National Infertility Awareness Week – Guest Post from Amanda

 

Y’all I am so excited for my sweet friend Amanda to come over to my blog and share a little about something that is close to her heart. This girl is the real deal, and when I say that, I don’t mean it lightly. She has such a beautiful heart and desire for God. I love her! We have laughed together, cried together, and prayed together. She holds such a special place in my heart, and has really challenged me as a believer in Christ. She is also the lovely lady that I have dedicated this pregnancy in honor of, and am trying my hardest to see it through her eyes.

Man I love this girl! Any way, without further ado, here she is.

 

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Hi there, have we met before? If not let me introduce myself:

I am a country-living, ice tea drinking, good book reading, farming, ranching, Jesus-loving, curly-headed wife of a seminary professor. He’s a teacher, I’m a writer. He’s a thinker, I’m a creative. Together we make our home on a small farm in Texas.

You guys know that Brittany is pretty awesome, right? Did you know that we go way back? Only, we didn’t know we went way back until a few months ago when we realized that we’d attended a class together at Southwestern Seminary several years ago. But it wasn’t until last October when we roomed together at the Influence Conference that we solidified our friendship.

Brittany has graciously shared her online space with me today for a very specific purpose: to help spread the word about infertility. April 21-27 is National Infertility Awareness Week, and as a woman who is currently battling infertility, I am passionate about spreading awareness about the struggles and hardships of infertility.

A few facts:

• Each year approximately 1 in 6 couples in the United States are diagnosed with some level of infertility. (Obviously Brittany does not fall into this category!)
• “Infertility” is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse for women under the age of 35. Women 35 and older may be diagnosed after 6 months of unprotected, well-timed intercourse.
• 30% of infertility is the result of an ovulatatory disfunction (i.e. there is a problem with the woman’s ovulation cycle).
• 30% of infertility is the result of a problem with the man (i.e. sperm structure or pruduction).
• Many women who face infertility describe their situation as “lonely,” “isolating,” and “painful.”
• There is a large spectrum of treatments for infertility, with varying degerees of invasiveness and cost.

My story:

• My husband and I have been trying to conceive (often abbreviated TTC) for almost 4 years.
• We were officially diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” in February 2012. After extensive testing, doctors still do not know the cause of our infertility.
• We have tried various therapies and treatments, from “alternative” therapies to traditional western medical treatments.
• We’ve experienced the pain and frustration of two failed IUIs.
• Until last November my husband and I kept our struggle to ourselves. We were completely unwilling to share our story, and to some extent we were unwilling to accept our diagnosis.

National Infertility Awareness Week:

This week on my blog, A Royal Daughter, I will be sharing dedicating the entire week to spreading awareness about infertility, offering encouragement for those battling infertility, and providing resources for friends and family of those facing infertility. Topics will include: