Gold on the Ceiling

About a month ago, I was going to write this really intense blog post that was kind of a PSA, but I ended up not really having time and rethinking the idea. As some of you know, Mackenzie and I have been trying to get pregnant since May. When I stopped taking the pill, I was astounded at how many negative side effects there were. I literally went crazy for a week or two, and started breaking out worse than I'd ever broken out before (including right before I went on Accutane when I was 20). The worst side effect, though, has been my crazy cycle. First 42 days for a couple months, then 36 for a couple, then a whopping 65 days between periods. Needless to say, this was seriously frustrating and I wasted tons of money on pregnancy tests!

I decided not to freak out about my ability to conceive until my cycle was regular again. We hadn't even tried ovulation predictor tests yet. Through extensive Googling I learned that weird cycle lengths are a normal side effect of going off the pill, and that it can also take up to a year for some couples to get pregnant for the first time. No sweat.

I decided to make an appointment with my OB-GYN in Minnesota while I was at home for a month, just to make sure even though my doctor here was telling me not to worry. I'm really glad I went because I found out some hopeful information along with some frustrating news. He told me that my cycle would probably never regulate naturally if it hadn't by now, but also that there is a lot we can do before I need to go see a fertility specialist.

This is probably super boring to you, but it was fascinating to me: the Menstrual System, if you will, functions with 4 different hormones. 2 come from the ovaries and 2 come from the brain, specifically the pituitary gland. Once ovulation occurs, there is a spike in one certain hormone, and that spike lets the brain know that it needs to release Progesterone, which then causes your period to happen. What's going on in my body is that when I am ovulating, there is not enough of the hormone being released, so my brain doesn't release the Progesterone to get things going. That's why my cycles have been so freaking long. SO, my doc put me on Progesterone hormone therapy to hopefully get my cycle to be a little more regular, and thus make it easier for me to know when I'm ovulating, and thus start growing a baby inside me!

Sometimes it's scary to think about having a kid, because they grow up so fast and then they're little snots. I just want babies, not kids ;) (I joke!) I really hope that this therapy works, but also I know from blessings I've received that I will be a mother, however my children come to me.

So there's the long story about my baby hunger not being satiated. And the PSA would be to BE AWARE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS OF GOING OFF THE PILL. I honestly had no idea it would be this crazy. But I know that things happen for a reason, blah blah blah, things will work out. Right now I'm loving life and planning for other things instead of just waiting to get pregnant. I've got an amazing, supportive husband and a great ward and great friends and a cute little dog and a sweet apartment. And change is just around the corner, and I thrive on change. Life is good :)

I love this printable I found on Pinterest! (originally here)

It will go in our baby's room someday :)