Ep 24: Gabrielle Opens Up about Her Experience with Infertility

Disclaimers:

This episode may contain sensitive topics related to 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.

Gabrielle felt lucky to have an easy and healthy pregnancy. But after her baby was born her period never returned. And the postpartum difficulties continued with unexplained infertility. After two failed IVF transfers and a break from the process, she and her husband conceived naturally and gave birth to a second baby.

Everyone’s story is a little different, but the mixed feelings of confusion and hope, excitement followed by sadness, anger and exhaustion … Everyone goes through those tumultuous ups and downs.

In today’s episode, Gabrielle is sharing about her experience with infertility. She’s talking about how difficult it was to be open about what she went through at the time and how important it is for her to share about her journey after the fact.In the midst of it all, Gabrielle felt like she couldn’t tell anyone. Now she’s ready to open up, even though it’s hard, and wants to encourage others to do the same.

Sharing our stories shouldn’t feel shameful or taboo. Society makes us feel like we shouldn’t talk about things that are “private” but doing so lets others know that they’re not alone. To be able to talk about what you’re experiencing and to know that others are going through the same thing is, in its own way, impactful and healing.

What’s in this episode:

• How lucky Gabrielle felt to have an easy, successful pregnancy and how she lost her period postpartum [02:47]
• The frustration of an unexplained infertility diagnosis [04:23]
• Her IVF process and the preparation and turmoil that comes with it [06:02]
• Why she didn’t tell her coworkers and why this wasn’t something she really talked about [10:14]
• How she disassociated her feelings at the time and how it has been helpful to talk about it after the fact [13:57]
• Gabrielle’s feelings of defeat when the first two transfers didn’t work [15:41]
• The relief she felt when she finally told her husband’s family [16:52]
• When she got her period back, tracking her ovulation after taking a break from meds and transfers, and how they conceived naturally [17:50]
• What it’s like being a now stay-at-home mom and the importance of community and sharing our experiences [22:24]
• How this experience affected her relationship with her husband, how he handled it, and the lack of resources and support for male partners going through this process [27:07]
• How they decided to not keep the one embryo they had [33:52]
• The most helpful resources that helped her get through this journey [35:38]

If you’re feeling alone on your own 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/024

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.