My Fertility Story Part 1

Originally featured in The Holistic Parent Magazine

POSITIVE CONCEPTION -Learning to Life in the Wait

I am 1 in 6. I am and will always be an Infertility Warrior. I don't think you ever really leave your fertility journey behind. It is part of your story, your journey, your entire life. You may eventually reach your destination, like when you finally get to meet your baby, but you are so often thrown back onto the rollercoaster as you continue to move through life.

I was blissfully unaware of the world of infertility prior to getting married and trying to conceive, as I am sure many of us are. You never think you could be one of those “stats” you hear about until one day you are. I spent the first year hoping to see those two pink lines and eventually I did, but I never met my baby. At 11 weeks I suddenly became another “stat” – one of the 1 in 4 pregnancies that miscarry. In the years to follow I got lost down the rabbit hole of infertility. I felt like I lost myself. I was overwhelmed, frustrated and felt alone in my struggles. About two and half years into my own journey I had my ‘AH-HA’ moment and it changed my life. I was done letting infertility dictate my life, my worth and my self-confidence. I took a break from the fertility clinic and spent the next few months focusing on me. I did things I love and took better care of myself which changed my attitude towards my journey and from this experience Positive Conception was born!

Positive Conception™ is a program, support network and a bit of infertility advocacy all rolled into one. I think women like myself who are experiencing infertility, never really leave it behind, and so it is important to take care of yourself in order to create the proper mindset and lifestyle to support you through what is often a very challenging and unpredictable life.

I have spent over four years learning these lessons myself. I have wept over negative tests each month, waited and waited for the result I wanted, but never came. I did the natural support route and was also a patient at two very different fertility clinics for cycle monitoring, testing, IUI's and eventually IVF. I firmly believe the changes in my attitude, outlook, lifestyle and relationships after my ‘AH-HA’ moment made a huge impact on how I felt about myself. I think this shift in my life was ultimately what led me to get, as we say in the infertility world, my Big Fat Positive, a daughter through a frozen embryo transfer!

I still have embryos in the freezer. There are more chapters to write, so I will continue my journey now as a mom, advocate, supporter, miscarriage survivor and life-long infertility warrior. My mission is to help other women going through infertility live their best life while on their own journey!

Positive conception is a reminder to keep living in the wait. The focus is ultimately living their best life and creating positive changes by finding their inner courage and regaining the confidence lost during the struggles of infertility.

If you would like to join a community of women who understand the struggle, I invite you to join Positive Conception’s Private Facebook group the TTCTribe.