Sarah

As newlyweds three years ago, my husband and I knew that we wanted children as soon as possible. As each month went by, and we weren’t falling pregnant, I had a feeling in my gut that something wasn’t right. After several doctor visits, we learned that we were dealing with severe male factor infertility (MFI) and our chances of spontaneous conception were, in the words of one of fertility doctors, ‘less than 1%’. We were utterly devastated. We went forward knowing that our only chance at a family likely depended on an IVF procedure with ICSI. Our very first IVF consultation was scheduled for January 7th, 2014. The morning before our consult, I took a home pregnancy test was shocked to see a positive test staring back at me, defying all the dismal odds given to us. Our ‘miracle’ was born September 9th, 2014.

As we move forward with the intention to expand our family once again, the raw emotions of infertility have returned. Knowing what to expect with secondary infertility doesn’t make the process any easier. It’s just as difficult and painful as it was when we received out initial diagnosis years ago. Infertility can be summarized as emotionally draining, physically uncomfortable and financially overwhelming. Words cannot describe the anguish felt each month as you sit back and helplessly observe your body failing to do what it was intended to do by design. Infertility steals hope, dashes dreams, and unearths undesirable envy.

As we prepare for an upcoming IVF procedure towards the end of the year, we pray that it will be successful. We pray that the multiple daily injections, the scariness of being under anesthetic, the worry and stress as we wait for updates on numbers of healthy embryos, and the massive financial commitment will land us on the successful side of the 50/50 odds that we have be given.

From the very beginning we have decided to be open and transparent about our journey. We decided this because we hope that it will encourage open communication on a topic that deserves to be talked about. By opening up, we have helped others open up about their own struggles. We have friends and acquaintances who are on the same journey as we are, and I have discovered a large online community of women who have become my closest allies. I can guarantee you that people in your life, some of your closest friends, have faced this very same battle, and a lot of them have struggled in silence because they have felt ashamed. Infertility is nothing to be ashamed of, and more needs to be done to end the stigmatism surrounding it. We are #1in6. We beat infertility once, and we hope to beat it again.