Thankful FREE PRINTABLE

I know its been a bit since I have done printable. Since Thanksgiving is this week I figured that I would do a Thankful printable for y'all.

To get this 8x10 Free printable just click here 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Tricare and Infertility

I have been getting asked a lot lately what TRICARE(military health insurance) covers and doesn't cover. A lot of people have this misconception that TRICARE pays for everything. While that is true in most cases, when it comes to infertility that is not the case.

I am going to quote the TRICARE website for this next portion, then I will be breaking it down with my experience.

TRICARE may cover some types of assisted reproductive services. The services must be medically necessary and combined with natural conception.

Services that may be covered includes:

• Diagnosis and treatment for an illness or injury of the male or female reproductive system. This includes correcting any physical cause of infertility
• Care for erectile dysfunction only from physical causes
• Diagnostic services including:
  • Semen analysis
  • Hormone evaluation
  • Chromosomal studies
  • Immunologic studies
  • Special and sperm function tests
  • Bacteriologic investigation

Your regional contractor may require preauthorization. Check with the contractor prior to receiving assistive reproductive services.

TRICARE doesn’t cover:

• Artificial or intrauterine insemination
• Any costs related to donors and semen banks
• Reversal of tubal ligation or vasectomy
• Care for erectile dysfunction from psychological causes, including:
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Stress
• Non-coital reproductive procedures, services or supplies, including:
  • In vitro fertilization
  • Gamete intrafallopian transfer
  • Zygote intrafallopian transfer
  • Tubal embryo transfer

Exceptions for Seriously Ill or Injured Service Members, Male or Female

If you are a service member who:

• Is on active duty
• Had a serious illness or injury on active duty
• Lost natural reproductive ability due to that illness or injury
• Have a lawful spouse

Then the following services may be available:

• Sperm retrieval
• Egg retrieval
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Artificial insemination
• Blastocyst implantation
• Cryopreservation and storage of embryos

The following is not included:

• Fertility preservation
• Surrogacy

If you receive care or medication in the civilian sector, participating network providers must be used if available. Preauthorization for every IVF cycle is required.

So in my experience TRICARE covers anything dealing with Timed Intercourse. This includes any medications that you need as well as all the doctors appointments. However the moment you move to the next stage TRICARE is out. So for us they are still covering the medication that I require to help me ovulate but they are not covering IUI. So that part is out of pocket for us. The price for that can rang from $400 on up to thousands depending on your location and doctors office. We are extremely lucky when it comes to our price (sorry I am not going to give that away) but I will say that in hindsight we could be paying out our asses. The bad part is if it doesn't work we pay again the next month. I wish that there was some sort of guarantee but of course there isn't. I mean i understand why we don't get money back due to its not like they can reuse most of the medical equipment that is used and our Doctor is giving his time to do this.

Now if we lived near an MTF IUI as well as IVF would be discounted. Our closest one is over 5hrs away. Although we could get permissive TDY to go, however the fact that we go to the doctors multiple times a month it really isn't in our best interest for us to go to the MTF.

There are only 5 MTFs within the TRICARE network.
Military Treatment Facility (MTF)
Walter Reed Army, Washington, DC
Wilford Hall Air Force, San Antonio, TX
Balboa/Point Loma Naval, San Diego, CA
Tripler Army, Hawaii
Madigan Army, Ft. Lewis, WA

What is an HSG test??

I have had people ask what this HSG test that I have talked about is. Since my hope in all of this is to educate people I figured it was time to explain this test. I have one coming up in preparation for our IUI procedure.

What is a hysterosalpingogram?

• Radiographic contrast (dye) is injected into the uterine cavity through the vagina and cervix
• The uterine cavity fills with dye and if the fallopian tubes are open, dye fills the tubes and spills into the abdominal cavity

What to expect during a HSG TEST

A hysterosalpingogram, HSG is an important test of female infertility. This test is a radiology procedure usually done in the radiology department of a hospital or outpatient radiology facility.

This shows weather the fallopian tubes are open or blocked and weather a blockage is at the junction of the tube and uterus or at the other end of the tube.

The HSG study only takes about 5 minutes to perform. However, the test is usually done in the radiology department so there is additional time for the woman to register at the facility and fill out a questionnaire and answer questions regarding allergies to medication etc. The results of the test can be immediately available. The x-ray pictures can usually be reviewed with the woman several minutes after the procedure is done.

Does having a dye test improve the chance for getting pregnant?

Pregnancy rates in several studies have been reported to be very slightly increased in the first months following a hysterosalpingogram. This could be to the flushing of the tubes opening a minor blockage or cleaning out some debris that was preventing the couple from conceiving.

Some studies suggest that using oil based contrast provides a slightly larger increase in pregnancy success rates than the use of water based contrast. (I have told my husband it's gonna turn me into a sticky bun lol) However, the large majority of HSGs are done with water based contrast.

