From WNBC reporter Megan Meany
After a late pregnancy loss at 16 weeks last summer, I decided to seek the advice of a fertility specialist. A month or more of testing followed. Eventually, it was discovered that I had two blood-clotting issues and extensive endometriosis, all hindering my chances of carrying a child to term. The recommended protocol for pregnancy was to begin taking baby aspirin, folic acid, estrogen, progesterone, an anti-clotting med called Metformin, as well as daily injections of Lovenox (another blood thinner), plus a small dose of fertility-boosting drugs (which I did not, ultimately, agree to take). When the doctor first spelled out this plan, I felt overwhelmed. I even took time off from all I had to do to absorb and gear up mentally for the physical commitment and the time commitment involved. It felt like a full-time job, and I was already working two jobs at the time. But eager to expand my family, I began weekly, sometimes daily trips to the fertility clinic for ovulation monitoring and blood tests all in an effort to conceive. The journey was a rocky one. There were moments of resentment. I pouted to my husband: "Sure you don't have to hand over your body and be the lab or suffer through self-inflicted needle pricks (I hate needles)!" There were those high-anxiety afternoons waiting by the phone for a positive test result. I had psychosymatic pregnancy symptoms -- convinced more than once that I was pregnant. And oh the mood swings... what a rollercoaster ride as I adjusted to the estrogen and progesterone. Friends and family felt my wrath. I even found myself in a moral debate with my husband -- turns out we had different views about whether we were prepared to raise multiples (a risk with the recommended drugs).
There were times I questioned my place in the universe: Should it be this hard to have more kids? All these challenges made me want to shine a light on what women go through when they are dealing with infertility. I feel lucky, my problem turns out to be relatively treatable and even still my experience felt stressful. And then I thought of the women who have done multiple IVFs and are still searching for answers and going into debt for their future family. I wanted to do this piece for them -- to say I know what you're going through and how hard it is and how isolated you can feel. After one year, I can report that my fertility treatments worked and I am 14 weeks-plus pregnant. I continue the aforementioned protocol of drugs/injections and weekly doctors visits. I share my news as a message of hope: Hang in there. So far it's working for me, but I know there are no guarantees for any of us. So here I am today -- sending you all an electronic hug. Megan Meany is the traffic reporter for WNBC's "Today in New York" and a frequent contributor to TODAY.Related stories: