When Infertility Looks You in the Face!

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1643

Abstract

ate for my fertility. Of course, by then, I had changed my mind about having kids within the confines of a marriage. My major goal was now childbearing. <a href="https://byrslf.co/when-you-outgrow-an-ex-99f83a6554a0">I even endured a shitty relationship to make it happen.</a> I tried everything within my power. My diet was optimal. I did not joke with sleep; I exercised, and I was taking supplements.</p><p id="77dc">After trying for one year without success, I consulted with a fertility specialist. He asked me to run a series of tests. One of the most important tests and its role is below:</p><blockquote id="01be"><p>An Anti-Müllerian Hormone Test [AMH test] is often used to check a woman’s ability to produce eggs that can be fertilized for pregnancy. A woman’s ovaries can make thousands of eggs during her childbearing years. The number declines as a woman gets older. AMH levels help show how many potential egg cells a woman has left. This is known as the ovarian reserve.</p></blockquote><blockquote id="1d83"><p>If a woman’s ovarian reserve is high, she may have a better chance of getting pregnant. She may also be able to wait months or years before trying to get pregnant. If the ovarian reserve is low, it may mean a woman will have trouble getting pregnant, and should not delay very long before trying to have a baby.-<b><i>National Library of Medicine</i></b></p></blockquote><p id="77e2">I ran this test, and my values were very low. As the implication hit me, I asked myself what the hell I had been doing. My tutor’s words suddenly rang true. The reality hit me. As I left the doctor’s office, I couldn’t go home. I j

Options

ust sat on the pavement in the parking lot. I was freezing but was oblivious to that. All I needed was a friend to cry my heart to. After what felt like an eternity, I got up and went home.</p><p id="10bf">On my way home, I wondered how I could have been so nonchalant. I wasn’t very open to egg donors and surrogacy. Asides from all the hassle, they are expensive ventures. So I considered adoption. I like kids, and so does hubby. When we were courting, he once said how he has noticed the way adopted children turn out like birth children. It was really about who was raising them and their environment.</p><p id="7f2a">I will bring up adoption again with hubby to see if he is still on the same page as before. The truth is the scientist in me is looking at the facts. The last time I checked, hubby’s faith tells him a miracle is on the way and he speaks accordingly. For now, I am focused on enjoying him and working on my marriage. Time will tell.</p><div id="4ff3" class="link-block"> <a href="https://kokoizuka.medium.com/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Join Medium with my referral link - Nkeonye Judith Izuka-Aguocha</h2> <div><h3>As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…</h3></div> <div><p>kokoizuka.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Gzbx-NlYvlALD_Jy)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

And sometimes against all odds, against all logic, we still hope.

I was in medical school between the ages of 18 and 26. In my 5th year, we did our obstetrics and gynecology posting. The tutor taught us something along these lines:

A woman’s peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline becomes more rapid once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely for most women.- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Despite hearing this, I did not think too deeply about it. Besides, I was raised a conservative; you have kids within the confines of a marriage. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I just did not realize it wasn’t very practical, especially when one considers how difficult it is to find a life partner. Lo-and-behold, I got married at 40.

I started considering childbearing seriously when I clocked 37. According to the experts’ statement above, that was already late for my fertility. Of course, by then, I had changed my mind about having kids within the confines of a marriage. My major goal was now childbearing. I even endured a shitty relationship to make it happen. I tried everything within my power. My diet was optimal. I did not joke with sleep; I exercised, and I was taking supplements.

After trying for one year without success, I consulted with a fertility specialist. He asked me to run a series of tests. One of the most important tests and its role is below:

An Anti-Müllerian Hormone Test [AMH test] is often used to check a woman’s ability to produce eggs that can be fertilized for pregnancy. A woman’s ovaries can make thousands of eggs during her childbearing years. The number declines as a woman gets older. AMH levels help show how many potential egg cells a woman has left. This is known as the ovarian reserve.

If a woman’s ovarian reserve is high, she may have a better chance of getting pregnant. She may also be able to wait months or years before trying to get pregnant. If the ovarian reserve is low, it may mean a woman will have trouble getting pregnant, and should not delay very long before trying to have a baby.-National Library of Medicine

I ran this test, and my values were very low. As the implication hit me, I asked myself what the hell I had been doing. My tutor’s words suddenly rang true. The reality hit me. As I left the doctor’s office, I couldn’t go home. I just sat on the pavement in the parking lot. I was freezing but was oblivious to that. All I needed was a friend to cry my heart to. After what felt like an eternity, I got up and went home.

On my way home, I wondered how I could have been so nonchalant. I wasn’t very open to egg donors and surrogacy. Asides from all the hassle, they are expensive ventures. So I considered adoption. I like kids, and so does hubby. When we were courting, he once said how he has noticed the way adopted children turn out like birth children. It was really about who was raising them and their environment.

I will bring up adoption again with hubby to see if he is still on the same page as before. The truth is the scientist in me is looking at the facts. The last time I checked, hubby’s faith tells him a miracle is on the way and he speaks accordingly. For now, I am focused on enjoying him and working on my marriage. Time will tell.