Meet Sarah!

1. How long did you struggle through infertility? About 2 years

2. What did you go through (as far treatments, etc):

I was 25 when I went off birth control and right away I knew something was “off.” For starters, I gained 30 pounds in 2 months. Secondly, my periods which had always been like clock work began to be very irregular…sometimes skipping 3 months at a time (I spent a fortune on pregnancy tests). My face began having break outs (which I never had), I grew chin hair, etc. I spoke to my primary care doctor (who also did my pap smears) about it several times, and his response was always that “you just need to give your body time to adjust after coming off birth control…it takes time.” So I waited a year, and by that time, I’d gained another 20 lbs. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what to do. A friend of mine at work convinced me to talk to her sister in law who was currently pregnant after going through some infertility issues. She recommended that I see her ob/gyn who would run tests and could get me into the infertility specialist if I needed to go. I went to the ob/gyn where he ran the standard tests, and he handed me my diagnosis. Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I was happy that I finally had a name to my problem. He started me on glucofage and clomid for 3 cycles which didn’t result in a pregnancy. He then sent me a specialist so I could have a more aggressive form of treatment. I underwent 2 cycles of IUI. My first cycle ended in miscarriage. My second cycle I got pregnant with my twin girls. All in all, the process took around 2 years…

3. How did you handle disappointments…

For me, the biggest disappointment was the need for intervention. For me the key was always looking to the next step. I knew in my heart of hearts I was meant to be a mom. If it didn’t work out for me to birth a child, I knew I was open to adoption. If that’s where our steps took us, then that’s where they took us…

4. What were the ‘stress free’ techniques that you tried?

For me, I was blessed to know several women at work who were all at various stages in the infertility process. I had such an amazing support system…We told each other everything from how gross prometrium suppositories are, to our husband’s sperm count, to injecting our fertility meds into the jiggly part of the tummy hurt less than the firm part of the tummy. We saw successes and failures, and there was always support. No one was bitter if one person got pregnant and the other didn’t. It was amazing…

5. Advice?

Do your research, find a support group of people going through the same thing, be honest with yourself (if this doesn’t work are you going to be okay with that?)

   *After the pregnancy of her twins, most of the signs of her PCOS subsided and she got pregnant with her son naturally when her girls were 7 months old. (So much for the 3% chance of getting pregnant on her own!) And now, she is pregnant with number 4 (naturally again)!!

Sarah's little kiddies!

 Thanks so much for sharing Sarah!

 Sarah is on Facebook! If you want to become her friend  and follow her journey, just mention you read her incredible story here so she knows who you are!