April writing...
I am doing some reading on the Shady Grove Infertility website (the office that I am probably switching over to soon.) They have a very informative website...so I figured I would share some of the information that I am reading with you, along with more of our story.
"Eighty five percent of all couples trying to conceive will become pregnant within one year. Approximately 7 million or 1 in 6 couples will have difficulty conceiving and may need medical help to identify and treat the possible causes of infertility. The good news is that there are treatments now to help almost everyone.
Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that inhibits a couple's ability to have a baby. Infertility affects men and women equally without discrimination and for this reason both partners should actively participate in the diagnosis and treatment process. Infertility is not uncommon and you are not alone.
40% of all infertility cases may be attributed to the woman, 40% to the man, in 10% of cases both partners contribute to the problem, and 10% of the time the cause can not be identified and it is unexplained."
April's thoughts - I have never heard of Infertility referred to as a "disease" thats interesting to me...and also helpful. For some I am sure that comes with a sigh of relief, I mean after all you could think...no one can really defer a DISEASE from entering thier body...so that eases the thoughts of "Why couldn't I have stopped this?" or "I could have done
this differently." The answer is no...for the majority of women/men with infertility issues, they never saw it coming nor could they have done anything to stop it.
For us, so far at least. We have fallen into the "
Unexplained" section...that's 10% of the people that struggle with Infertility. And let me just say, it's no easier NOT knowing than knowing what is wrong and why it's not happening for us.
"Defining Infertility
The standard definition of infertility is the inability to achieve a pregnancy after one year of unprotected intercourse in couples where the woman is under age 35. Because a woman's fertility declines naturally as she gets older, couples should consider seeking medical help after six months of trying when the female partner is over age 35.
Why is age so important?
A woman’s fertility peaks in her mid-20’s, begins to decline around 27 and drops off more steeply after age 35. A woman’s fertility is measured by her ability to achieve a pregnancy on a given month. For women, the ability to conceive is tied to the quality of her eggs. As women age, hormonal changes begin to take place. There is a lot going on but of particular interest are the two main hormones controlling the development and release of the egg each month. These are FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) LH (lutenizing hormone).
A rising FSH level is linked to a decreasing egg quality. Decreased egg quality means it becomes more difficult for the sperm to fertilize the egg naturally. There may even be chromosomal abnormalities occurring within the egg itself, which is why amniocentesis is recommended for pregnant women over 35.
To illustrate this point, the natural pregnancy rate for women >30 is 20-30% per month but by age 40 the likelihood of conception occurring drops to > 5% per month."
April's thoughts - Wow...so it's good to know that at least I am still in a decent age range...I mean, when I was younger I thought I would be DONE having kids by now...but I guess God always has bigger and better plans.
As far as our story...well, we have officially been 'trying' or 'practicing' for 4 years. To be honest, the time has flown by...however that doesn't make it any less frustrating. We are very patient people and we have seen God's hand through it all. There have been so many times that we have been thankful to have not had children yet when things have come our way. We have seen this opportunity to get financially ready, to prepare our home more and to learn more and more about ourselves as a couple and how we will parent our own children. We still firmly believe that our day is coming soon and what a JOY it will be when it does!!
We plan on continuing in our Infertility battle and trying for our little one...hopefully this new office will offer some new energy and a renewed sense of goal!
Here's to a baby in 2009...
