One Hour...

...is the amount of time we spent with Dr. Hickman last Friday during our regroup appointment discussing where we have been, where we are currently, and where we are going!  This is one of the many reasons that I like him so much, because he will in fact spend the time necessary to make me feel better about this unfortunate situation.  The following is the information that we took with us:

-The lining of my uterus is not thickening like it should (could be the reason I have not gotten pregnant yet).  According to Hickman, there are no known drugs out there that are guaranteed to fix this issue.  I have done the spray before (Estrostep) for this problem.  He says it can't hurt but he's not confident that it will work.  I started it that night anyways :)
-He is hesitant to start me on the more aggressive drugs discussed in my previous post...he does not want me to be like "Octo Mom."  Apparently I am the ideal patient for multiples because I am not only creating follicles....I am creating A LOT of follicles.  Obviously this is not the problem...but the fact that they are not increasing in size could be (well, at least this last round anyways).
-He is not confident that I ovulated this past round even though the ovulation predictor kit says that I did (this was my fear all along).  He said we will do blood work to confirm ovulation if this occurs again during our next round of treatment.
-He still recommends that we do one more round of Clomid & timed intercourse before moving on to Clomid & IUI.  Because James' sperm is "strong," he feels like there is still a chance of success.
-After hearing our financial concerns about IVF, he told us about a potential solution that made us reconsider.  It has not been passed yet, but they are working on making IVF 100% guaranteed.  So, if IVF is attempted and does not work, you get all of your money back.  Obviously we would have to look more into this before signing on if it comes to that, but it is something that is back on the table for discussion.
-IVF is a process that you cannot just "dive" into.  There is a preparation period (length depending on the person and severity of their issues) that consists of taking birth control and doing Lupron Therapy.  Apparently these things can help in thickening my uterine lining.
-We discussed the fact that my endometriosis can grow back.  He said the goal is to get me pregnant as quickly as possible so that this does not occur.  The only way they can know for sure if it has grown back is to go in and look....he will only do this if my symptoms become unbearable (I do not have any at this time).
-He calmed my fears about the dreadful 2 week "wait!"  I am always very cautious of what I do during this 2 week waiting period to find out if I'm pregnant or not.  I told him that I was tired of living my life "waiting" to get pregnant.  He showed me on a diagram what happens during that 2 week period...obviously he cannot guarantee me that everything will go perfectly but he said it wasn't likely that the things I am doing will jeopardize the process.  This is very comforting to me.

All of this being said, we haven't fully decided what our next step will be.  More than likely, we will take his advice and do one more round of Clomid & timed intercourse.  But, there has been discussion between me and James of going straight to IUI.  At this point, all we can do is continue to pray and trust that God will show us the path He wants us to take.  We both know that He is in control and that by far is more comforting than anything Hickman said to us :)