Secondary Infertility
Abigail’s story:
I always knew I wanted to have children. After finally meeting my husband when I was 38, I knew time was of the essence.
The road to IVF became apparent after a miscarriage, which was followed by an ectopic pregnancy. We were very lucky to finally conceive our son during our second IVF cycle.
When we decided to try for a second baby at age 41, I hoped we’d be successful on our first try. Unfortunately, after all the drugs and high hopes, we did not get pregnant that cycle, though we were determined to try again.
I had been seeing an acupuncturist during my other cycles, but was feeling unfulfilled. He did not ask me many questions before our sessions, nor did I understand what he was doing during them. A good friend was also doing IVF and told me wonderful things about her acupuncturist, so of course I gave it a try.
When I first met Angela, I was encouraged by the time she spent talking with me and getting to know and understand what I had been going through, both physically and emotionally.
Even though I had a beautiful baby boy at home, the desire to have another baby was no less than it was the first time around.
I was overwhelmed with emotions while talking to Angela; emotions I had unknowingly suppressed because I was trying to stay positive. Angela proved to be not just an acupuncturist, but also a therapist who helped me navigate those emotions. She focused on my whole body, not just my uterus and ovaries. Angela explained that we need to nourish our bodies as we prepare for pregnancy. I very quickly agreed to go on the elimination diet that Angela recommended.
While being monitored that cycle via ultrasounds, my fertility doctor asked me what I was doing differently. Both of my ovaries were responding better than ever to the drugs (which was the same protocol I had been on during my previous 3 cycles). I told her about Angela and the elimination diet, and she told me this cycle was my best response yet. After we did the implantation, we even had 3 embryos that met the criteria for freezing…a first for us!
I did get pregnant that cycle, but unfortunately at my 10 week ultrasound, there was no heartbeat.I was devastated I could not believe after the positive response I just had, that my hopes could be ended so quickly. I continued seeing Angela, who helped me through that very difficult time. I learned to allow myself to really feel the sadness of my miscarriage, rather than keep it all in. She also helped me understand that I had to mourn my pregnancy in order to heal. As wonderful as my husband was during this time, he encouraged me to see Angela because he knew the effect she had on both my body and my spirit.
While deciding our next steps, Angela helped me to navigate through my feelings without judgement.
We decided to put the frozen embryos in, rather than do a fresh cycle and put more drugs into my system. I am happy to say that we are now 16 weeks pregnant with a little boy!
Through my journey, Angela gave me tremendous insight into so many things that I will take with me and use in all aspects of my life. I am a better mother, wife, and person because of her gentle guidance.
