After three years of not being able to get pregnant we have discovered that Stage 4 Endometriosis is the predicted cause of infertility. Additionally, this endometriosis has basically fused together my abdominal cavity – requiring surgery to remove the endometriosis, or excision.
The doctor performing this removal has recommended we do an egg retrieval before the surgery in case they need to remove the ovaries during the surgery. After the surgery, they are urging us to pursue IVF. To do these fertility treatments in Oregon, our home state, it costs $33,000. This is why we started looking internationally, it was our only option.
After TONS of research, we settled on Newlife IVF in Thessaloniki, Greece. The team has been so kind and supportive through out the entire process, which was completely opposite of our experience with local fertility clinics. This series will be about out experience with Greece, international treatments, and Newlife. It is scary to go overseas for something so personal and so technical, hopefully our experience will help encourage others to take the same leap.
Four Days Before Take-Off
It is Wednesday, we leave on Saturday, and we still don’t have Kai’s passport, approval for him to leave work, a dogsitter, my fertility medication currently being shipped from Greece, or a single thing packed.
This is not because we are poor planners, but rather we have had so little time to plan. I have started to realize this is common when navigating trying to get pregnant and infertility.
A lot of times you are waiting, the horrible two week wait between ovulation and your period – so full of hope yet not quite wanting to hope. Waiting on doctor’s appointments, often times it is a month or two before you can get in to see a doctor. THEN you need to wait for the results from the doctor. There is a lot of waiting.
Then, the other half of the time you are rushing, needing to act in the moment. Ovulation? Sex. Wake-up? Take your temp and pee in a cup. You got the results, now try this new thing or get this new test.
This back and forth has prepared us for the next step for us – going to Greece to do an egg retrieval.
It wasn’t until a month ago we found out we will need to do an egg retrieval to do the surgery, this was after two months of waiting to get an MRI and then getting the results. This kicked everything into high gear.
-Research fertility clinics
-Contact like 3
– Never hear from one, one tells you they will charge the downpayment on a house, and one is THE one.
– Pick the one in Greece.
– Send them all your test results
– Wait for a response
– Send them the marriage certificate they ask for, sign the contract, and make a deposit
– Wait for your treatment plan
When you FINALLY have this, you can book your plane tickets. Which we did, two weeks ago.
Now we have been running non-stop to prepare to be gone internationally for a month.
-Took out a personal loan to cover the expenses
– Applied for work leave
– Filed for a new passport for Kai
– Booked an AirBnB
– Come up with a plan to take care of our animals while we are gone for a month
– Go to your sister-in-law’s baby shower and try not to break down.
– Get your work into order so if everything goes wrong it will still be okay
– But, don’t stress because that is bad for your eggs
-Also, eat healthy because you need good eggs
– And wait.
I am hoping that tomorrow is the end of our waiting. Tomorrow, we will get Kai’s passport. Tomorrow, he will get approval to be off of work. Tomorrow, I will finish up what I need for my work. Tomorrow, we will hire a dogsitter. Tomorrow, the wait will be over.
Anyone that has struggled with fertility probably laughed at that last line, because we know. We know. Oh well. There’s always the next day.