I was 23 when I found out I had endometriosis and that was
the first time anyone mentioned the possibility of infertility to me. By the
time I had my excision surgery I had not long turned 24, afterwards I was told
the best time to try for a baby was the next 6 months. It was only 4 months
after, I had my follow up with the specialist and she told me even with having
had the surgery being that it was so advanced it wasn’t very likely that I’d
have gotten pregnant naturally anyway. I could not believe it, I was only 24
and being told I would need help to have children. I felt like a failure my
body wouldn’t do the one thing it was made to do. I had obviously heard about
infertility before but always thought of women in there late 30s not someone in
their mid-twenties. Everyone else my age had no problem having children, so why
is it that the one thing I’d always wanted seemed so hard for me. I was
referred to the infertility clinic rather quickly, my husband and I had our
initial consult. We both had to have a number of blood tests and I had to have
a scan to check the number of follicles I have left. It showed I have a lot
less follicles than I should for a woman of my age, which is concerning because
we as women cannot produce more. I was put on the mini pill to stop my
menstrual cycle which was also in hope to prevent or lessen further pain. IVF
was suggested as the best option, in a woman under 35 the success rate is 32%
but given my condition I was told it would lower the success rate further. But
it may have more chance of working if we used donor eggs. That thought
terrified me, that I would go through so much to even attempt getting pregnant
and then the chances of it taking were very slim. I not only felt sad for
myself but sad that I may never give my husband our own child. It’s very
difficult to come to terms with and to think if you do have a child either
using someone else’s eggs or adopting. You would never look at that child and
see a mini version of the two of you. Or the possibility that I could be robbed
of carrying a child and experiencing that part of the journey and feeling a
bond only created through sharing 9 months as one. Infertility is a long and
hard road that seems like its never going to end. It is not something I would
have ever imagined having to worry about at the age of 25.
Infertility in
young people is more common than people realise.
In order to start treatment I have to loose a minimum of 8 lbs to bring my BMI down to NHS guidelines.
A site I am finding very helpful is
They are not only raising awareness about infertility but allowing women going through the same thing to connect and share their stories.
They have created this cute little pin to raise awareness and show support for infertility with profits being donated to Fertility Network.
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