So, what is my infertility journey?
Well, I suppose it begins about ~3 years after the birth of my firstborn, Kayden. This, my fellow IVF Besties, is formally known as Secondary Infertility.
Prior to 2022, I really wasn’t aware that I may be struggling with secondary infertility. Like many people who are dealing with this, I assumed because I had no struggle getting pregnant the first time around, there should be zero concerns for all subsequent pregnancies. Oh boy was I WRONG.
After two ectopic pregnancies which both led to surgeries (more on my ectopic pregnancies in a future post), I was advised to consider seeing a fertility specialist. I was also told that I should only try to conceive (TTC) via IVF going forward.
Around May 2022, I had my first consultation and have been TTC through IVF since.
Once I learned I was dealing with secondary infertility, I struggled to find my “place” in the Infertility and IVF communities. In some ways, I felt like an “infertile fraud” because I already had a successful pregnancy. At the start of this new journey, I often thought to myself, “How can I be unhappy? At least I already have a child,” or “These losses from which you are suffering aren’t nearly as traumatic. You have a child to help distract you.”
I am here to tell you that those thoughts I was having were/are TOXIC.
If you are dealing with infertility (primary or not), any feelings you have surrounding your challenges, are VALID. And, if anyone out there knows someone who is dealing with secondary infertility (whether it be yourself or otherwise), and these thoughts have crossed your mind… please click that follow button and/or subscribe to this blog. It is time to re-frame that mindset, and my hope is I can help you.
Secondary Infertility is no more or less challenging, mentally exhausting, traumatic, or frustrating than primary infertility. We are all on this “Infertile boat” together, trying to stay afloat any way we can. On this boat, we float together.
The IVF Bestie community is for ANYONE dealing with infertility. My journey just so happens to have begun as secondary infertility, which I hope you can still respect and understand.
I can't wait to share more specifics about my infertility journey, but this is just a small excerpt of my story so far. If you want me to cover a specific topic related to my journey, comment and let me know!
We are Infertile Warriors!
Your IVF Bestie,
Kristin
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