Secondly, I have 2 guest bloggers for you. They both have heart-felt stories that might offer you strength and they both have stories that might enable you to offer strength. I know so many of us are in the same shoes as these girls and I think drawing strength from one another is the way to go. So first I give you Melanie. Mel and I grew up together, played sports together, aced tests together (okay actually only she aced the tests) and now we have infertility in common too. She's one of my favorites and I hope you can relate to her and love her as much as I do.
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My husband, Scott, and I have been trying to start a family for over a year and a half now. In some ways that last year and half has been the hardest of my life. All I have ever wanted to do was be a mother and raise a family. Unfortunately things haven’t worked out the way that I wanted. A few months ago I decided that it was time to find out why I had not been able to become pregnant. After doing a test on me and a test on Scott, the doctor could not find any problems that would prevent us from having children. The doctor suggested that we just hadn’t gotten lucky yet (a theory that I do not believe) and to keep trying or we could try the fertility drug Clomid. I have since leaned that Clomid does have some side effects that do not thrill me but another part of me is desperate to try something. At this point I am still undecided as to what my next course of action will be. I am really really tired of having my hopes extinguished time and time again. Some days I handle it all pretty well and other days it is all I can do to keep going. I am very blessed to have a husband that is always willing to offer me shoulder to cry on and a family that tries their best to understand what I am going through. It is always nice to talk to other people that have experienced or are experiencing the struggles of infertility. Last of all I am grateful that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me and cares about me. I just have to keep trusting that he is in control and when the time is right it will happen in one way or another. In the meantime I get to continue to learn how to have patience since I don’t know how long my journey down infertility lane will be.
Thanks Mel!! Next, I give unto you Krystal. Krystal and I have mutual friends, and have never met in "real life" but we have become blogging friends and here is her story...
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My infertility story started a little over a year ago. My husband and I had been married for about 2 years and he only had one more year of MBA school at BYU. We thought it would be the perfect time to have a baby...right! Come to find out it isn't that easy for some people. I was SO excited to start trying. I have irregular periods and low thyroid issues and I knew it my be a little tricky to conceive but I wasn't too worried. In February, after trying for 7 months, I went to a regular OBGYN. She spent a total of 5 mins with me. I had a bunch of blood work done and I was hoping they could tell me what was going wrong. They said they would call me, but after 2 weeks I still hadn't heard. I finally called the doctor's office and the nurse told me the doctor hadn't even looked at my results yet. I was so disgusted. The worst part was when the doctor finally looked at the results she told the nurse to tell me to go back on birth control for 3 months. I wasn't comfortable with that but the doctor refused talk to me until I had done the birth control for 3 months. I felt like she didn't care about me. I was so upset I decided to keep trying on my own until my husband graduated. We continued trying until my husband was done with school with no sucess.
Over the past year or so, several of my close friends have been successful in conceiving. It has been very difficult to see those around me becoming pregnant and giving birth while I continue to struggle. Despite these challenges, I have kept hoping it will happen for us. I have researched and studied everything I can get my hands on hoping I will find something that will help. I have learned a lot and I continue to learn but I still haven't had any success. During all of this, my husband graduated and ended up getting a job with General Mills in Minnesota. We recently sold our house in Payson Utah ( What a blessing!) and moved to the Twin Cities. Moving out here has been one of the hardest and most stressful things I have ever done, adding to the challenge of infertility. We do not have family or friends in Minnesota and I miss everyone so much. We recently started seeing an infertility specialist and I was diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). My doctor put me on Clomid last month but my body didn't respond to the initially prescribed dosage; this month they doubled the dosage. In addition to seeking traditional treatment from my fertility specialist, I have been researching other methods of treating infertility caused by PCOS. In my research I came across some material published by a woman named Laura Hennings. She suggests that following a very strict diet of mostly raw unprocessed vegetables can cure PCOS. I read several additional testimonies from those who had followed her diet claiming positive results. I found her recommendations very interesting and began adhering to her diet several weeks ago in hopes of achieving positive results. Following the diet has been very difficult. I am eating as much organic and unprocessed as I can. The diet includes completely abstaining from dairy products and meat. The only sugar I can have is low glycemic fruits. I basically have to eat salads and take a range of supplements every day. I am really just trying to be as healthy as possible. While it is still too early to tell, I remain very hopeful that this diet will help me overcome PCOS.
Although I know I haven't been trying to conceive as long as some others, this has been a huge trial for me. I am trying to trust Heavenly Father's plan for me, and feel He is aware of me and my struggles. As I have faced these difficulties, I definitely feel like my testimony has grown. As I continue to look forward with faith to the time I will be blessed with children, I find strength in focusing on my many blessings. I am so grateful so many things and know I will continue to be blessed as I do all I can. I have the best husband who loves and supports me in everything I do. I know I couldn't do this with out him.
