Exactly one year ago today my hands stopped shaking long enough for me to take a picture of this (and the roughly other 15 sticks that followed suit that day). It was my parents 29th anniversary (Happy 30th anniversary Mom and Dad!) and I remember Shaun and I joking that we'd never be able to pull off a present as good as this ever again. For those unaware, Shaun and I tried for roughly 3 years to get pregnant on one of the worst roller coaster rides of our lives. I was diagnosed with having PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) like symptoms. I was put on Metformin to help me to start ovulating again. I also lost 40 lbs which was HUGE for me since the last 7 years of my life had been a constant uphill battle to get the scale to budge in even the slightest amount. After 6 months of manually charting we knew something was still off. My doctor wanted to place me on Clomid, but because of the higher chances of getting multiple births, I asked him to give me an additional 6 months and bought a fertility monitor to help give us a more accurate charting schedule. I 100% believe that without the monitor, I would not be here writing this as we speak. It turns out I was off by almost a week the ENTIRE 6 months that I had been charting! Multiple times I've been asked what monitor we used, (and have had friends have the same success we did with it) and if this helps anybody else, I'm more than happy to continue to share. So here it goes.
The monitor is the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor. I found it to be fairly user friendly after some additional reading that comes with it. The readings on the monitor itself are very easy to understand, and it lets you know what your low, high and optimal fertility dates are. The other thing I loved about this gadget is that it keeps track and stores all the information that can be downloaded by your doctor should you need it. The sticks have to be purchased separately, and usually enough come in a pack to get you through a few months of testing your cycle. The monitor itself can run upwards to about $200 but I found what I think to be one of the best deals from Drugstore.com where they sell it for around $140-$150 and usually free shipping. The test sticks can be bought from this site too and will run about $40 bucks or so. Clearblue also makes a one time use ovulation stick that you use like a PT test. They usually run about $30, but if you think you may need more than just one months worth, I think the monitor is a much better deal.
Never in my wildest dreams, through all the anxiety and nerves, did I think that little stick would turn into this little monster exactly a year later. Its funny how we're able to look back in hindsight at struggles and say that it was all worth it, because when you're in it, it seems like this bottomless hole you're never going to find your way out of. I'm happy that having Sullivan was such a struggle for us. It tested us a people and as a couple brought us to our limits physically and emotionally but ultimately brought us closer together in the end. I wouldn't trade what we had to go through for him for any easier road if I was given the choice. We wouldn't be who we are today because of it - he wouldn't be who he is today because of it. And who he is, is pretty freaking awesome.
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