Can I just say what an amazing blessing it has been to finally talk about the “elephant” in my room? It’s relief to not feel like I have to hide something, yes. But much beyond that, the outpouring of love, encouragement, and shared stories have been unexpected and beautiful. Thank you for being a friend.

Proverbs 17:17

There are many paths a couple can take when they’re faced with infertility. Tests, bloodwork, temperature readings, exams, referrals, pills, injections, and the list goes on. Here is how our journey started.

Six months into TTC* I was getting a little concerned and mentioned something to my Ob/Gyn at my yearly exam. He assured me there wasn’t anything to be concerned about; we were young and in good health. “Give it six more months and if you still haven’t conceived at the year mark, come back and see me.” As you know, the one year came around with no prospects of a baby, and back to the doctor I went. Unfortunately for me, he was at the hospital delivering someone else’s baby (the nerve!) and I was going to see the nurse practitioner.

Now, here’s the thing. I have absolutely nothing against Nurse Practitioners. In fact, I rather like them. But this appointment was a BIG DEAL for me. I had officially crossed over the medical line into infertility. I wanted answers, guidance,  help, and most importantly someone who knew me and my story. This woman came in, heard my brief synopsis, looked over my ovulation tracker, deemed me “ovulatory” (a good thing) and then proceeded to write up a lab request for anovulation and a prescription for Clomid (pill for anovulation.)  Something just didn’t add up! She wanted to give me a quick fix (for a problem it didn’t appear I had) with a pill that has been known for crazy side effects (namely hormonal, but also risk for multiples). Between that uneasy feeling in my gut (this just doesn’t seem right, Mel) and the fact we were packing up and moving our lives 3 states away just one month later, the paperwork was pushed to the bottom of the pile…