Sometimes there is nothing like a break to give you a new perspective on things. Life over the last two years especially has felt like it has been partially on hold as we went through IVF treatment, particularly because in my case I was travelling very frequently for treatment due to the short length of my cycles and the amount that were cancelled part way through for various reasons.
Continue reading “Getting away from it all – or can you?”What’s the difference in donors?
When I was at University there was a lovely Scottish bloke studying the same course as me. To save his blushes on the following story (although I seriously doubt he will ever see this) I have changed his name to Donald Stewart.
Continue reading “What’s the difference in donors?”Friday the 13th. A new horror story?
I haven’t written anything in a couple of weeks. Mainly because my life was a little over-consumed with the state of British politics at the moment (in 2019). As a Brit living in Amsterdam I have made the most of the freedom of movement over my lifetime and so the past three and a half years have not only been a bit of a shitshow due to infertility and all the fun times that brings, but also watching the country of my birth seeming to slide backwards and become increasingly xenophobic and inward looking.
Continue reading “Friday the 13th. A new horror story?”Please leave your modesty at the door…
So you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while, and it hasn’t worked. You’ve decided to go to the doctors and see if there is anything actually wrong and they’ve referred you for a fertility check. This all feels like things are moving forward finally and so you’re quite excited to go to the appointment and see if there’s something actually ‘wrong’ with you or if you just need to be a bit more patient / eat more greens / do more yoga / drink foul chinese herbs (more about that in another post)
Continue reading “Please leave your modesty at the door…”The (fertility) ages of woman. By Bryony (age 43 1/2)
Age: 12- 14 (aka ‘becoming a woman’- urgh)
I mean, holy shit. What is this? Am I dying? Oh god no. Surely not already? Oh this is embarrassing. How can I do swimming now? Oh I’ve never been so embarrassed dropping Tampax in front of all the boys. What is the Tampax lady going on about? Does everyone know? How? How does everyone know? Can you tell I’m now a ‘woman’? What does that even MEAN? This sucks. Why doesn’t the biology teacher ever speak in clear sentences? What does she mean, and why are we constantly drawing everyone’s insides and labelling them? I’m glad I’m dropping biology….
(yes, dear reader, perhaps this was the issue…)
Continue reading “The (fertility) ages of woman. By Bryony (age 43 1/2)”The Birds and the Bees
This is not actually a post on fertility. No really. This really is a post about birds and bees (and gardening).
Yesterday I went to the garden centre again, for the second time in as many weeks. I have realised that I am incapable of just buying a couple of things that can be easily carried home on the tram, and so I have discovered the joy of renting a local green wheels car for a couple of hours to enable me to buy everything I want to in one go.
Continue reading “The Birds and the Bees”Let’s talk about supplements (baby)
Ah supplements. Aka, how to create the most expensive toilet bowl of pee on a daily basis.
Once again, the joyful world of supplements is probably something you are blissfully unaware of before entering the world of the ‘trying to conceive’. I think most people probably know they need to supplement with folic acid to try and prevent conditions like spina bifida. However, did you know that there are a myriad of other things that are often recommended? Continue reading “Let’s talk about supplements (baby)”
A weighty matter
Let’s be honest. If you are anything like me (God help you) you’re probably carrying a least a few more pounds than you’d like. Unfortunately in my case due to my general love of good food and wine (mmm wine) this amounts to more than just a few.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a tub of lard stuffing my face with McDonald’s on the sofa every day. But cheese, hummus and wine probably form more of my regular menu than they should. Continue reading “A weighty matter”
IVF and working life
If you’re thinking about IVF you need to tell your manager.
Controversial? Probably, but bear with me.
Continue reading “IVF and working life”WTF is IVF anyway?
The IVF experience is a whole new world for anyone who falls into it. For most, its somewhere they end up after all other things have failed for whatever reason whether male or female factors.
Most approach IVF with great hope, that FINALLY this will be the solution that means someday soon they will be holding a baby in their arms.
Continue reading “WTF is IVF anyway?”