Saline Sonogram*

*Lots of people find this post using the words "saline sonogram" as their search terms. If you're one of them, you can get a general idea of my first saline sonogram in the post below. I have also written a more thorough description of the procedure here.

Here's a report on the saline sonogram I had done yesterday. I won't go into too many of the gory details, but it was painless and my reproductive system has been declared structurally sound. I had 2 ultrasounds done, one by the lab tech to take general measurements, and another one by the doctor using salt water to inspect my uterus for any irregularities and to make sure my fallopian tubes were clear. I continue to love the staff at the fertility clinic; the ultrasound tech was great, very friendly and competent. During the first ultrasound, she pointed out my ovaries on the screen - it was fascinating! We looked at the left one first. I asked what a large dark circle was, and she said it was the follicle (sort of the holder for the developing egg, for those less versed in fertility lingo). Then we looked at the right, which had a signifcantly bigger follicle. The ultrasound tech said, "You're going to ovulate from the right side, probably in a day or two." It is so amazing to me that it is possible to get an up-close view of these inner workings, God's intricate creation! It was also reassuring to have visual proof that something is going right in my reproductive system. I'm sure a sonogram of a baby is even more incredible, but for now I'm pretty thrilled with my ovaries!

As I was heading to the front desk to take care of my co-pay before leaving, another lab tech corralled me. Take a wild guess what she needed... If you guessed more blood-work, you're right! Apparently, the vial they drew last week to check my blood type was broken or lost in transit to the evaluation site. So I sat down to my fourth needle in 3 days. It was really a fitting conclusion to the appointment!

I'm very thankful to the Lord that the whole procedure went so well. I was nervous about having something so unfamiliar and relatively invasive done, but I drew confidence from the fact that Christ was with me. I am also truly grateful that nothing wrong was discovered. Odds of conceiving go down with every additional problem, so I was praying that a structural anomaly would not be added to my known luteal phase defect. Praise God for this answered prayer!