Another 4 months.

Another 4 months have past since my last post and still not BFP. We are officially classified as having secondary infertility. Here are some things you may not know about secondary infertility...

Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant, or to carry a pregnancy to term, following the birth of one or more biological children. The birth of the first child does not involve any assisted reproductive technologies or fertility medications.

Secondary infertility is the inability to get pregnant despite frequent, unprotected sex — for at least a year in women under age 35 or six months in women age 35 and older — by a couple who have previously had a pregnancy. Secondary infertility shares many of the same causes of primary infertility.
Among the possible causes of secondary infertility are:

• Impaired sperm production, function or delivery in men
• Fallopian tube damage, ovulation disorders, endometriosis and uterine conditions in women
• Complications related to prior pregnancies
• Changes in your and your partner's risk factors, such as age, weight and use of certain medications

Here is what we know. The last time Luke had a semen analysis, was about 7 months after his reversal (January 2014). His sperm count was just below the normal level, still in the millions. But the motility was low like around 50% I think. With those stats, we managed to get pregnant with Grace in August 2014. Since then, Luke has gained more weight. And according to the above mentioned things, that can definitely be a factor in sperm production. He also stopped taking all the vitamins I had him on in 2014 (Zinc, fish oil, flax seed oil, vit e,d,b,c,) He has also gotten on a diuretic for his high blood pressure. The good news is, sperm production turns over ever 3 months. So, he makes some changes and his sperm quality and quantity can drastically improve.

Now me. My period is considered sporadic. It's between 37 and 45 days long. I can never really tell when it'll happen. The cramps are so bad that it feels like labor pains. And I was at my heaviest weight ever of 282. And my body is FULL of inflammation.

So even though we're creeping up on 1.5 years of TTC, we decided not to go the medical route. IVF, IUI, semen analysis, ultrasounds, medications, they are all super expensive and we have bad insurance. We can't afford to do those things out of pocket. So wouldn't it be best if we healed ourselves? I have read study after study that say if you lose even 5 - 10% of your body weight, it makes a HUGE difference in your reproductive system. 10% is the goal with mine being 30 lbs and Luke's being 25 lbs. Luke is also in a biggest loser competition at work and could potentially come home with $900 if he wins!

Luke and I have decided to go all in. We are eating less, cutting out sugar and lots of simple carbs, upping the veggie and fruit and protein intake. We exercise for 30-40 min everyday and then stretch and really enjoy it. We are also reading our scriptures and praying daily as a couple and individually and as a family, while the kids eat breakfast. By improving our all around well being, as well as losing weight, we're hoping to conceive naturally in a few months. If there is no progress by April, we will visit a doctor and get some tests and possibly some medication.

So that's where we're at. And although, no one is currently reading this, it feels good to have it written down for accountability purposes.

RESULTS: We are both already feeling better. We're less tired and sick since we don't have those food hangovers anymore. Luke's heart burn is also non existent and he's sleeping much better at night. I have lost 9 lbs and Luke has lost 6 lbs. I had a slight hiccup with a shoulder problem, but I'm on an anti inflammatory for the next 2 months to clear it up and make sure there isn't a repeat.