Chapter 5: A Mile High And A Mile Wrong

Our move to Denver did not see Andrea pregnant as planned.

Finding a job for me had been hard at first. However, Aunt Madge had helped along again, with a phone number, to an old acquaintance, of hers. Even though he was retired, within a few days and him making a few calls to people, he set me up with my first job interview. It was with one of the many oil companies in the Denver area. It wasn't a top job, but the pay was quite a bit higher, than our pessimistical expectations, had been. So financially, even with Andrea not looking for employment, we weren't off to a bad start.

Now with a good job under my belt, and some more help with "odds and ends" from Andrea's family, we were able to get into an apartment that was actually livable, and not your standard newlywed-just-out-of-college place. We moved into a subdivision of multiplexes; where there were a lot of more progressive upscale families, and couples.

The jump-start into a good neighborhood helped us get into the swing of things, and with my good paying job, money did have to be watched, but it wasn't a big issue. With a little budgeting, we were able to see a little bit of the nightlife of Denver, and even invited over at times friends, neighbors and some of my collages to dinner or for a small party. It seemed like in no time, we were celebrating our first anniversary.

Andrea was still not pregnant though. It was not as if we weren't trying. We were trying still, even after being married for a year, quite a bit, and then some. Not that it was intentional trying; it's just the way we were. We enjoyed our sex together, and being intimate as much as possible.

It was then a few weeks after our first anniversary that I begin to notice a slight change in Andrea's behavior. I'm still not even sure that at that time that Andrea, herself knew the why of her changing behavior. Maybe at that time, she only sub-conscientiously felt the frustration and disappointment. Nevertheless, as time went by, it seemed to grow and begin to eat at her more and more.

Seeing her frustrations, I offered, asked to talk with her time and time again. But, she always avoided speaking about what was eating at her, until one day she told me that she had made a doctor's appointment for me. It was to have a sperm sample taken.

Even though Andrea jokingly offered to go with me... to give me a helping hand, I went to the appointment alone. With the sperm sample, they also took some blood and urine samples.

When it came time to return to the doctor for the results, Andrea went with me.

The results were devastating. For all it was worth, I was not sterile, but my sperm count was so low, that I might as well as have been.

The doctor also stated that my testosterone level was too low, and my estrogen level was too high. There was a possibility of a Klinefelter syndrome (abnormal two X and one Y chromosome structure) or a congenital adrenal hyperplasia (which causes a too high production of estrogen, and a too low testosterone production, in males). Either of which, could cause a delayed or impaired development during puberty, and therefore also a permanent inability to produce sperm in any sufficient quantity.

He pointed out my mostly ambiguous body, facial features and my height, inquiring if my family doctor had not tested my testosterone and estrogen levels in my early teens. It was obvious, that my physical development had been impaired during puberty. He said that at that age, there were medical means available, but now the situation could no longer be corrected.