If Thelma & Louise can do it, so can I

I’ve got time, plenty of time, loads of time, more time than I would ever need. Science is so awesome, that women can get pregnant when they’re super old. I mean look at my friends and the ages that they conceived: Gwen Stefani (44), Halle Berry (41), Tina Fey (41), Susan Sarandon (45), Celine Dion (42), Geena Davis (46), and Uma Thurman (42). If Thelma and friggin Louise could have their first kids in their mid-forties, then why should my 35 year-old self be in a hurry to drive off that cliff in a drop top. So when our IUI didn’t work in December of 2015 I wasn’t in a rush to move on to our next step... IVF.

Looking back I really wish someone would have told me that I would pay the price for taking my time. During our IUI I was an egg factory, overproducing tons of wonderful follicles/eggs. That sadly never happened again. During our IUI I felt fantastic on the stim injections, I was able to keep working out and only felt a little bloated. That never happened again.

Let’s press pause on the regretful depressing stuff and talk about what I did during the ten months between the IUI and the start of IVF. In short I did a whole lot of the thing that I love the most in life, traveled. Just like Thelma told Louise, I told my husband "You said you 'n' me was gonna get out of town and for once just really let our hair down." I visited Aruba (best. beach. ever.), drank mas tequila all over Mexico, ran a nerdy Star Wars half-marathon at Disney World, and participated in a game changing women’s retreat in Ecuador where I looked for my passion and purpose in life. You’ll notice a theme throughout my entries; when life hands me lemons I quickly book a trip and let the wanderlust take over.

In the fall of 2016, ten months after our failed IUI, I made my first social media post letting the world know that we were dealing with infertility and announcing our decision to do IVF. The old obligatory look at my mountains of medication that costs more than a Chanel bag picture with a ‘they say nothing comes easy’ caption not only got me a ton of sweet likes and thoughtful comments, but was the beginning of people reaching out to me about their battles with infertility.

Since the day that I made our infertility journey public on October 14, 2016 I have experienced a level of purpose that I didn’t know could exist. Over the years I have spoken to more than a hundred friends, family, and strangers about their infertility. Friends with children who endured the insane level of stress and chaos alone while trying to conceive, not telling a soul through the process and wishing they would have. Random strangers who I was introduced to (i.e. my GF had issues, you should talk) who I now call friends, as we regularly check in on each other and ask the right questions.

This doesn’t mean I haven’t lost friends or at a minimum strained some of the friendships that meant the most to me, but that’s life and I’ll pour a little out for those homies.

Now, a glimpse into my days in Mexico during our 'break' from making babies in a petri dish....