It is so shocking to me how many of us had chemical pregnancies this month!
Seriously, enough is enough. I hope everyone is healing and moving forward. It is so difficult.
As far as the supplement conversation... I am on SO many supplements, mostly to help reduce the risk of preeclampsia when I do become pregnant. But, I am a super fan of baby aspirin and L-arginine for building a thick lush uterine lining for implantation, and COQ10 and DHEA for egg quality. COQ10 is really expensive, but many studies show it does help. DHEA made my hair and face oily, but multiple studies show that it can help egg quality as well.
AFM: Things are crazy! I found out last week that the sperm donor I have been using is under investigation by the cryobank because there was a report of a 20 month old boy that has reported to have developmental and growth delays. YIKES! There has been genetic testing done on this child and nothing is coming back as a genetic link to the issues, but it has caused me to make a decision to change my sperm donor. This is not an easy decision since I have an emotional attachment to the donor because I used this donor with my Angel Luke. However, I do not feel comfortable knowing this information and moving forward....always wondering. It is possible that he also has a blood clotting disorder that exacerbated my blood clotting issue that caused growth delays with Luke. I'll never know. However, changing sperm donors and moving on to using an egg donor are both additional risks in developing preeclampsia in my future pregnancy. A LOT to think about!!!
I have started the process of choosing my egg and sperm. It is crazy. First off, no girl looks like me. I don't care if I look at a million girls, no one will be me. But, looking at physical attributes, education, and medical history, I feel that I have chosen the egg.
So here's where it gets even crazier. The sperm. Since I couldn't find a girl that looked like me, I thought I would try to find a boy that looked like me. I am blond hair, big blue eyes, and full lips. When I plug in my list of preferred items to try to get a boy that looks like me, I got a list of 9. There are several different formulations of "specimens" when you are going through this process, and you order the type of preparation based on the type of procedure you are going to have. I would order the IVF formulation. The only donor that met all of my criteria and that is available in the right formulation is the same donor that a close friend of mine used!!! CRAZY! By the way, her daughter has big blue eyes and full lips and is absolutely adorable.
The fact is, regardless of what donor I choose, there are "donor siblings" out there. In fact, people register on a donor sibling website and often travel to meet each other if that is something that the child wants to do. So, I have the opportunity to give my child a half-sister. My friend is single too and we started this journey together. We both want to find a great man and get married someday, but have both decided to start our families on our own. We actually were pregnant at the same time. After I lost Luke, I even spent the night in the hospital with her while she was in labor. We have a special friendship. We have talked in great detail about how this would be, and honestly, we are both excited. I have consulted 2 psychologists who both feel like it is a positive thing for the children. Having a sense of belonging in the world is very important, and these children would have a special genetic bond.
SO, I think I have decided on the egg and the sperm. I am going to sit on this decision and see how I feel. My friend is so excited that this may actually happen. We will continue to discuss the option. But, I am excited. I will start this process with my next AF.
the eggie is on its way ................ Oooooh exciting .....
