Fertility Fact Friday
Finally! Fertility Fact Friday is back! I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve posted in this category.
L.I.F.E. happens!
This week and in the forthcoming weeks I’ve invited Lisa from My Hopeful Journey to write about her experience and this new-found product she has developed to help those suffering with infertility. Lisa and I connected through Twitter of all places. Somehow I saw her blog on another blog and entered a drawing and won! I discovered she’s a woman with a mission! To place in the hands of women, whether they are trying to conceive naturally or going through infertility treatments a tool they need to make this journey a little less rocky.
What I love about Lisa is she took the struggle she went through and is using her gifts and talents to help others. I believe that is what God would have us to do. He wants us to look beyond ourselves and get out of our “Me Want Baby Box”. Food for thought…
Please take the time to go the website, My Hopeful Journey, to discover what is available for you.
If you are a Twitter-er you can follow Dancing Upon Barren Land @DUBLhope or My Hopeful Journey @hopeful_journey.
My Hopeful Journey
Here’s her story…
When I was 30, I married and naively thought a baby would be in our immediate future. As the story goes, after a year of trying we were faced with the unexpected diagnosis of infertility… unexplained the time. I remember going to our first RE, reproductive endocrinologist (yes, there were several more doctors after that) still thinking there was no problem. I was so young and never had any prior female issues. I followed the doctor’s orders and went through different tests with normal results. When we sat down with the doctor I remember leaving there thinking there was NO WAY I would ever need to do In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)! I didn’t have blocked tubes or anything else wrong that they could point their finger at. Also, I think back and remember how hung up I was on taking injections. After being through the whole range of treatments, the injections were really the least thing to fear for me. The emotional aspect was far more painful and difficult than actually getting injections!
My infertility resume in a summary form consists of Clomid, IUI (artificial insemination) and IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) cycles. I don’t want to focus on the details because I don’t know how helpful that is. Eventually my diagnosis was determined to be high FSH although that did take some time to pinpoint. It is very easy to feel vulnerable and lost in the diagnosis of infertility and potential treatment options, yet I think it is extremely important to be engaged in your diagnosis and treatment! In my world ‘Ignorance is never bliss, mistakes can (and do) happen’ and I think a second set of eyes is a good thing!
I am by no means a doctor, but doctors and nurses are human just like the rest of us! I should know my medical history almost as good or better than they do. My point is to be active and engaged, ask questions and if you don’t get the answer that makes you feel comfortable…get a 2nd, 3rd or 4th opinion! I never imagined when starting treatment there was so much to learn. I believe that is probably the area that is pretty unexpected for women
As I went through 5 years of tests and procedures, I found it very difficult and complicated to manage the day-to-day, week-to-week and ultimately year-to-year data relating to infertility. With all of the diagnostic tests, medications, appointments and procedures I had to remember, I also had to stay connected to everything else in my life. It was during this journey of testing and treatments I was surprised there were no good methods for tracking all the information in one place, specifically for women who were going through infertility treatments. Our needs are so unique! A standard ovulation calendar or basal tracking calendar didn’t meet ALL of my needs in one place. I envisioned a product that would allow me to manage everything in one place. Yet it didn’t exist.
My journey ends on a happy note with a daughter after years of treatment! Even though I had success with IVF, I feel like infertility is a part of who I am still. Having success further inspired me to connect to other women with infertility to see how I could help. I decided to pursue the concept of having a one stop shop for all the information relating to infertility and ultimately develop My Hopeful Journey.
I conducted a survey of 100 women who had gone through infertility treatment. I visited blogs and started gathering information. My survey and research validated my thought that these women also had a need to make the process easier. My education and professional experience provided me the foundation to be able to make this concept a reality. This was a way that I could help other women and make it easier for them through my own experience with infertility. I hate to think other women are going through what I went through. I want to be able to make a difference in a big way in this community. I am very vested emotional and financially to this, because in my heart I know this can help.
My Hopeful Journey provides a tool to manage infertility treatment and therefore be able to better integrate it into life. The web-based application includes a calendar for tracking your natural cycle or infertility treatment, a task list and a journal. The calendar’s capabilities are such as repeating events and reminders with the ability to customize medications, procedures, lab results, etc. It also has the ability to upload documents, track finances and has a place to journal your personal journey!
Having a resource like this may reduce the level of stress in the process, and potentially reduce errors that may occur with the abundance of information. It is also a great resource to refer back to prior cycles when going to a new doctor for a 2nd opinion and will serve as a reference when visiting their primary care and/or OB/GYN regarding treatment related information and medication.
My dream is that one day someone says My Hopeful Journey provided them the support they needed to manage their treatment related data and ultimately has success. I am a different person because of it and I want to use what I have learned to help others!
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If you’d like to know more about My Hopeful Journey please contact Lisa. She would love for you to share your feedback on how she can make My Hopeful Journey the best tool for women going though infertility treatment. Please share this important tool and link with others. www.myhopefuljourney.com