A posted another entry just before I added this one, so I suggest that you read it first.

This afternoon my husband and I finally had our first visit with the fertility specialist. The people who worked there were very understanding, friendly, and polite. They gave us many opportunities to ask questions.

After visiting with the nurse practitioner and giving her information about ourselves, we met the reproductive endocrinologist. He is a very nice man, and we soon discovered that he is a Christian and sends his kids to Christian schools. I'm happy to know that he has faith in God as we do.

He reviewed our test results and said that although my husband's count was low, it wasn't low enough to convince him that it was the main problem. He also said that he thought the 50% motility was normal. The doctor examined my husband and found that he has a moderate viscocele (like a varicose vein) on the left testacle. He didn't think that my husband needed to have surgery for this. He said that surgery hasn't been proven to significantly increase sperm counts or pregnancy rates. My husband, of course, was happy about this! He also listened to my heart and lungs. I should have asked why.

After his examination he said that he can see no reason why we can't have a child. He then went on to explain four things that he wants to discover before he decides how to treat us:
1. Have another semen analysis at their lab. Thier technicians are more experienced and will give more accurate results. Also, men's sperm counts can vary, so it's possible that my husband will have a more normal count if he's retested.
2. Check to see if my fallopian tubes are blocked and that my uterus looks fine. This will be done with a hysteralpingogram (HSG). Dye will be injected into my uterus and an x-ray will be done.
3. Find out if my husband's sperm can survive in my body. This will be done with a post-coital test (PCT). We have intercourse 2-10 hours before I go in to the office. They remove a sample of my mucus to see if the sperm is living.
4. Discover whether I am ovulating well. An ultrasound will be done around ovulation to see if follicles are developing. This will be done at the time of the post-coital test.

He said that if everything turns out fine except for our male factor problems he may put my husband on Proxeed, a medicine that may improve counts allowing us to get pregnant on our own, or we may try intrauterine inseminiation (IUI). In an IUI they wash the sperm, removing those of poor quality and place it in the uterus, bringing the sperm closer to the egg.

We talked to the doctor for a little while longer and my husband mentioned how he knew that we would get pregnant in God's timing. The doctor agreed with us. Then my husband went on to say, while my eyes were filling with tears, how people at church have said insensitive things to him about us not having kids yet. He said that sometimes people say hurtful things without realizing. The doctor understood. He handed me a Kleenex and said that he has treated people from his church and has heard people say such things not realizing that a couple is seeking medical help.

After thanking the doctor, we met with the nurse again. She gave us all the forms we would need to get the tests. Then we talked to the secretary and scheduled our tests. The post-coital test will be this week Friday, and my husband's semen analysis will be next week Wednesday. I have to call the office when my next cycle begins to schedule the hysteralpingogram.

The doctor's office that we went to today is just a small satellite office. Their main one is an hour away. I can have my tests at the office near us, but my husband will have to drive an hour for his test. They apologized and said that the technician at the office near us had gotten pregnant and quit working.

We left feeling a little overwhelmed. There are so many tests to remember and coordinate. My husband was more overwhelmed by all the information he was given in such a short time. I told the doctor that I had done a lot of reading and that my husband didn't know as much. He gave my husband a booklet on male factor infertility.

So we didn't get many answers, but we did get some hope. Now, hopefully, I'll remember when all my tests are!