Infertility is like an all-consuming earthquake. The silent rumblings from your toes to your eyes, as yet another pregnancy announcement comes crashing down all around you.
Infertility is sitting, lonely, watching the world pass you by. Waiting, as times passes you by.
Infertility is not being able to enjoy the present, for the constant waiting and wondering of ‘when will it be me, when will it be my turn’.
Infertility is seeing your friends with the babies that you should have had, like time has simply forgotten you.
Infertility is wondering why this is your path, your journey, your story to bare.
This week marks National Infertility Week. The emotional toll that infertility can bear on couples, men and women is huge. Did you know that Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples? This means that someone in your family, groups of friends or work colleagues are likely dealing with the heart-breaking and misunderstood world of infertility. Feelings of anger, jealously, resentment, guilt and loneliness are all commonplace for couples battling infertility.
There are two types of infertility:
Primary infertility where a couple who has never conceived a child in the past has difficulty conceiving.
Secondary infertility where someone has had 1 or more pregnancies in the past but is having difficulty conceiving again.
Some of the main reasons for infertility include:
- Low ovarian reserve
- Lack of regular ovulation- including conditions such as PCOS
- Tubal blockages or damaged tubes
- Endometriosis
- Poor quality semen
Both Primary and Secondary infertility can leave couples feeling lonely, confused and with lots of questions concerning why this is happening to them. At Harley Street Fertility Clinic, we believe that with proper treatment and investigations, and with the help of assisted reproduction, many of these conditions can be overcome and couples can go onto to have happy, healthy families. Whether that be using ovarian stimulation drugs, egg or sperm sharing or treatments such as IVF, IUI or ICSI to ensure the best quality sperm are meeting mature eggs.
Harley Street Fertility Clinic have been helping couples struggling with infertility since 2010. Read some of our patient stories about how we helped them achieve the family they had always dreamed of.
If after reading this article you would like support for dealing with infertility, please visit www.fertilitynetworkuk.org
