National Infertility Awareness Week

Today kicks off the first day of National Infertility Awareness Week, and I'm excited to focus on spreading awareness. 1 in 8 couples will struggle with infertility and the stigma that goes along with dealing with the challenge of growing a family.

I will be writing a post each day this week to share our story so far, and some education for those who may be starting their own journey down this path. I have learned so much because of this situation, and have come a long way to embracing and dealing with it in a much more positive and constructive manner. I want to not just share the infertility process, but even considerations for even just starting the trying to conceive process, since there was so much I didn't know until I was speaking with the experts.

Some of our Story

I myself struggled and pushed off dealing with my own infertility for almost 5 years because I was so afraid of addressing it; scared of what they may find. Every month I hoped that perhaps my period wouldn't start and I could take a pregnancy test and get my #BFP (Big Fat (or F*king) Positive). But, each month came and went with no signs of conception.

With Jeff's help, we booked our first appointment in May 2015, to start the diagnostic testing and find out where the problem might lie. After lots of blood work, and invasive tests for me, our diagnosis was "Unexplained Infertility". Which is pretty much one of the most frustrating diagnoses since it's really not an answer. It's a, "we don't know what the f*k is wrong" diagnosis. I really wanted a clearer diagnosis, but everything was fine, and there was really no clear reason why it wasn't happening. Cue the tears!

I struggled each time I went in and spoke with the nurses and doctor because I felt that if the initial conservative methods of clomid failed, I had failed. I wasn't ready for IVF initially because it felt at the time like the hugest failure, and now looking back on it, I don't know why I felt that way. I'm sure that many couples who go through this probably understand the feeling.

I'm now very proud of the process I'm going through and that doing IVF feels like such an amazing process, that I've learned so much more than I would have if I had conceived naturally. I also have such a great appreciation for the nurses, doctors, technicians, and scientists that are apart of this process. It truly is amazing, and for anyone who conceives their children naturally, it is a true miracle, and to have a healthy baby, even more miraculous!

So, that is just a little bit of our story, and I aim to share more of the story, and education that goes along with it to inspire others, reduce the stigma, and teach those who just want to learn something new!

#startasking #NIAW #ivfproud

Nameste,

Natasha

#NIAW #IVF #IVFproud #1in8