Ep 21: Poppy’s Five Year Infertility Journey and How She Finally Got Pregnant Using Donor Eggs

Disclaimers:

This episode may contain sensitive topics related to miscarriage, infant loss, and infertility. If these subjects are triggering for you, please listen with care. While there may be conversations about medications or medical treatments, I am not a doctor, and I am not offering any medical advice. Please consult an actual doctor for your own medical care.

Infertility is nothing short of heartbreaking. And the decisions are endless. Test after test, IUI or IVF, adoption, or donor eggs… It really takes its toll. And when miscarriages occur, your heart breaks even further.

Imagine going through this at a time when very few people were even talking about their struggles with infertility. My friend Poppy’s infertility journey began in 2013, and she felt alone, with very few resources and no one in her circle who understood what she was going through.

In today’s episode, Poppy shares the story of her five year infertility journey. She opens up about the financial difficulties associated with fertility treatments, how she made it through three miscarriages, and the joy she felt in finally being able to conceive after three donor egg transfers.

Thanks to advancements in science, having a baby can look different from family to family. There are many ways to create your family, and Poppy encourages those going through infertility to be open to all the possibilities and to remember the importance of self-care.

What’s in this episode:

• How they navigated trying to get pregnant and seeking help from doctors when they couldn’t [02:03]
• How Poppy ended up having to go with IVF [07:14]
• How she got pregnant naturally and lost the baby [11:37]
• Their first experience with donor eggs and the associated costs [13:43]
• Her second miscarriage with two donor eggs [18:25]
• How they realized adoption wasn’t the right fit for them [19:42]
• Their second attempt at using donor eggs, how they were able to save money this time around, and how it ended in a third miscarriage [21:41]
• Using the last two frozen donor eggs they had, and what they did differently this time [26:18]
• How she learned she was pregnant and hadn’t miscarried by 10 weeks [28:29]
• Poppy’s thoughts on her subconscious “letting go” and then ultimately giving birth to her baby [33:36]
• The emotions and trauma that come with such a lengthy process [35:04]
• What is was like for Poppy and her husband, Drew, to go through this together  [39:30]
• What it was like working through her pregnancy [41:46]
• What it was like for Poppy going through this in 2013, with no to really talk to and very few resources available [45:15]
• Poppy’s evolution of thoughts and feelings about having a baby with the help of science [47:02]
• Her advice for anyone going through infertility themselves [53:48]

If you are feeling alone on your infertility journey, I invite you to tune in to this episode.

For full show notes, resources, links and to download the transcript, visit our website: https://www.apieceofmyheartpodcast.com/episodes/021

Looking for support on your own journey? Explore the support groups at Infertility Unfiltered: https://www.infertilityunfiltered.com/

Support us on Patreon here, where 10% of proceeds will also go to support others on their journey through The Stork Foundation.