💛 Lindsey's Story

Like many of you, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. When my husband and I got married at 30 and 35, I was ready to start trying right away, but he was hesitant. He deals daily with health challenges from a genetic disease and has always had a rough relationship with his own father. Once we started trying, his health made it difficult for us to try consistently. I had been tracking my ovulation, so after over a year it seemed like time for us to be tested. Once we followed up with our health care providers everything seemed to check out okay for me, but he seemed to have a problem with low sperm count and we knew we would likely need help conceiving. With great trepidation from my fear of doctors, I made an appointment at CNY, which is local to us, and he followed up with a urologist. Over the summer of 2019, he was diagnosed with azoospermia. Medication to improve sperm count did not seem like the right option for him because of potential risks related to his ongoing health challenges. The option of donor sperm, however, brought great relief to him, knowing it would be impossible to pass on his genetic disease to any children we would have. It took me a little more to get on board, but I knew in the end it was the best option. In September 2019, we finally had our initial consult with CNY and we came in with a plan: IUI with donor sperm. But more testing revealed I had uterine polyps that needed to be removed, so surgery was set for November and I had to face my fears of more doctors appointments again. It was rough and I came into 2020 with a lot of hesitation in starting our treatment plan of 3 IUIs with donor sperm before moving on to IVF. Advocating for myself was not easy and I was weary. I knew I needed some extra support and joined the big video call in January for Fertile Hope Yoga. I was just about to start my first cycle and decided to join. I found hope in meeting with others who shared parts of my story and yoga and meditation helped me to stay grounded as I faced my fear of so many medical appointments and the headache that was sorting out insurance. A big turning point for me was in reading Big Magic and rethinking this fertility journey as a creative process. I’m not a super creative person, but I do love to cook and try new things in the kitchen. One night at the beginning of my second cycle I was able to connect my willingness to try and experiment in the kitchen with my experience in this fertility journey. I wanted so badly to just be through the process, so I didn’t have to face all the things that I was afraid of. Being able to revision my fertility journey as a creative process helped me accept failure and face my fears. I knew if I didn’t try, I would regret giving up on trying to become a mom. This was huge because when our third IUI came around my husband chose to stay home because of the impending COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks later we found out I was pregnant.

💫 In honor of NIAW

I want to make support more accessible this week.

For a limited time, I’m offering:

50% OFF ANY Fertile Hope membership forever
(including the already discounted 6-month NURTURE plan)

Use code: NIAW2026 at checkout