Category: Firsthand Experience

The Untold Stories of IVF

IVF

IVF Revisited: Emotional, Physical and Financial Torture

I am 39 years old and from Australia. It’s been 10 years since ending IVF treatment in bitter disappointment; 14 years since starting to ‘try’; 16 years married; 20 years together. My story: I was in an administration job I hated when we first started IVF but after treatment failed I went back to university…
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March 1, 2018 3
Treatment

Once Down the Treatment Rabbit Hole You Are Never Done

I am a Montessori preschool teacher with infertility. Seven years ago my husband and I did a year of treatments including four rounds of IUI. All of our treatments failed. We never got pregnant, and we never knew why. The diagnosis after treatment remains “unexplained infertility.” Infertility treatment was one of the worst times in…
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January 31, 2018 1
IVF clinic

IVF Clinics Don’t Explain ‘Horrendous Grief’

Lucy is a 34-year-old legal secretary from Farnborough in north east Hampshire, England. Her story in her words: 10 May 2013 was truly a beautiful day. I turned 30 and got married to the love of my life. I couldn’t wait to start our own family. The doctors said it was normal for a lady…
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October 23, 2017 5
Fertility doctor

“This is an Easy Fix!” and Other ‘Fertility’ Doctor Lies

Michelle is a 33-year-old teacher from Texas. Her story in her words: The love of my life and I married at 28 and 22.  I couldn’t wait to start a family with him.  Motherhood was what I hoped and dreamed of since childhood.  When my friends would talk about what they wanted to be when…
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October 9, 2017 3
OHSS

OHSS: “I felt like I was suffocating”

My name is Kathryn. I once thought IVF = baby. How wrong were we. Seven years since our first IVF (we’ve had eight cycles) and it still hasn’t worked. If I had read about those that it didn’t work for maybe I would have been a bit more realistic. I am now in my late…
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August 19, 2017 12
IVF

Former IVF Patient: “I Realized I Was Just Profit”

My name is Zoe James. I had back-to-back fertility treatment for 3 years. I’m now 44, recently single with no biological children.  I spend my time between London and the north east of England where I teach pregnancy yoga and hypnobirthing and soon I will be running workshops helping women to heal from their IVF…
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August 10, 2017 1
IVF

“No One Ever Explained IVF Statistics, Risks, or Likelihood of Failure”

My name is Chris. I began the IVF process at age 39 and stopped after two rounds at age 41. I am a high school teacher who loves to travel and aspires to be a writer. Since 2011, I’ve traveled to 21 states and 12 countries.  I live in Connecticut with my three dogs, farm…
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August 2, 2017 4
IVF clinic

IVF clinic ‘pushed me to do most invasive procedure’

In the year leading to the 40th anniversary of the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) birth, and as the ReproTech industry continues to grow (IVF market projected to reach $26B by 2022), we share the untold stories. Here’s one that reveals how clinics try to capture new leads.   I stumbled upon your [Silent Sorority] blog…
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July 24, 2017 0
ReproTechTruths

The Infertility Professionals: Guesswork and Bad Advice

Different Shores blogs from Dublin, Ireland. She has raised questions about clinic business motives and explains how data obfuscation interferes with informed decision-making, noting: “When you are starting out you hit up the online message boards, ask around and hope for the best.” She shares her IVF experience in the following essay for our #UnmaskingIVF campaign.…
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July 14, 2017 0
ReproTech Patients

Former ReproTech Patients Unplugged

ReproTech patients gather in a first-of-its-kind forum to discuss the complex emotional burden of failed ReproTech treatment and the loss of parenthood. In a raw and honest exchange, you’ll hear women underscore the importance of compassion and camaraderie. They explore the multi-dimensional personal-socio-cultural dynamics that come in the wake of failed IVF. Among the topics…
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June 10, 2017 4