Infertility; You’re Not Alone
By Beth Engelman
My mom had 4 babies in a row. My siblings had 2 each without issue, so when I turned 35 and my husband and I decided that we should start to “try” to have a baby I was certain it would happen quickly. What I didn’t expect was that 10 months and many negative pregnancy tests later we were no closer to having a baby. We simply could not get pregnant. And what was worse was that everyone around me was getting pregnant, that is everyone but me. As I approached my 36th birthday, I had a sit down with my husband. Maybe there was something wrong.
My husband (who I later divorced) was certain it was my “fault,” (Note to all the dudes out there, don’t blame your partner). Ironically, my numbers were ok, a little high but not bad. The bigger issue was on my husband’s end and although I’ll spare you the details we soon discovered it’s a fairly common problem for men who are under a lot of stress. The bad news: It would be nearly impossible to get pregnant “the natural way.” The good news: We were perfect candidates for an IUI.
I was nervous at first, but game. My doctor had a stellar reputation and a calm, reassuring manner that gave me confidence that we were doing the right thing. We coupled the IUI with fertility drugs, which would increase our chances of getting pregnant. The shots were not as bad as I thought (at least not for me, my husband on the other hand, had to close his eyes every time I gave myself a shot!) The actual IUI procedure was fine too and although my doctor said I could be up and walking around within a few hours I stayed in bed for an extra day or and kept my legs in the air.
Maybe it was the extra bed rest, luck or really good science, but we got pregnant on the first try. It turned out we fertilized 2 eggs and although we would lose one baby early on in the pregnancy, we were blessed with a sweet baby boy. I know how devastating infertility can be and how scary it is to wonder, “will I ever get pregnant.” My advice if you are having trouble conceiving is to visit a fertility clinic such as HRC Fertility Rancho Cucamonga (https://www.havingbabies.com/about-hrc/locations/rancho-cucamonga/) to find out your options. I was scared to get help but so grateful I did, as I’m fairly certain we would never have been able to
conceive without a little extra help from our doctor. Want to hear more advice about infertility? Here’s a video I did with some of my colleagues at iVillage talking about
our own infertility issues, remember you are not alone!
Authors Biography: Beth Engelman is a regular columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, Correspondent for NBC’s iVillage, OWN Ambassador and media expert. She lives in Chicago with her son.
Disclaimer: This was a sponsored blogpost. However, the opinions and views were solely of the author.