My wife, Becca, and I are trying to conceive with me via artificial insemination. We were aware that, even in the best of circumstances, most people do not get pregnant on the first try.
We are currently on Month 3 of trying and I can honestly say, I don’t know how couples survive years of this. It is emotional, stressful, raw, and draining. Each month you tell yourself not to get your hopes up and each month your heart skips a beat regardless. You think, maybe… just maybe this time it will work.
You pee on stick after stick to track your ovulation, you painstakingly look at each test to see if it’s positive for ovulation and if you’re on track. You get bombarded by TTC ads and all these supplements you could take and why this brand of prenatal vitamin is better than the other thousands available to you. You see all these fertility diets and other things to boost your chances and what things you’re doing absolutely wrong and will not help your chances. You read horror stories of TTC with PCOS or Endometriosis. Then, even though your cycle is regular and you’ve never had a problem with it before, you question if you have PCOS or Endometriosis.
Sometimes Google is not your friend.
You also go through genetic testing, making sure you’re not a carrier for anything bad and if you’re an LGBT couple, then you have to get genetic test results for your sperm or egg Donor. We did extensive genetic testing because of my Cerebral Palsy. Thankfully I’m only a carrier for 2 minor things.
With my weight, despite having a regular cycle and seemingly no elevated levels of testosterone, we also did another physical. And again, thankfully, I am healthy with no other health issues.
Once you get a positive ovulation test, then you prepare for insemination. In our case, thanks to Mosie Baby, they make the actual procedure stress free. Simply insert syringe, push to inject sample, and remove.
The two week wait is probably the best and worst time. You get to act like you’re pregnant because you never know. You rub your belly, imagine the future, and talk to your itsy bitsy little one. However, on the opposite end, you have this two week wait where you have no idea if you are pregnant or not and all you want to do is just find out.
This whole process makes you feel anxious 24/7, makes you cry over everything and nothing, and makes you feel hope and sadness all in a very short time. Like I said in the beginning, we’re only 3 months into this process and I can’t imagine trying for years. The couples that are trying for way longer than us are stronger than I could ever imagine.
We are currently in the two week wait of our process and each time feels like it takes forever and flies by all at once. I give every couple who are in this process with us baby dust so that one day we all have the families we so desire.
If you want a better look at our journey, follow us on TikTok @lifewiththelakes
lifewiththelakes.com 