Things don't happen to you, they happen for you. -Claudia Chan

The Stats:

I was diagnosed with the non-diagnosis of unexplained infertility in 2017 after:

• 3 years of trying to conceive

• 2 unsuccessful IUIs

• 2 unsuccessful IVFs

• 2 major pity party episodes

• 5 reproductive endocrinologists

• A third and successful IVF!

I went back to the IVF well in 2019 to try for a second child only to discover that there was an actual explanation for why getting pregnant has been so challenging for me - I have endometriosis. I also moved from the primary to secondary infertility camp although I don’t understand the difference because I have dealt with infertility all along.

• A fourth IVF with one embryo pre-pandemic (which didn’t stick) in 2019

• A new diagnosis of endometriosis in 2019

Why this blog?

I took a leap of faith and started this blog before I got pregnant because I was bothered that very few people were talking about (in)fertility. I get it, “infertility” is not a pretty word and the meaning is marred with so many emotions like shame, guilt, anger, frustration, and, and, and...

More so, I was exhausted about trying to play it cool when it wasn’t. I was tired about talking about (in)fertility and IVF in hushed tones, feeling emotionally numb and trying to overcompensate by pouring all my energy into work because I felt like such a failure personally.

Resolve.org recently brought to light that 1 in 8 couples (or 12% of married women) have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. 7.4 million women, or 11.9% of women, have received infertility services in their lifetime. (2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, CDC).

Discovering that I was just one of 7.4 million women who sought fertility services justified that I was not alone. Yet I wondered where these women were hiding. At that point in my journey, I certainly wasn’t excited about shouting from the rooftops that I had (in)fertility issues. A lot has changed since then…

My view is that (in)fertility will become an increasingly important topic not just for families, communities, but for the global and economic success of countries.

I created Fertilust as a safe place where people can find a sense of community and find legitimate resources in support of their unique journey. My hope is that having these discussions will assist in the normalization of the (in)fertility topic both personally and professionally.

You can expect stories of strength along with words of wisdom from fertility warriors, as well as ideas from experts in fertility, nutrition, and wellness.  For good measure, you can also count on some great recipes and product reviews along the way.

I often say that “things happen for you, not to you”, because traveling down this road surprisingly has taught me about so much more than just about my reproductive system.

xo Nathalie