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living life abundantly in spite of PCOS

To My Infertile Sisters: You Are Human & Emotions Are Normal

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Today, I am going to address something that has really been bugging me over the last few months in regards to struggles and emotions. This post spawned from a few things I’ve seen posted online, both directly and indirectly towards women who struggle, and it has been in the works for some time now. It’s one of those posts that has me saying “I’m about to publish something really forward, aren’t I? Should I even do this?” But you know what… I’m gonna. This is for you, my sisters.

Infertile Sisters IG

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“Why be sad? Just be thankful you’re alive.”

“Why can’t you just get over it and be grateful for what you have?”

“I don’t understand why you’re being so negative, it could be worse.”

“You think that’s bad? I know someone who–“

Cringe-worthy.

We were created as emotional beings, not machines. We were made to feel all sorts of emotions. Even Jesus was moved to tears and wept, and He was the son of God.

Did you know that?

Read John 11.

As Christians, we find our joy in the Lord! But it is completely unrealistic to expect us to feel happiness all the time and to not be deeply moved with grief, whether for our own circumstances or on behalf of someone else’s.

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Infertility and Life Update

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I know.

I’ve been really quiet lately when it comes to infertility and where I stand.

Ever since the last round of Follistim failed, I’ve been up and down when it comes to what is next for us. I don’t have much of an update, but I figured one was due.

Infertility and Life Update

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The Emotions Behind Frozen Donor Eggs

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Today’s post is a guest post provided by Heidi Hayes of Donor Egg Bank USA. She is sharing glimpses of her story as well as the emotions involved in the the process of selecting donor eggs. I know many of you who are going through a donor egg or embryo adoption cycle right now, and I can only imagine the rollercoaster of emotions you are going through. I hope that this post is useful to you. If you are considering using a donor egg in your fertility treatment in the future, I hope this post helps you prepare for what to expect as you embark on this new journey.

Donor Egg Bank USA guest post

More than 7.4 million women face fertility challenges in the United States. Every year, thousands of couples within that group look into the option of frozen donor egg IVF, but few are prepared for the emotional whirlwind that awaits them: impatience, hope, disappointment, joy, and everything in between. However, thanks to advanced technological treatments and nation-wide donor egg banks, frozen donor egg IVF is becoming more and more common. As more couples and individuals seek this option to grow their families, and start to speak out about their experiences, the emotional journey of frozen donor egg IVF is finally becoming something we can talk about.

Knowing some of the common emotions that may come up during IVF treatment can help you identify your feelings and allow you to take better care of yourself, your relationship, and your family.

Having dealt with unexplained infertility early in my marriage and trying everything from IVF to adoption, I know what the emotional landscape of this journey looks like. There are peaks, valleys, and more than a few bumps along the way. Today, I am an advocate for women, the CEO of Donor Egg Bank USA, and mother to three beautiful children. I would like to offer you the road map that I never had. My hope is that with this knowledge, you can better prepare your heart and mind for the many emotions that come with frozen donor egg IVF.

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My TTC Story {National Infertility Awareness Week 2016} #StartAsking

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Infertility Blog Link Up - April 29th

Today, I am joining Caroline from the blog In Due Time for a TTC Story linkup! Whether you’ve been following me for years or are new to this blog, today I want to share my journey through infertility and TTC with you.

When my husband and I married in 2007, the last thing we expected was infertility. Prior to marriage, I had gone on a birth control pill solely for the purpose of keeping my body in sync. Up to that point, my cycles were ranging between 30-45 days long, so they were considered normal (albeit inconsistent), but the cramping associated with each one was getting to be more than I could handle. I had no idea that this was just the surface of my PCOS.

After we got married, I started reading about birth control pills, and at the time it was suggested that women who want to conceive get off of them completely for 3-6 prior to trying. I had no idea what it would mean to come off of them. Those initial 6 months went by, and suddenly, everything stopped. And by stopped, I literally mean stopped. I suddenly started having abdominal pain I had never had before, and lower back pain. All of the pain was centered around my right ovary. I stopped having periods. This is where our infertility journey began.

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To check out more stories and connect with other women just like you, be sure to head over to Caroline’s blog for more:

My TTC Story Blog Link Up

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Hear Our Voice: What We Want You to Know About Infertility

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Being that it’s National Infertility Awareness Week, you’ve probably seen a flurry of activity on Facebook & Twitter from bloggers who are speaking up on behalf of infertiles everywhere. As hard as this week has been already, it’s also been a blessing to partner with other bloggers in different ways by sharing what we know and encouraging one another.

