Interview with a Woman Experiencing Infertility

Infertility is unfortunately a common word amongst Americans trying to get pregnant. One woman in particular faced infertility and is now expecting her first child in February 2011. Her and her husband began trying for children 8 years into their marriage, when they were both 30 years of age. She discontinued her birth control medication and hoped that within a few months they could conceive.

This was not the case. They actively tried for a year to conceive and followed rules for optimum ovulation periods, but were unable to conceive. Eight months into trying, she realized that conception was not progressing as they had hoped. She educated herself through reading materials and other friends who had conceived naturally, and knew that things were not "working" properly. As a couple, they decided to meet with a fertility specialist 11 months into their quest for a child.

After meeting with the specialist, it was determined that her husband was the cause of their infertility. Many tests were run, and it was decided that insemination and in-vitro were their only options to conceive.

For this couple, adoption was off the table. Her husband has 6 adopted siblings with various issues and complications, and the couple was not prepared to deal with the adoption process and possible issues they may face down the road. Financially, the cost of adoption and in vitro was the same, which also helped them to decide in favor of vitro.

The fertility options left a strain on their marriage. The financial toll was huge, and it became hard for the wife to not blame her husband, who was the cause of the infertility. In addition, there was also an entire year of trying to conceive with no results, which left them even more stressed.

After consulting various options and opinions, the couple chose a shared risk program which included 6 trials of in vitro treatments. This option would guarantee the couple a "live baby" within those 6 trials; if none of these treatments work, they would get their money back. The cost of this option was double the price of 1 in vitro treatment, but was financially worthwhile to them. They took out a home equity loan to pay for the in vitro treatments.

The first and second treatments did not take, and the couple was left emotionally disappointed. She had to go through extensive hormone treatments and testing, which can sometimes be painful and difficult to emotionally handle. The hormones can also cause excessive mood swings, which in turn can add to the strain on a marriage. Fortunately, the third trial worked, and the couple is now expecting their first child in February 2011.

The wife encourages couples to have faith and explore their options. Fertility treatments have expanded greatly over the past decade and couples do have hope for conception. If you are considering the in vitro option, investigate the financial and medical ramifications before beginning this process. For more information, please consult a licensed fertility specialist.