Most couples never expect to have trouble with starting a family. After all, our parents talked to us about the “birds and the bees” and our teachers made us sit through that awkward sex education class in school, both making our young minds believe that having sex just one time would result in pregnancy. Then you get older and are ready to have a family and come to realize that there is a lot more to getting pregnant than just having sex. There is this magic time in a women’s cycle called ovulation; there is a short 24 hour window for the egg to be fertilized; there is a 20-25% chance for even a healthy couple to get pregnant each month, etc., etc., etc. All of this comes as a shock since we spend so many years trying not to get pregnant …show more content…
Infertility has changed me in more ways than I could have ever imagined; some for the good, some for the bad, and some for the ugly.
The ugly and the bad of our infertility journey
Poor emotional health and jealousy: When being told my husband and I had a 2% chance of conceiving without infertility treatments, I knew we were in for a bumpy road. Looking back, I wish the road was just bumpy, instead of the massive boulders that constantly crushed my emotional health. The longer our battle with infertility remained, the lesser able I was to savor the great things and enjoy the fun in life. I had reached the lowest point I had ever been in my life. I was consumed by sadness and had to consciously work on being happy. I was extremely bitter and jealous of any woman with a growing belly or a new baby.
Severe pre and post-natal anxiety: Fast forward to my pregnancy. Being told after our seventh infertility treatment that we were pregnant was the most incredible feeling I had ever felt. I remember the day I got the call from our nurse like it was yesterday. I could restate all of the details of where I was, what I was wearing, what I was doing; it was a magical moment. Around 20 weeks into my pregnancy, I developed insanely intense prenatal anxiety. I had been through so much heartache and pain to get pregnant that when I finally did, of course I was beyond excited, but also terrified that this dream I was living was going to
This usually comes when the couple believes they have their ducks in a row and the creation of an infant would only bring more satisfaction and joy. When women get pregnant the first thing that they usually do is run to the book store and they’ll pick up “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff. Naturally, expecting a child causes a mommy-to-be to read into what to is to come in the months awaiting the arrival of the child. Not because that mother had an essay to write on it the next day but because that mother could feel the flutters in her tummy- which could have either been the baby kicking or gas. This is inconclusive. When the newborn arrives the couple experienced exactly what they sought which was the pleasure of bringing a human being into the world. Raising a child isn’t completely filled with ease but this form of secondary education taught them a lot about themselves as the baby developed. The new parents learned to be unselfish by not spending frivolously in order to save up for their child’s college fund. Having a child also encouraged this couple to improve their health. “Fatherhood comes with a lot of great health perks” says Marcus Goldman, M.D., author of The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months. “Not only does it inspire men to take better care of themselves physically, but it also
It is assumed by most that we will all be able to grow up, fall in love, get married, and then have children of our own. This is not the lifestyle that all people choose, but it is still the view accepted by the majority of society. What happens when the unthinkable occurs and a happily married couple is unable to get pregnant? This is a reality for 7.1%, or 2.8 million, of the married couples in the United States (Lenox, 1999). Today, there are many people all over the world that decide to use fertility treatments to help them conceive a child, and this often leads to the birth of twins, triplets, or even higher order multiples. There are many risk factors that are involved in this type of
Everyone has their own way of rising children. This sometimes causes problems while deciding on what children should learn in school. While some schools cater to religion being taught the same thing is not set in place for sex education. Many believe that sex education is vital in today’s world. Meanwhile others feel that the sex talk should be left up to the parents. With pregnancy rates going up and adolescents getting pregnant younger soon there will not be a choice. One thing is certain that public schools should educate children in some way. Nevertheless not all parts of sex education will be accepted.
This has now brought us to the point of doing IVF, unfortunately this is an extremely expensive and mecically extensive procedure. I am not the type of person who enjoys asking for help and majority of the time I am driven to accomplish everything on our own but when it comes to this we can't do it alone. Dan and I have been hiding in our infertility pain and it's time we come out of the closet.
