✨INFERTILITY SUCKS✨
Today marks one year of infertility struggles for me and my boo. That’s 365 freaking days since I went off birth control with no baby in sight. We’ve had so many ups and downs over the last year and I figured that since today marks one year since we started then today is probably a pretty good day to share the beginning of this story with you.
I know this is my photography page and this topic doesn’t really have much to do with photography, but infertility has been a big part of my life over the last year, and so I figured that if I was going to start sharing my infertility journey on social media that I wanted to include each of you in this journey as well.
Now, I don’t share this because I want pity or people to feel bad for me. I share this because I want others that are going through similar journeys in silence to know that they are not alone. 1 in 8 woman struggle with infertility sometime in their life. 💕
I am 1 in 8.
And for me, sharing my journey with others has made me feel stronger and less alone. So here’s my story so far...
March 24th 2020 I went off birth control. For seven months after going off the pill I struggled with secondary amenorrhea (no period) and boy oh boy that sucked. It’s pretty common for it to take a while for periods to regulate after going off the pill, but after six months we knew something funky was up.
I met with a doctor and she started me on some medication (progesterone) to jumpstart my period. And 217 days after going off birth control I finally started my period. 🎉 It was a literal miracle. I guarantee you've never seen a woman that is trying to get pregnant be more excited to get a period! After that my doctor did some blood work. From that blood work they decided that I very likely have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS is a hormonal disorder that is one of the most common causes of infertility. It basically means my brain and my ovaries are not communicating properly with each other to make my ovaries do what they are supposed to. My ovaries are making lots of follicles or cysts that are supposed to turn into eggs, but because my hormones aren't telling them to release, they just collect on my ovaries.
Because of my PCOS I am also insulin resistant. I started taking Metformin which is a medication that is meant to help regulate insulin. 💊 It made me really sick for a while (if you know what I mean 💩) and still does if I eat something that doesn’t agree with it. 😂 But overall for me it's been a blessing.
Slowly but surely it has helped! I started having natural periods again! Not regularly at first, but slowly over time they have become more and more regular!
I was recently referred to a new doctor that I just love. She puts up with me messaging her all the freaking time. 🙃 And she had suspected that because of my PCOS I probably wasn’t ovulating or at least wasn’t ovulating regularly and she had made a plan to start me on an infertility medication called Letrozole. But after some blood work we discovered that apparently I AM ovulating! 😭🥳 It was such a surprise and definitely a miracle! So for now I am not starting Letrozole and we are just going to wait a few more months to see what my body does and if it keeps ovulating like it should.
If I am not pregnant in three months then I will most likely start Letrozole and get an hysterosalpingogram (HSG) test done which I am not excited about, but oh so willing to do if it means I can get my sweet baby. My hope and prayer is that I do get pregnant since it looks like it could be a possibility, but we will just have to wait and see.
I hate waiting. But just knowing that my body might be on track to get pregnant soon is such a miracle.
I have no idea how much longer on this journey I have left. I hope it’s not much, but if it is then so be it.
God is good even when times are hard. I am doing my best to trust Him in this process!
If you have any questions then feel free to reach out to me! I am always open to kind and courteous questions and comments. 💕 Unkind or inconsiderate comments and messages will be deleted. And as of right now I am not looking for any advice so please don’t recommend I try Keto or tell me to "just relax". 😂 Those kinds of comments are not helpful or kind.
I know a lot of people want to know what they can do to help. As of right now the thing I would appreciate the most is simply prayers. I believe very strongly in the power of prayer and I know that God listens to each of those prayers. As of right now we are doing great with medical expenses, but any time you book a photoshoot with me or buy some of our good vibes clothing you are definitely helping support this dream of getting a baby in my arms.
If you made it this far then you deserve a Dundie Award!
Thank you for the love and support! I love you all and I'm excited to share the rest of this journey with you! 🥰
Love,
Whitney