Side Effects and Risks

Some pain and/or discomfort, feeling cramps or achy and vaginal spotting and/or watery discharge.

When spotting or discharge occurs, patients are encouraged to use sanitary napkins or pads as opposed to tampons. While uncommon, a risk associated with HSG is infection.

Calvin Klein Eternity Now VoxBox Review

Its been a while since I have done a review. I forgot how fun and annoying they can be. This one will show that it wasn't really my favorite to review.

DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED THE CALVIN KLEIN VOXBOX FROM INFLUENSTER FREE IN RETURN FOR MY HONEST REVIEW

 

 

 

In the box you get a his and hers sample. In my opinion the perfume is just okay, I don’t hate it, but I could live without it. Honestly its not something I think I will purchase for myself in the future. If its given to me as a gift then yeah I will use it. However I do like the fact that there is a his and hers and will admit that they do complement each other.

 

 

If you are not apart of Influenster and would like the opertunity to sign up and get the oppertunity to try products for free please click the link on the sidebar of this blog. 

Can you please stop asking when.........

Do you see that women wondering down the baby section without putting anything in her cart? Or how about the women sitting in the corner of Starbucks looking at the mom struggling to pay and keeping her toddler from grabbing everything? What about your coworker 2 cubicles down? Or even a close friend of yours that shifts in her seat uncomfortably whenever the subject of babies comes up.

She is struggling with infertility. Infertility affects approximately 10% of the population. That comes out to be about 1 in 8 couples that are struggling with infertility. Everyone knows someone that is haunted by this, whether you realize it or not. While I am trying to bring light to this, I find it very therapeutic for myself to blog about this. While others feel the need to suffer in silence. Silence because of the shame, because of the stigma that goes along with infertility. Or because they feel like less of a person. There are so many more reasons to suffer in silence. 

I'm here to say the next time you go to ask someone when they are going to have kids, stop and ask yourself one simple question. If I were that 1 in 8, how would I feel if someone asked me that same question? It might seem like an innocent question but I can tell you it feels like a loaded gun pointed right at me. No matter how open I am about my journey that question always seems to hit me like a ton of bricks and I instantly shut down and look to someone else to answer for me.

October was a busy month for us

October has been really busy for us. We went home to Maryland to visit with family and to attend my besties' wedding!!!!!

Don't mind the awful pic, there was alcohol involved lol. 

The trip was so nonstop but I am so glad that we got to see our family. I am so beyond grateful for everything that my daddy had done for us!!

When we got back a few days later it was my birthday. We went to the Chinese lantern festival with friends. 

And then dinner at Red Robin. Our friends Julia and Jake even got me a mermaid cake!!! Do y'all realize how epic that is?!?! 

I can't thank all of our friends enough for coming out to help me celebrate my birthday. 

Now I know y'all are itching for an update on our road to baby C. Well here it goes. It's official we will be starting IUI in November. I literally just got off the phone with our fertility doctor and everything this finally set in motion. So now it's just a matter of time. I am hoping that the first round is successful but I'm not trying to get my hopes up. 

Social Media is My Enemy

Oh great there goes another pregnancy announcement!!!




It's awkward, not because I'm not happy for them, its honestly me. I instantly feel anger, bitterness, sadness and grief. I've even had resentment. But not necessarily towards them, towards my situation mostly. I want to be excited and joyful for my friends/family but I can't, I'm Struggling.  And I can’t stop the feelings of hurt that have come along with infertility. Or the bad thoughts that this  excitement of announcing my own pregnancy will never happen. And it’s hard. It makes me feel like an awful person. I am in a constant pain as everything reminds me of my situation on a daily basis.




I'm the person more than likely I will like your statuses but not really comment. Its not because I'm jealous(ok lets be honest a small percent is because I'm jealous), but I can't, I can't bring my self to doing it. It has nothing to do with you or your joyous time. It has everything to do with the daily struggle I have. Infertility brings on a whole new set of feeling and emotions that I never knew I could posses.


With all these announcements it makes me fell even less of a woman than I already feel. I can't do what a female is supposed to able to naturally do without the aid of doctors.  Infertility is so mind consuming, I constantly think about it. I wake up and touch my belly and wish it was me that had morning sickness and kicks, aches and pains. The things that other people hate about their pregnancies are the things I'd die to experience. So the daily reminders on social media break my heart into a million pieces over and over again.


I'm not talking about this to make anyone feel bad, I am telling yall this because so many people don't realize how big of a thing infertility is and how much it consumes your daily life. As much as it hurts to see these things on social media I wouldn't have it any other way. Having a baby is a miracle and blessing and I am so beyond grateful that I can witness my friends/family experience them. It give me hope that when it is finally my time everyone will be joyous and excited for me.