Doctor's Report

Last week, B went back to his endocrinologist. The report was quite positive. His testosterone numbers are all within the normal ranges and have remained stable since his last check in the spring. The doctor was really pleased with the progress. He also ordered another sperm analysis and the doctor printed out the results from the one done in February. The numbers in February really weren't great at all. They are all quite low, which we knew but it's always tough to see it on paper.

The new analysis will be done in the next few weeks and the hope (and prayers!) is that the normal testosterone levels will kick start sperm production. I'm not really expecting a miracle (but I'd certainly take it). After we get the results for the next analysis (fortunately, the doctor will call with those and B doesn't have to back for an appointment), then we are expecting to set up an appointment with a fertility clinic.

We are so fortunate to live in an amazing location with AT LEAST 3 fertility clinics (that's what I've found so far!) and one of them appears to be one of the best in the world:

Our IVF (InVitro Fertilization) Program is host to four board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialists (of which there are less than 1,000 nationwide), highly experienced embryologists and laboratory support staff, specially trained nurses, and the most advanced technology available.

I also read that the head of that program writes THE textbook on IVF, so I'm really hoping that we can set up an appointment with (and afford!) them.

One of my goals for August is to talk with our insurance company about our coverage and get an appointment set up. I know we have lifetime coverage limits of $25,000 for each of us, but I really want to understand what all that means because reproductive technologies are so expensive. Based on numbers thrown around on the Internet, it seems like we could blow through those amounts in a 3-4 cycles of treatment. But, of course, everyone's insurance is completely different. The good news is that with all the endocrinologist appointments and lab work, we've already hit our deductible for the year, so we're only paying 20 percent of any services/prescriptions until December 31.

Personally, I'd really like for us to be able to go with IUI because it's *slightly* more natural (OK, not really, but it seems like it), but if that's not possible, we certainly don't want to spend a ton of money something with a lot lower chances.

I know that the clinics will push us to go with IVF because they make a lot of money off that procedure, so it will be really interesting to see what they say. I fully plan to arrive with a notebook and a ton of questions! (My mom keeps joking that we're probably going to end up with triplets.)