Last week, we were left wondering if we were going to be set up for a MF situation after Carolyn checked out okay at the RE.
In the beginning of this episode, Palek is seen jerking off into a cup for an S/A. He and Carolyn have phone sex so he can "make his deposit". Palek is able to somehow get into the lab, where the technician mentions there is a "worldwide sperm crisis". He views someone's bad sample (low count and practically no motility) and then his...which turns out to be great. Beautiful motility and beautiful count. He calls Carolyn and she says she is thrilled - multiple times no less - but she is actually quite surprised. She even congratulates him, which confuses Palek. All along, I believe she really wanted him to be the problem. Now, I assume we are led to believe they are unexplained. I'm not sure of all the testing she has had done but so far, we have no answers. Perhaps an HSG or some bloodwork is in order? *wink wink*
Did you ladies "verbally assist" your DHs with the S/A? I gave my hubby permission to go online for "help" but I didn't want to contaminate anything by helping him along myself. Also, were you or your DH allowed to go back into the lab to view the sample? I was able to see the results of my PCT right there in the office but not for our S/A. I don't imagine many men get that up close and personal with their sample. Later on, Palek and Carolyn go to an impromptu game night with friends. In the middle of a charades-type game, one of their friends, Julie, gets up to go to the bathroom and you can hear her puking. Her husband admits she is pregnant "again". With #3. Palek is excited and honestly happy for them, while Carolyn looks like she wants to hide under a rock. Palek opens up and says that he and Carolyn are "officially trying", much to her chagrin. She passive-aggressively clarifies that they've been trying for a year and says that his sperm was tested and it was really good. Palek is a little shy about the issue but admits it. The friends look a little weirded out by the conversation but toast to them.
For those of you who've shared IF stories with friends or family, how did they react? Do you get the feeling that they are uncomfortable at times or are they truly interested? I try not to go too in-depth with my friends because I'm not sure how much they want to know. However, I do share that we are having "treatment" or "testing" done. If they ask to know more, then I will go into the details. I usually let them take the lead. In the car, Carolyn calls him out for breaking the news to their friends. Palek says he doesn't want to be "that couple" that everyone feels strange around. They continue to argue about the subject on the way home.
Are you and DH usually on the same page about coming out of the IF closet? We are usually in agreement about what to share and when but there are times when he tells his mother or sister information that I'd rather them not know. I don't really say anything to him about it because I know he needs to vent too. I have my blog and my fertility friends - a support system that he lacks. So I try to give him a break when it comes to what he chooses to share.
When they get home, Carolyn watches TV and is still pretty pissed at Palek. She feels very pressured and says he made it worse. Palek says they are fine but she disagrees because, even if a problem hasn't been pinpointed, they aren't pregnant. Palek shouts that he "will get [her] pregnant" - almost as though he is trying to convince himself more than her. He gets frustrated and hides on his computer until Carolyn confronts him and says they just need to forget about it. She tries to initiate sex and he initially resists and calls her crazy. Eventually, she wins him over. They have a rough sex session, and it seemed as if they thought hard and deep = guaranteed conception.
She later says she is sore and rhetorically asks why crack addicts can get pregnant but not her. She jokes they will probably have an angry baby since they had angry sex. They hypothesize that they are guaranteed to be better parents than their parents because " you can't be worse than the least". Palek tells Carolyn that if their baby (which she refers to as "she") is the best of both of them, "she" will be incredible. And if she's the worst of them, well, it's not so bad. He asks Carolyn what they'll do if they don't ever get pregnant. Carolyn gets defensive and says she doesn't think about it. Palek says he is sick of always saying the wrong thing and that he's in this too. She prompts him to tell her what to do. Instead, they lay in silence.
I'm sure we've all pondered why other people get pregnant when we can't. Crack whores. People who get abortions repeatedly. People who neglect or abuse their children. That definitely rings true for me. Have you ever had "the talk" with your significant other - what you'll do if treatment/adoption doesn't work out? It is such a hard discussion. DH and I have a difficult time imagining life beyond IF. We want to believe it will work eventually but at the same time, we are confronted with the fact that there are no certainties. I think its one of those things that you won't know for sure what you'll do until you're there. We just try to keep our future plans flexible so we can easily change our path if needed.
