What's in Your Blood?

I had the misfortune pleasure of having 10 vials of blood drawn back in July after my D&C. When I say "pleasure", I mean it. I actually like I to give blood...call me a sicko if you want, my feelings won't be hurt. The good doc determined that I needed to spare some of my blood so that he could gain an insight as to what is going on in my DNA. I was checked for a whole gamut of shtuff; most of which I cannot remember or do I care to remember. I was hoping to get the results like two weeks ago; that was a pipe dream!

So yesterday, I called the fertility group I see to schedule a Day 3 ultrasound (which for you non-infertility people out there is just a baseline ultrasound to make sure there are no cysts on my ovaries). **On a side-note, let me just share that I really did NOT miss having a monthly visitor this summer. It was so nice not to have to worry about being prepared and to not have cramps.**Any who...my call was returned later by a staff member. She informed me that I could NOT have an ultrasound until I had met with Dr. M to discuss my blood results. Well, you didn't want to mess with me. I, as kindly as I could, informed her that the last time I was in there (a week and a half ago) Dr. M did not inform me that I needed to see him before having my ultrasound. And I asked if there was a way I could discuss with him these results at the same appointment as the ultrasound. I ended up having to go to another office, which was fine with me otherwise I would have had to wait to day 4 and that would just mess up my schedule I had planned out in my head.

I got to the appointment early, like any good patient should, and ended up waiting almost an hour to see him. That is the longest I have ever had to wait for him...which wouldn't have been so bad except the office seemed to be like 90 degrees. To others it was probably comfortable, but I have my own personal summers every day...don't judge me. He did the ultrasound and I am cyst free which is a green light for treatment to commence.

After the ultrasound, he started to go over the blood test results. Long story short, he tested me for like over a dozen different things and all but 1 came back normal which was AWESOME! The one test that had a problem was kind of a big one. I don't remember the name of the test, and it isn't important. One of my parents gave me a defective gene, wasn't that nice of them? There is no way to tell who gave it to me, but I KNOW that it was my dad. This defective gene creates a problem when a carrier gets pregnant. I am unable to create a protein my body needs to allow the placenta to root itself into the wall of the uterus. My body creates blood clots in the capillaries, which prevents the embryo from growing and results in early pregnancy loss, low birth weight, or pre-term babies (if it can get to the point).

The good news is, there is a plan now. I have to begin taking a low-dose aspirin everyday, along with prenatals and a prescription strength folic acid. Once I become pregnant, I will have to go on blood thinners. Hopefully, this regimen will allow me to get pregnant and STAY pregnant for at least 36 weeks.