Today on the blog In Due Time, hear what I and others have to say about infertility. This is what we want you to know.

What We Want You to Know About Infertility

Thank you, Caroline, for collecting all of these comments from us. It’s wonderful to see so many perspectives and to join together with other women. If you don’t already follow Caroline, I highly recommend it. She is one of the most uplifting and encouraging Christian bloggers I know, and I love to read her posts. I pray for her regularly!

What-We-Want-You-To-Know-About-Infertility

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It’s National Infertility Awareness Week. #StartAsking

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NIAW16

Did you know that 6% of women in the U.S. are infertile? 1.5 million women suffer… many in silence.

Did you know that 25% of couples have more than one infertility diagnosis? It isn’t just one person or the other… sometimes it’s both.

Did you know that 1 in 8 couples either has trouble conceiving or keeping a pregnancy?

Did you know that polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects about 8-10% of women of reproductive age?

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That Brief Moment of Pregnancy Hope in a Perfect Cycle

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Over the last 6 or so weeks, I have started charting again. For those who aren’t familiar with charting, it is where you take your temperature every morning, the moment you wake up, before getting out of bed, and record it. Over time you learn your body’s pattern. Your temps are generally lower in the follicular phase (the days leading up to ovulation), and then they spike up during the luteal phase (after ovulation). If you ovulated, you will see a clearly defined shift on the chart.

I personally use Fertility Friend to document everything, because it’s familiar, it’s easy, and I like that it will give me crosshairs on the chart to denote ovulation. While it can sometimes be unreliable, most of the time it’s right. Your temps don’t lie, as long as you are taking them consistently at the same time each day. Inconsistently is a different story.

Well.

Last week, I had something happen for the first time ever. And I mean, ever. Well, first of all, I FLIPPING OVULATED ON MY OWN. So, yay for that! But the big surprise? My chart started to look like a potential pregnancy chart. It appeared I was about to have a tri-phastic pattern, which means my chart was close to showing a very clearly defined three-tier range of temperatures. Usually if a woman is pregnant, there will be a third shift in temperatures due to the hCG and increased progesterone levels from the pregnancy. When my Conceivable rep noticed this, she mentioned to me that pregnancy was a possibility.

Chart

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because I didn’t want to feel anything, albeit excitement or pain. I knew putting my hope into this was a leap for me, so I kept my guard up and told myself that no matter what happens, the fact that I was able to ovulate without Follistim mattered, pregnancy or not.

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How Your Voice Can Help Families Choose Their Reproductive Endocrinologist

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Today’s guest post is provided by the founders of FertilityIQ.com, a new website with real patient reviews designed to help couples find a good infertility doctor. Read more to find out how you can find the best doctor for your own personal care, as well as how you can help others in their search. And please, consider submitting a review of your doctor. All of the reviews on the site are patient-driven and are not provided by doctors trying to market themselves.

FertilityIQ-YourVoice

My wife, Deb, and I had good jobs and a predictable life here in San Francisco. We gave all of it up to see if we could bring the field of fertility treatment into the sunlight. As patients, Deb and I went to multiple doctors, in multiple states, and after we spent over $75,000 in treatment, we never found care the care we deserved. After my wife’s egg harvest at our last clinic, the nurses made a medical error and we rushed in a panic to the closest ER. When we tried to let our clinic know what had gone awry, they could not have cared less. “Someone should do something about this,” Deborah muttered under her breath. And one day we woke up and thought “we’re somebody” and maybe we should try and help.

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Infertility Treatment on Hold… Still

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Infertility Treatment on Hold

Since my last Follistim cycle ended without pregnancy, I’ve been holding off on any further infertility treatment. While I was devastated that all of those injections didn’t produce a baby, I’ve been able to see the reason why we’re not pregnant, and why we’re having to be “on hold” right now. Glenn is finally done with his physical therapy after his shoulder dislocation, but we still have bills to pay between ER visits, labs, radiology, etc. We’re nowhere near being able to commit to the additional labs, ultrasounds, and fertility drugs that come with a treatment cycle.

So, what am I doing?

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Lord, Hear the Cry of My Heart {A Prayer for the Infertile}

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Image Source: Flickr, creative commons

Hey God, it’s me.

Today, I come to you on behalf of infertile women everywhere who are crying out to You every day.

Lord, please hear the cries of our hearts.

We know that Your ways are better than ours. We acknowledge that You are mighty and good, and You have a plan for each of Your children. But, can I be real for a sec?

We’re hurting.

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