Well it has been an interesting past couple of weeks, to say the least. I enjoyed a much needed, though very short, break from school. This next 8 weeks is going to be sooo easy, so it is kind of a break in itself. I am glad to have made it to the top of the nursing school hill and am slowly making my way down the other side. In other words, it's all downhill from here!
This week has been strange. I decided to go see a specialist about all the issues I have been having since stopping birth control... i.e., very irregular periods, breaking out on my face, slight weight gain, and we haven't gotten pregnant (when most people get pregnant straight away). The doctor suspects I have something called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (or PCOS). Basically, it means you don't ovulate. The signs/symptoms are: irregular periods, acne, weight gain, facial hair, male pattern balding, infertility and the scary list goes on. So, she has me on this crazy regimen for testing. I had to start a pack of birth control so that it forces me to have a period in 28 days (like a normal woman should) and then on day 3 of my period I go in for some blood work that checks certain hormone levels (that are only accurate on "day 3") then I start a drug called Clomid on days 4-8 (5 days) that will force me to ovulate. She said if we want, we can use this opportunity to get pregnant (Clomid is a fertility drug... it helps people get pregnant who have PCOS) but the main purpose of taking this drug this time is so that she can do a "day 21" ultrasound to see what is going on with my ovaries. Jimmy and I haven't fully decided what we are going to do. On the plus side, if we got pregnant with this round of Clomid the baby would be due in May, which is after graduation and before I would take the NCLEX (the test required to become a registered nurse) so I would have a few weeks before I would beging working as a nurse. Another upside is I would only have to pay for this one round of Clomid, and I wouldn't have to worry about having to take it again. The major downside is that with Clomid, there is a higher chance of conceiving twins. In Jimmy's words "Rach, I don't want to be like Jon and Kate" (from Jon and Kate + 8). The chance of having twins is only 30%, but that is still huge for us... we do not want twins!
I am beyond frustrated and brokenhearted that something is wrong with me. I never in a million years would have thought that I, Rachel, who has ALWAYS wanted to be a mother, would meet such an obstacle. However, that is not my main concern. Women with PCOS can get pregnant... it isn't a question of "will you get pregnant" it is a question of "when"... my main concern is all of the other adverse affects of PCOS. I do not want to be overweight, I do not want to have hair in unwelcome places, I do not want acne, and more importantly, I do not want heart disease or type 2 diabetes in the future (there is an increased risk for both of these with this condition). Luckily there are medicines out there to help with this, but I have always been anti-medicine. I rarely even take tylenol for pain. I just can't imagine living my whole life depending on medicine. But, I am trying not to freak out prematurely. I am trying to just chill out and wait for my upcoming tests to see what is up inside of me. Maybe I don't have PCOS, but the more I read about it, the more I am convinced.
In closing, if you could say a prayer for us that everything will work out, we would appreciate it.