Infertility is a big topic in the book One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. This affects many charters in the story like the Sheriff and his wife. The sheriff and his wife are happily married but the moment that changed them forever was the night the sheriff’s wife woke up bleeding. The sheriff’s wife had a miscarriage and was told that she was infertile. This made them very distant from each other This is the same case with Amy and Billy but a different scenario. Billy is told that his sperm count is to low to have kids and is declared infertile. “Doctor Wilkins looked under the microscope… He finally took his eyeball off the microscope and said I can’t find a
Infertility can be extremely challenging for couples to overcome. It can be not only physically draining, but emotionally and mentally as well. Infertility can be easily compared to a roller coaster, with emotions going up and down from hope and optimism plummeting down to frustration and even grief after many the couple has tried for a long period of time. While for me personally, I first think of women when I think of infertility, the men play a large role as well. They are also hoping for children and the biological reason for the infertility can be from either sex. Research has also shown that infertility can make physically difficult and cause anxiety in couples, which could led to increased difficulty in conceiving (Domar & Gordon,
Infertility carry’s a “silent stigma” as it has no visible outward physical signs; therefore it is important that nurses are mindful of the vocabulary and assumptions they make when working with childless female clients. Gray et al. (2014) acknowledged that nurses are uniquely situated to assist with the emotional and psychological effects of treatment, as they are often the primary contact for patients undergoing infertility treatments. Nurses can assist these women is by facilitating the access to trained psychological counselors; counselling services have been found to improve quality of life, and decrease symptoms of depression for women undergoing infertility treatments (Gray et al., 2014). In addition, it is important that nurses take
IIn our society today with the pro-choice world, there are many issues that women discuss like worrying about getting pregnant; it is a fear that everyone who is sexually active has to face. Having babies is a magnificent thing and embraced by many women around the world, yet having an unplanned baby at the wrong time is not so pleasant. Some women do not believe in abortion, so instead of aborting the baby, they keep the baby no matter what the conditions are. For example, some conditions are if you are young and having a baby it will be difficult to continue school, and financial wise. The population of our nation has expanded due to families having unplanned pregnancies. Today Women have many birth control options that allow them to plan to have a family. Access to contraception provides women and men choices regarding family size and timing to bring a baby into the world. Often times, groups and individuals on both sides the debate feel like outsiders who champion their cause to help women
With new technology evolving, many couples and single adults who are told they are infertile are now able to pursue their dreams of becoming a parent with the help of donor insemination and in vitro fertilization. Within the next five to ten years after I earn my college degree and become stable enough to provide for a child, I would like to have children of my own. With these great advancements in reproductive technology, doctors can help me overcome many obstacles that I may face in the future when trying to conceive a child.
Infertility is a big topic in the book One Foot in Eden by Ron Ras=h. This affects many charters in the story like the Sheriff and his wife. The sheriff and his wife are happily married, but the moment that changed them forever was the night the sheriff’s wife woke up bleeding. ““Something’s wrong” she’d said that June night. I’d reached up and turned on the lamp. Blood soaked the bed’s center, the blood of our child…“You won’t be able to have children,” the doctor said” (Rash 35). The sheriff’s wife had a miscarriage and was told that she was infertile. This made them very distant from each other This is the same case with Amy and Billy but
When a woman is diagnosed as infertile, there is a potential increase in stress for the woman, due to perceived social, emotional, and psychological distress (The Woman’s Health Council, 2009). Domar et al. (2012) indicated that this perceived distress is compounded by the advance infertility treatment, which, according to Zuraida (2010), is sought out by the 75% of individuals who have been diagnosed as infertile. Although both the number of medically diagnosed infertile woman and the number of evasive infertility treatment in the United States have significantly increased, the long-term psychological effects of the diagnosis and treatment are not fully understood (Ahuja, 2009; CDC, 2015; Schwerdtfeger & Shreffier, 2009). In 2010, Zuraida stated, “Over 100 quantitative studies and 26 qualitative studies had been published on the topic of the relationship between
Then, the infertile women self-completed the questionnaire. Investigators were available if additional information about the questions was requested. Inclusion criteria were : history of >12 months of infertility, capable of reading and writing, availability of the husband, no history of sterility, no remarrying of couples, no foster child. Exclusion criteria were psychiatric problems, experiencing a stressful event in the past three months (death or serious illness in the family, a major change in living conditions), currently using psychotropic and antidepressant medications, not sexually active in the preceding 4 weeks. Statistical analyses were performed using Independent sample t test, one way ANOVA, post-hoc test, linear and logistic
“If the Liberals' law is passed, will sex education in the schools, including elementary grades, include the same portrayals of sexual activity which presently exist in heterosexual instruction? Will there be the same presentation of homosexual activity? Of course there will.”
I think sex education should be mandatory in the U.S. public school system because it is my young male experience that our youth is having sex younger than we think and need to know more about their bodies. A lot of explaining is needed in America today with all the increase in diversity of the families. It needs to an open conversation at home and school. It need to be explained and re-explained in each stage of education and become a requirement. Even when I was a child in school it was not taking serious and there was rallies even then about the potential harm it may do if our youth is not educated about their bodies. In my opinion I believe that is why we have an increase rate of single parents. In my community most pregnancies are not planned and as a result they parents are struggling and uneducated and resort to some type of public assistance. We live in a day and age where diversity is obvious and there many types of families and how can you know where you fit in the world if you don’t even understand yourself.
As James Austen quoted Infertility messes with your mind and life in various forms until you become hopeful and change your mind beliefs and make new choices.