I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting this post, anxiously awaiting to hear where we are going, and what we did during our first appointment. I am happy to announce that we have chosen the care of Dr. Amber Cooper with Vios Fertility Institute. We are going to the location in Swansea however they have other locations including St. Louis and Chesterfield.
When I originally reached out to Vios Fertility Institute, I was given two options for Jack and I:
NP Consultation is about a 1 hour sit down with the doctor followed by your nursing team to discuss previous medical records, potential issues, and what treatment option is your best plan of action. You will also be able to speak with a financial coordinator to discuss finances and payment expectations.
The Pulse Package is a $99 couples testing package that included testing for both partners. Testing includes the following:
Female: Blood work to check hormone levels and an ultrasound to get a follicle count to see how man eggs you may have in reserve.
Male: Semen analysis to assess sperm count, morphology, and mobility.
We opted for the one hour consultation session. Honestly, I opted for that option more than Jack. I wanted to make sure that the Clinic was a good fit for us. That we liked the doctor and felt comfortable. I had no idea what really to expect. I had even picked the brains of a few fellow friends that have been down this path before us but everyone’s journey was different so I still felt unsure and uneasy to say the least. Was this really our next step? Do we really need the experts? Should we keep trying on our own for awhile? Can they really help us?
I am happy to report that we absolutely love our doctor. We were escorted to a small very comfortable room that had a couch, chair, and coffee table complete with snacks. Jack and I anxiously…okay I anxiously awaited the meeting of our doctor. Jack was in positive spirits as he kept reminding me that I had nothing to be nervous about. Dr. Cooper walked in and introduced herself. I was immediately put at ease. She was nothing short of amazing. Easy to speak with, easy to understand, inquisitive about our journey, and 100% a perfect match for us. She sold me a few times during our discussion. First when she said she was sorry to hear about our son, second when she spoke highly of Dr. Mike Vlastos, and third when she stated that she also had a background in genetics. She said all the right things to make me feel right at home. I feel like I have known her for years…like she has been with us through our entire journey. She slowly moved the conversation away from the past and onto the future. I was moved by her graciousness and her ability to allow us to say what we needed to about Jackie and our miscarriages. We never once felt rushed and she took her time to explain in detail what she felt our next steps were.
Who knew that making a baby was so complicated (we kind of knew but not in the detail that Dr. Cooper covered)…there are so many things that can go wrong. And many of them have easy fixes.
We did not hesitate. I looked at Jack and we dived right in and agreed to begin our journey that day! To be honest, after speaking with Dr. Cooper, I am not sure why we waited this long. A fertility clinic is nothing to fear, nothing to feel ashamed of. They are experts, conceiving is their life and if you are ready to start your family why not have the the best doctors helping you along the way?!?! Seems like the natural choice, however we are all told to wait a year…but why? Why wait when their are doctors like Dr. Cooper who can analyze everything…even your miscarriages. I kind of feel like I have missing information now from my miscarriages and had I been seeing Dr. Cooper during them we would have more insight to what may have happened. I know I probably sound like a salesmen right now but I am 100% sold.
Our journey with Vios and Dr. Cooper began that day with diagnostic testing and baseline blood labs. We were also advised to take a few additional supplements with our normal morning pills (Advocare). Jack is taking a men’s one a day multivitamin and vitamin c. I am taking a super b complex with folic acid and vitamin c, 81mg of aspirin, and my prenatal.
The following I borrowed from the Vios website to help explain what we had done.
“What does a typical diagnostic cycle consist of? A female diagnostic cycle consists first of a baseline bloodwork and ultrasound appointment, then a saline ultrasound (I was unable to have this test done that a day due to their schedule). A male diagnostic cycle consists of a semen analysis. We also perform an infectious disease screening blood test.”
“What happens at the baseline appointment? At the baseline appointment, several hormones are checked on bloodwork, including FSH, E2, and AMH. We also perform blood tests for infectious disease screening and other health indicators relevant to fertility, such as Vitamin D level. Before bloodwork is drawn, we also ask you to consent to or deny genetic carrier screening. The baseline transvaginal ultrasound is done to establish your antral follicle count, which gives us an idea of the number of eggs that will grow in that cycle. The antral follicle count tends to be consistent month-to-month, so this is a useful indicator of egg quantity.”
“What happens at the saline ultrasound appointment? One of our sonographers and a clinician will work together to get a clear image of the uterine cavity. This gives us an idea of any potential growths in and around the uterus that could affect your ability to get pregnant, such as a fibroid, polyp, or septum.” This is the test I was unable to have done on the 14th. I was instructed to call the clinic the 1st day of my next period to schedule this test.
“What can I expect after my diagnostic cycle? Once you have completed your diagnostic cycle, your provider will do a comprehensive review of all your results. You’ll have a follow-up appointment in our office to discuss a plan of action and go over next steps.”
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
FSH is the main hormone responsible for producing mature eggs. Your FSH is returned as a numerical value with an ideal range for your age. Low FSH results signal anovulation (when the ovary doesn’t release a mature egg), while extremely high FSH levels can indicate the onset of menopause.
Estradiol (E2)
E2, a type of estrogen, is secreted by the ovarian follicles as they grew and develop each month. Your E2 level is checked to help determine the accuracy of your FSH level. E2 suppresses FSH. If your FSH is normal but your E2 level is high, it indicates that your FSH is being artificially suppressed by E2.
Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH)
AMH is produced by granulosa cells during the primary, preantral and small antral stages. Production of AMH then begins to decrease and stops as follicles continue to grow. Since AMH is only produced in small ovarian follicles it is used to measure the size of the remaining egg supply. Your AMH is returned as a numerical value with an ideal range for your age. A very high or very low number can indicate a lower fertility potential.
So this is where we currently stand. I will be contacting the clinic when my next period begins to schedule my saline appointment…should be around March 17th. For now we wait. Wait for our results…wait for our instructions on what to do this cycle…wait for our next appointments…wait for our 2nd step.
We love your Bear, Jackie, and Peanut!
#ourjackofhearts #ourkidsarewatching #angelmommy