When something affects you personally, whether it be suffering from addiction, financial strain, or even infertility, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that you are completely alone in your struggles. This is not the case! People exist who are going through what you’re going through. Empathy runs strong in everything. You just have to know where to look and be adamant in looking.
Since having her daughter, Ella, through the assistance of CCRM Fertility of Boston, Laura has been heavily involved with online infertility communities. Advocating for yourself and others is a wonderful thing. Laura was fortunate to have this outlet of other women in similar situations. They send support via text and have each other’s backs when they think no one can empathize with them.
Coincidentally enough, Laura’s journey to get in contact with CCRM also started online. Laura had a feeling she was going to have trouble conceiving because her period had never been consistent. This feeling was proven accurate when she became pregnant in July 2018, but lost the baby only ten weeks later. Frustrated and confused, she reached out to a woman on Instagram. The woman posted about her own infertility troubles and Laura decided to inquire and see if she could offer any insight. Thankfully, that woman directed her to Dr. Alison Zimon of CCRM Fertility of Boston.
After hearing out Laura’s situation, Dr. Zimon recommended intrauterine insemination (IUI). Laura and her husband, Paul, wanted to first try conceiving with prescribed medication, but Dr. Zimon flat out told them it would be a waste of time. It was Dr. Zimon’s direct and honest attitude and approach that helped Laura’s trust for her to quickly grow. Because of this, the IUI was an easy procedure to agree with.
During the IUI process, sperm are washed in a special solution that supports their health and facilitates the separation of the fast-moving sperm from the sluggish or non-moving sperm. The rapid sperm are concentrated into a small volume and are placed directly into the uterus when a woman is most fertile, immediately prior to and during ovulation.
Since prepared sperm are placed directly into the uterus, IUI avoids exposure of the sperm to the cervical mucus. IUI injection is important in women with poor cervical mucus or those who have antisperm antibodies. Poor cervical mucus can prevent the sperm from swimming from the vagina to the uterus and antisperm antibodies can “kill” or incapacitate sperm.
Laura had two IUI cycles done under close monitoring from Dr. Zimon and Dr. Aaron Styer. After a failed first cycle, Laura wasn’t going to go into the second cycle with the same mindset. To help improve herself physically and emotionally as best she could, she attended acupuncture and reiki sessions, as well as talked to a local psychic. Laura was able to enter the second procedure prepared and ready. It was a success, and a few weeks later CCRM informed her she was pregnant. The weight had been lifted, and Laura could enjoy her pregnancy.
When asked how this entire situation affected her relationship with her husband, Laura shared,
“This entire ordeal brought he and I much closer than we ever thought possible. Going through the miscarriage took us to a point where it was really scary. We started seeing a therapist. It was very hard to have Paul see what I was going through emotionally. He tried his best to accommodate, but it’s tough because he couldn’t totally empathize. But going through the pregnancy together was an amazing experience. We even thought about renewing our vows!”
With their relationship stronger than ever and Dr. Zimon in their corner, Laura and Paul are excited when they think about having a second child. Laura also has her online infertility community to thank. When asked, she could only praise them: “If anyone is online and has a hunch something isn’t right, advocate yourself. Reach out and someone will listen and validate you. Group chat with women. Join an online support group like Resolve. I can’t imagine how different my journey would have been if I didn’t have this outlet. Being part of the online community and learning to advocate for myself and not taking no for an answer was very fulfilling. And it’s always been a passion of mine to get more involved with infertility. I love the community and can’t recommend it enough.”
