National Infertility Awareness Week

For those of you that are friends with me on Facebook you know that I (and my amazingly supportive sister) have been posting about National Infertility Awareness Week - which is this week.  What I didn't realize is that my posts into the Group Board were PUBLIC!!!  Oppsy!  Which means some of you saw my comment that I was six days post transfer!  So to answer the question, YES, embryo transfer has happened.  So why don't I start there.

On April 14 we got the report that 4 of our 8 embryos had grown large enough to be tested through the PGS/D.  So, on that morning I had two of the four transferred.  Yep, I've got two embies in my body right now!  I went home that day and was only allowed to get up to use the restroom, and only allowed to sit up to eat.  I was then on very light activity for the following two days and returned to work on Friday (but no taking the stairs! LOL).  It's not business as usual yet, I still can't work out, can't lift more than 10 pounds, limit my up/down the stairs activity, so basically I'm doing a lot of sitting on my behind and slow walking.  I'm still on an arsenal of drugs, progesterone lozenges that taste like grape chalk - lucky me they are to be placed under the tongue three times per day and allowed to dissolve! (GAG).  Endometrin, Estrace, Prenatal Vitamin, Baby Aspirin and Follic Acid rounds out the group.  I'm taking things morning, noon and night.  But the good thing, NO MORE SHOTS!!!
So, now we are in what is called the two week wait or TWW (I'm learning all kinds of acronyms) and I'm about to pull my hair out!  We will continue to think positive thoughts and BELIEVE that at least one of our two embies will stick.

The photo below is of an ornament that my sister gave to Ross and I at Christmas time this past year.  I'm going to dig it out of my ornament box tonight and bring it in the house.  It's not just for Christmas anymore.

More about National Infertility Awareness Week!!
There are several published studies that say 1 in 8 couples are affected by infertility.  That number is so high, I bet I'm not the only person you know that has been struggling with this.  In my case we have been diagnosed with "undiagnosed infertility" which kind of sucks because that means we  don't really know what is causing it.  I don't have PCOS, I don't have endometriosis, I don't have diminished ovarian reserve, Ross isn't shooting blanks...so yeah, not knowing what it really is sucks.  But, the good news is, I am not alone, there are many out there that fall into this same category.

So, here's some statistics for you (in case you wanted to know, and if you don't you can just stop reading now, there is nothing else after this).

Fast Facts About Infertility

Infertility is a disease that results in the abnormal functioning of the male or female reproductive system. The  World Health Organization, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recognize infertility as a disease.

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse (six months if the woman is over age 35) or the inability to carry a pregnancy to live birth.

• 7.4 million women, or 11.9% of women, have ever received any infertility services in their lifetime. (2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, CDC)
• 1 in 8 couples (or 12% of married women) have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. (2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, CDC)
• Approximately one-third of infertility is attributed to the female partner, one-third attributed to the male partner and one-third is caused by a combination of problems in both partners or, is unexplained. (www.asrm.org)
• A couple ages 29-33 with a normal functioning reproductive system has only a 20-25% chance of conceiving in any given month (National Women’s Health Resource Center). After six months of trying, 60% of couples will conceive without medical assistance. (Infertility As A Covered Benefit, William M. Mercer, 1997)
• Approximately 44% of women with infertility have sought medical assistance. Of those who seek medical intervention, approximately 65% give birth. (Infertility As A Covered Benefit, William M. Mercer, 1997)
• Approximately 85-90% of infertility cases are treated with drug therapy or surgical procedures. Fewer than 3% need advanced reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF). (www.asrm.org)
• The most recently available statistics indicate the live birth rate per fresh non-donor embryo transfer is 47.7% if the woman is under 35 years of age and  39.2% if the woman is age 35-37. (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, 2013)
• Fifteen states have either an insurance mandate to offer or an insurance mandate to cover some level of infertility treatment. Eight of those states have an insurance mandate that requires qualified employers to include IVF coverage in their plans offered to their employees: Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
• A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (August 2002) found that the percentage of high-order pregnancies (those with three or more fetuses) was greater in states that did not require insurance coverage for IVF. The authors of the study noted that mandatory coverage is likely to yield better health outcomes for women and their infants since high-order births are associated with higher-risk pregnancies.
• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not require coverage for infertility treatments. Those states with an infertility mandate that covers IVF may have chosen an Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark plan that includes the IVF mandate. The EHB impacts the individual and small group markets only in each state.

Updated 04/19/2015

From http://www.resolve.org/about/fast-facts-about-fertility.html