My Infertility Journey: From Hope to Heartbreak
When my husband and I first started trying to have a baby, I never imagined how long, emotional, and challenging the journey would become. We were three years into our marriage, both 29, and felt like it was finally the right time to grow our family. We had all the excitement and optimism in the world.
But months went by, and nothing happened.
After a year of trying with no success, I went to see my OB/GYN. It felt like a bump in the road, one that many of my friends were navigating as well. I wasn’t too concerned. My doctor ordered bloodwork for me and a semen analysis for my husband, just to make sure everything was in order. The results came back normal for my husband, but my doctor raised a question about whether I was ovulating every month.
Finally, I thought, an answer. I was put on medication to stimulate ovulation and used at-home ovulation tests. I felt hopeful, like we were on the right path. But month after month, the negative tests continued to pile up. Disappointment set in. After four failed cycles, my doctor referred me to a reproductive specialist.
And that’s when everything started to feel very real.
The Overwhelming Reality of Infertility Treatments
Walking into the fertility clinic for the first time felt like entering a new world. Suddenly, I was given information packets on things like IUI (intrauterine insemination), IVF (in vitro fertilization), and financial breakdowns that I wasn’t prepared for. What started as a hopeful journey was turning into something more overwhelming than I ever expected.
After more tests—bloodwork, genetic screening, and an HSG (hysterosalpingogram) to check my anatomy—I felt the weight of the process. The HSG test, where a tube is inserted into the cervix to inject dye, was uncomfortable and left me feeling lightheaded. As someone who has been blessed with relatively good health, the emotional weight of these procedures was starting to sink in. Thankfully, the results were normal, but I still didn’t have answers.
After discussing our options, we decided to try IUI. I was excited and felt hopeful again. The process seemed simple: stimulate ovulation, monitor with ultrasounds, trigger ovulation with an injection, and then the IUI itself—a catheter to introduce the sperm directly into the uterus. I felt confident that it would work.
The Heartbreak of IUI
In my mind, IUI was our solution. The odds seemed reasonable—20-25% chance of success with each round. After four rounds, I thought, surely I’d be pregnant. But round after round, my heart sank as each cycle ended in disappointment.
By the time we completed four rounds with no success, reality hit hard: IUI wasn’t working for us. I was devastated. I never imagined we’d be facing IVF, but here we were, feeling overwhelmed, yet determined to move forward.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll share our emotional journey through IVF, the challenges, and the lessons learned along the way.
