In September of 2009 we finally got the tests and paperwork together so that I could schedule an appointment with a fertility clinic. The clinic had to be approved by my insurance so we only had a choice between two. One of the two clinics was run by all female doctors and the other was run by all male doctors. I am not so thrilled about the idea of some random guy sticking his hands down there so I went with the female clinic.
After about a month of working with my OBGYN's office and the fertility clinic we finally sent them all the paperwork and test results that they needed. They would not schedule an appointment with me until they had all of these. The tests included a HGC (I think that is the acronym for it) and a semen test for my husband. Finally I got an appointment for October of 2009.
I went in and filled out even more paperwork, then finally was taken back to meet the doctor. She explained that we needed to have my husband's sperm tested again, and they needed to check my tubes to make sure the flow was good again (this was the HGC). In the meantime I should work with one of the nurses from the clinic to facilitate the shipment of Kevin's semen vials from Utah to the clinic in Illinois. Once the tests were done and the vials were shipped we would be ready to make some attempts at getting pregnant. The doctor said that it could happen as soon as the end of October.
The semen test took two visits to get done, and though I felt sorry for my husband and his privacy I didn't feel that bad considering what I had to have done.
**Warning, this is about to get graphic with medical procedures**
The HGC is a test where they inject dye into your uterus to check the flow of your tubes. To do this you lie on a table with your feet in stirrups and your legs spread, while you lie there the doctor inserts a catheter into your vagina and up into your uterus through your cervix, this creates the most uncomfortable cramping. The doctor then uses the catheter to inject the dye into your uterus, then using either x-ray or ultrasound the doctor looks at your uterus to make sure that your fallopian tubes are open and flowing. If they are then everything is good.
The first time I had this procedure done it was done by a male doctor, and the x-ray tech was male and the only female in the room was a nurse that they sent in to comfort me. Not fun!
The second time I had it done it was at the fertility clinic. They used ultrasound and both the doctor and the ultrasound tech were female. I had much less cramping and they used water instead of dye. Much more preferable than the other method. While we were getting the tests taken care of the shipping of the vials was giving us difficulties. Once the tests were over I was able to focus on getting the shipment to happen.
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