No, I'm not pregnant... yet. I just got out of the OBGYN's office. I had yet another clear pap last month. This makes TWO WHOLE YEARS of NORMAL pap tests! HAPPY DANCE TIME!!! I now save those happy little cards from the doc's office telling me I'm normal. Doesn't seem like all that long ago (2010) that I never thought I'd be normal again.
Ok, back to the "Mom" and pregnant part of the post... during last months visit, Doc brought up that my eggs are getting old. I like that he differentiated between the age of my eggs and my own age. I'm not old, just my eggs. :) Anyhow, if I ever want to be a mom, he said I'd best get started quick. I will be 40 in August, which means my eggs are 40 now. And 40 year old eggs need all the help they can get to turn into babies. So, I've been thinking... and thinking... and thinking... and doing a bit of research. Twelve years ago I was told by a different OBGYN that the odds of me ever having a child without IVF were slim to none. After that, I just put the thought of having children out of my mind. When I told the current doc this, he decided to run a few tests to see. Last month it was bloodwork - my hormones are slightly outside of normal boundaries. We need to fix that no matter what I decide about having a child. Today it was an ultrasound of all of my lady parts. Conclusion: "Your ultrasound was completely unremarkable." Ah, did he just say I'm normal? Yup, he did. Other than my off kilter hormones (which we're fixing), there is no reason whatsoever for not being able to get myself pregnant the old fashioned way. WOW. After 12 years of thinking I would never have children, that information is mind-blowing!
I talked to my mom about this last night. My sister and I are both miracle babies. Mom had a very difficult time both getting and staying pregnant with both of us. Carrying each of us to full term was very challenging and involved months of bedrest. She was 19 when she had me and 22 when she had my sister. I was curious to hear her opinion of me choosing this option at 40. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if her response had been that it was just too risky and that she didn't want to risk the health of her own baby in order to have a grand-baby. In fact, that's the response I expected. She was surprisingly neutral and able to discuss both the pros and cons of having a baby at 40. And despite the slight excitement I could hear in her voice at becoming a grandparent, she did not push me toward a decision either way and was very firm in her response that she would be supportive no matter what decision I make. I've got a pretty awesome mom!
Back to the Doc and me getting one of my eggs fertilized... those of you who know me know that there is one slight obstacle for me to get pregnant the old fashioned way... I'm single. But, we live in an age of sperm banks and fertility clinics which make this a non-issue. Doc said that he didn't see a need for IVF, that I should be able to conceive no problem with IUI (a bit more refined version of the turkey baster method done at a fertility clinic). Hmmmmmmm..... So I asked Doc what I would need to do if I wanted to conceive maybe this Fall. His reply, "Lose weight."
Now THAT's an OBSTACLE. Losing weight is HARD! The scale of difficulty with that task is right up there with climbing Mount Everest. But, if I have to climb Mount Everest to have a baby... well, I'll just put one foot in front of the other until I get there.
