole new meaning for me once this is all over and he is home for good.