Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge - Day 2

I suffer from Infertility.  Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year — or for at least six months if the woman is age 35 or older.

Specifically I suffer from amenorrhea, the absence of my period.  I get a period maybe every 6 months, if that.  Since I successfully had a pregnancy and birth, I've only had two spotty periods and they were induced with progesterone supplements.  I've done all testing for Infertility and there is no explanation for it.  My Fallopian tubes are clear, all my blood levels are normal, I have eggs in my ovaries, I just don't ovulate and get a period each month like other women.  I also needed some pretty strong drugs to achieve a strong enough ovulation and the RE had determined I needed a progesterone supplement to sustain a pregnancy for me to carry to full term.

1. Infertility is a common problem.  10% of women in the U.S. will experience problems with getting pregnant.
2. Infertility is not something to be ashamed of.  I felt best when I shared my struggles with others and had shoulders to cry on.  I could not have gotten through my two pregnancy losses and the failed medical cycles we went through for over 2 1/2 years without the help of friends and family.  There is no reason to fight it alone.
3. Go to a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE), don't just stay with your OB if you are struggling. An RE does much more monitoring for you.  I went through 7 cycles of Clomid with my OB before I moved onto the RE and realized the OB was not even monitoring me properly.  They were giving me doses of Clomid each month with no monitoring and I wasn't even ovulating on it.  Those were wasted months and took their toll on my body, my mental well-being and my marriage.
4. Yes, it will seem like everyone else is pregnant and most likely they are.  It sucks, there's no getting past that suck ass feeling either.  Wine helps.
5. Look into resources, there's the Compassionate Care program, I did NOT qualify, but know that others have.  I know my RE works with a foundation that donates money to families in need of money to help pay for treatments.  So don't just assume that you can't afford it.  I was lucky enough that my RE gave me medicine donated from other patients who no longer needed it.  I had over $2,000 in injections my cycle I got pregnant with Hayden and I didn't have to pay for any of the medicine that month, just treatments.

Some posts from the past:

http://wifeyadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/plan-and-my-upcoming-weekend.html

http://wifeyadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/blanket-thank-you.html

http://wifeyadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/hello-again.html

http://wifeyadventures.blogspot.com/2010/09/latest-for-project-baby-making.html