In the beginning of this episode, Palek is seen jerking off into a cup for an S/A. He and Carolyn have phone sex so he can "make his deposit". Palek is able to somehow get into the lab, where the technician mentions there is a "worldwide sperm crisis". He views someone's bad sample (low count and practically no motility) and then his...which turns out to be great. Beautiful motility and beautiful count. He calls Carolyn and she says she is thrilled - multiple times no less - but she is actually quite surprised. She even congratulates him, which confuses Palek. All along, I believe she really wanted him to be the problem. Now, I assume we are led to believe they are unexplained. I'm not sure of all the testing she has had done but so far, we have no answers. Perhaps an HSG or some bloodwork is in order? *wink wink*
Did you ladies "verbally assist" your DHs with the S/A? I gave my hubby permission to go online for "help" but I didn't want to contaminate anything by helping him along myself. Also, were you or your DH allowed to go back into the lab to view the sample? I was able to see the results of my PCT right there in the office but not for our S/A. I don't imagine many men get that up close and personal with their sample.
Later on, Palek and Carolyn go to an impromptu game night with friends. In the middle of a charades-type game, one of their friends, Julie, gets up to go to the bathroom and you can hear her puking. Her husband admits she is pregnant "again". With #3. Palek is excited and honestly happy for them, while Carolyn looks like she wants to hide under a rock. Palek opens up and says that he and Carolyn are "officially trying", much to her chagrin. She passive-aggressively clarifies that they've been trying for a year and says that his sperm was tested and it was really good. Palek is a little shy about the issue but admits it. The friends look a little weirded out by the conversation but toast to them.
For those of you who've shared IF stories with friends or family, how did they react? Do you get the feeling that they are uncomfortable at times or are they truly interested? I try not to go too in-depth with my friends because I'm not sure how much they want to know. However, I do share that we are having "treatment" or "testing" done. If they ask to know more, then I will go into the details. I usually let them take the lead.
In the car, Carolyn calls him out for breaking the news to their friends. Palek says he doesn't want to be "that couple" that everyone feels strange around. They continue to argue about the subject on the way home.
Are you and DH usually on the same page about coming out of the IF closet? We are usually in agreement about what to share and when but there are times when he tells his mother or sister information that I'd rather them not know. I don't really say anything to him about it because I know he needs to vent too. I have my blog and my fertility friends - a support system that he lacks. So I try to give him a break when it comes to what he chooses to share.
When they get home, Carolyn watches TV and is still pretty pissed at Palek. She feels very pressured and says he made it worse. Palek says they are fine but she disagrees because, even if a problem hasn't been pinpointed, they aren't pregnant. Palek shouts that he "will get [her] pregnant" - almost as though he is trying to convince himself more than her. He gets frustrated and hides on his computer until Carolyn confronts him and says they just need to forget about it. She tries to initiate sex and he initially resists and calls her crazy. Eventually, she wins him over. They have a rough sex session, and it seemed as if they thought hard and deep = guaranteed conception.
She later says she is sore and rhetorically asks why crack addicts can get pregnant but not her. She jokes they will probably have an angry baby since they had angry sex. They hypothesize that they are guaranteed to be better parents than their parents because " you can't be worse than the least". Palek tells Carolyn that if their baby (which she refers to as "she") is the best of both of them, "she" will be incredible. And if she's the worst of them, well, it's not so bad. He asks Carolyn what they'll do if they don't ever get pregnant. Carolyn gets defensive and says she doesn't think about it. Palek says he is sick of always saying the wrong thing and that he's in this too. She prompts him to tell her what to do. Instead, they lay in silence.
I'm sure we've all pondered why other people get pregnant when we can't. Crack whores. People who get abortions repeatedly. People who neglect or abuse their children. That definitely rings true for me. Have you ever had "the talk" with your significant other - what you'll do if treatment/adoption doesn't work out? It is such a hard discussion. DH and I have a difficult time imagining life beyond IF. We want to believe it will work eventually but at the same time, we are confronted with the fact that there are no certainties. I think its one of those things that you won't know for sure what you'll do until you're there. We just try to keep our future plans flexible so we can easily change our path if needed.