Thank you to CCRM Fertility for sponsoring this post.
The day I got my Endometriosis diagnosis was also the day I was told that if I wanted kids, I needed to have them ASAP. I was 23 years old. I had just had my first ever laparoscopy after dealing with years and years of unexplained pain with hopes that the doctors would finally be able to solve the puzzle, and would finally be able to figure me out.
We started trying for kids right away, started getting things in order to start tracking my cycle, temperature, etc. Fast forward one year, we were still trying to get pregnant, still meticulously tracking everything, but still, no pregnancy. My doctor told us that after we gave it a year, we would start discussing fertility options. Before heading off to the doctors, I took a pregnancy test – it was positive.
On May 30th, 2011, Wyatt was born. But the journey to baby #2 wasn’t as “simple” as conceiving Wyatt (even though conceiving Wyatt didn’t feel simple at all). We tried for another year, the same plan as before, and nothing happened. I began taking fertility medication and three months later, we found out we were pregnant with Levi. That said, the time in-between really had a profound mental effect on me. I spent that entire year living pregnancy test to pregnancy test. I based my worth on it, and I was disappointed a lot. I don’t love to remember that time, but I found this blog post I wrote in 2013 that describes it perfectly.
In short, what I want to convey here is that women with Endometriosis deal with a lot. It’s not just the pain, the hormones, the bloating, the mood swings–it’s all of it. For some women with Endometriosis, trying to start a family can take years. We’ve needed help in this area for a while now, but I’m so grateful for our journey and experiences now allow me to share some advancement on the topic of Endometriosis with others!
What is CCRM Fertility?
CCRM Fertility is a global pioneer in fertility treatment, research, and science, offering prospective parents best-in-class patient care and access to a network of award-winning physicians, a full suite of fertility services, innovative technology, and cutting-edge labs. CCRM Fertility physicians are T experts in treating infertility in women with Endometriosis, and right now they have a new clinical trial just for women with Endometriosis who require IVF to have a baby. What could this study mean for women with Endometriosis? It could mean a new future for fertility treatments, or possibly a more affordable oral medication instead of an injectable medication, and most importantly, HOPE to so many!
Endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, and it happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Endometriosis can be found in up to 50% of infertile women, and patients with the disorder typically suffer from infertility in roughly 30-50% of cases.
I hope you know you’re stronger than you think. I always tell people that “strong” used to be the very last word I’d ever use to describe myself, and now it’s the first. Endometriosis is HARD to live with; it takes a strength I didn’t know I had. And guess what, you’ve got that strength, too. Whatever road lies ahead of you, whatever your fertility journey looks like, I want you to know you’ve got this and with resources like CCRM Fertility available to you, you’ve REALLY got this.
To learn more about the criteria to participate in CCRM Fertility’s Endometriosis IVF study, visit bit.ly/ccrmendostudy.
