Got Eggs?

On Thursday morning, I set out driving across miles and miles of grasslands. It was bitterly cold, snowing, and the sky was gray. Not too much snow fell, but the wind blew it in swirls across the road. I didn't see any accidents but the radio kept talking about accidents to avoid. I was tense and wondering how my appointment would be, and then after the first hundred miles, the sun broke through and the snow stopped. I started to feel as if I were making my own decisions about my life, and it felt good.

The doctor was pleasant and professional. She thought that everything looked good. Apparently I ovulated last month and she admired the number of eggs that I had. No one mentioned my weight. Perhaps that will concern the ob/gyn who oversees the pregnancy. The next month is going to be comprised of monitoring. A checklist encourages me to call when I get my period. Then the nurses remind me to get the first of three tests. 

I was very relieved to learn that these tests can be done by local doctors. Even the local doctors who are unwilling to perform single woman inseminations for moral/ethical reasons would be willing to help with some of the testing that leads up to the insemination. If these go well, I'll be ready for insemination in the next cycle. 

The timing is tight. I need to let the doctor know when I ovulate by three pm. Then I need to be in her office at 7:30 am the next morning. The three-hour drive is a complication, and I dread explaining it to my supervisor late in the day. "Um, I just got worked in for some, um medical testing. I'll be out tomorrow." He's a fifty year-old man and is tremendously supportive of me at work. He even identifies issues I've had as sexism before I'm willing to put them in that category. However, I try to keep it strictly professional. This gets pretty personal. Eggs? Ovaries? Artificial insemination? If all goes well, I will eventually tell him, but he won't need or want all of the details. 

In the meantime, I've got a list of sperm banks to peruse.The California Cryobank and Xytex are the top recommended banks from nurses I've spoken to, but I'm sure some other good ones are available. So much to think about. . . I'm actually starting to feel like I can imagine a baby. Just a little.