In, fertile. Tee?

by Matt Stratton on February 10, 2009

About a year and a half ago, my wife and I decided that we were making far too much money, and it was time for us to start trying to have a kid. To be honest, when we first made this grand decision, we didn’t really know what we were doing. I don’t mean in terms of the actual mechanics; we’re pretty good at that. No, in terms of knowing *when* to insert tab A into slot B, etc.

Needless to say, our tab-insertion has not been exactly successful as of yet. Late last summer, the decision was made to consult some specialists. You know, call in the big guns – get modern science involved to solve our problems. That’s how we roll in the Stratton household – why try to do something yourself when you can pay someone else to figure it out for you?

I’m not going to go into all the nitty-gritty details – suffice it to say that I know what Clomid is (even though I did have to use Google to figure out how to spell it), and I’ve stuck more needles in my wife than Sid ever did Nancy. And yes, Carrie and I did have the “we’re so mad at each other we’re not even speaking, but dammit, we have to have sex” situation at least once. These are good times, people. The times that never make it into a photo album or scrapbook.

The good news is, we have had a lot of tests done. The good news is, we know exactly why we’re not getting pregnant. The reason?

Unexplained infertility“.

Yup. On paper, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be pumping kids out like a unicorn expels glitter from its hindquarters. We just aren’t. Science and medicine have let us down in the diagnostic arena.

That’s not to say that we’ve turned our backs on science. Our processes and experiments have continued.

Two weeks ago we had our fourth IUI. For those of you who aren’t up on the lingo, that’s the process that used to be called “artificial insemination”. They don’t call it that anymore because too many women were showing up and being confused that they didn’t get to bang robots. So now it’s called IUI, or intrauterine insemination. Again, the specifics are going to be glossed over, but let’s just say that I can speak with authority on the type and quantity of adult literature available at the Fertility Centers of Illinois office.

We will be getting the results of this latest procedure later this week. I will warn you now – do NOT ask either of the results. We’ll let you know when the time is right, either way. But please – think positive thoughts for us. It’s going to be a stressful week.

As it always is. But here’s hoping that it’s the last day we’ll have to go through that.

  • Mr. Bluebird

    Wow! Thanks for your post..and honesty. My wife forwarded me this post because we have been dealing with infertility for quite some time now. Strangely enough our diagnosis is about the same! I’m definitely well versed in the volume, quality, and direction of my “fishies” as my wife prefers to refer to them. It’s good to hear another guy’s perspective of the situation. It’s tough on us too (and I don’t just mean the violent mood swings due to Clomid, A.K.A The Devil). I’m with you step by step with this process! You’re not alone. I’ll be thinking of the both of you as you await results. Normally the ladies end their comments with ((hugs)), but that’s super gay for two dudes, so I’ll end this with a testosterone filled, super manly ass slap! Good game brother, good game!

    p.s. A little more about our story can be found at the cruise directors site. http://littlebluebirdsfly.blogspot.com/

    • Matt Stratton

      Thanks for the manly ass-slap, Mr. Bluebird. It’s definitely appreciated.

      It’s been tough (as you know), mostly because I haven’t really been talking to too many people about it. Part of it is that we’ve been keeping it on the down-low just to avoid a lot of questions. And the more details you share, the more that people start to ask a lot of really personal questions. Or at least always want to know how it’s going. I’m sure our wives deal with that a lot more than we do, but still, you know?

      It was very cathartic to be able to write this post last night. I did it originally on a whim (“Hey, I need something to post for tomorrow”), but honestly, it was something that I’d been wanting to post for quite some time. And it’s been getting mad traffic, so I guess a lot of people are interested as well. Gotta love the internets!

      Good luck, dude. Keep me posted, and here’s a manly fist-bump of luck to you!

  • http://redheadranting.blogspot.com Jen

    Good luck to you both. My ex and I used clomid the first few times and finally produced a healthy baby boy who turns 16 today! It wasn’t without heartbreak along the way however. Not because of the Clomid. Interestingly ten years later I had no problem getting pregnant not only without the help of clomid but while on the pill. Go figure. I wish you the best. Jen

    Jen’s last blog post..The Facts of Middle Aging

  • http://100books2009.wordpress.com Christina

    Fingers crossed for you. I’ll even pray to a glittery unicorn that things work out well.

    Christina’s last blog post..New Amazon Kindle2 officially announced

    • Matt Stratton

      Thanks, Christina!

  • Hedda

    Thinking good thoughts for this go-round of IUI or whatever you call that excuse for enjoying porn, Matty!

    • Matt Stratton

      It appears I will have to try enjoying it at least one more time :(

  • http://www.justtryingtomakeacub.blogspot.com JackiJaguar

    Yay for a guy blogging about infertility…not yay for the dealing with infertility part, just for the speaking out about it. Good luck with the IUI…I hope the stars, unicorns and science all align.

    JackiJaguar’s last blog post..Imposter!

  • http://grammology.com Dorothy Stahlnecker

    I’ve heard of trying so hard it’s impossible to conceive and often those couples who end up adopting then get pregnant. So I’ll be praying for you to relax and surprise each other with the good news soon. When I was having a hard time over 30 years ago because I’m old 62 we lite a candle at church and I became pregnant blessings and good fortune..

    Dorothy from grammology
    grammology.com

    Dorothy Stahlnecker’s last blog post..Michael Phelps makes a mistake

  • http://girlyantigeek.today.com Grandy

    Oh I am saying a prayer for you and your wife, Matt. I can only imagine the anxiety and anticipation. You seem to have a good outlook on the whole thing, but hope that it goes in your favor. I hate when modern science categorizes things as “unexplained”. When my health issues were all going nuts they categorized it as “metabolic x syndrom” (aka…who the hell knows what’s wrong with you).

    Good luck!!

    Grandy’s last blog post..Adgitize? Are you alright?

  • Katie

    I wish you and your wife the best of luck in succeeding in getting pregnant. Any baby would be lucky to have such great parents!

  • laura gee

    Hey Mat,

    I’ve been really lazy about keeping tabs on friends’ non-LJ websites. Best of luck to ya both – I really hope this works for you!

    *hugs*
    laura

  • http://flickr.com/photos/tonibduguid/ Toni

    I didn’t know about all of this. Best of luck to you both. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

    Toni’s last blog post..IMG_2004

    • Matt Stratton

      Thanks, Toni. That means a lot to us. Keep ‘em crossed…it didn’t work last week, so we’re moving on to IVF now. Eep.

  • Courtney

    Wow, I didn’t know about this. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

    • Matt Stratton

      Thank you, Courtney. We appreciate it.

  • http://katehaney.livejournal.com Kate

    My son was conceived on our third round of IUI (skipped Clomid ’cause I’m so old) and many months of trying all on our own. We, too, got the “unexplained fertility” tag, which was annoying.

    So… (1) much sympathy. Hugs and ass slaps to whoever wants whichever. (2) you may want to look at other drugs. I didn’t respond to Follistim at all, but gonal-f worked a treat. Unless it was the other way around.

    Kate’s last blog post..My gift is first up on DudeCraft

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