My journey through infertility has been a wandering one, a journey that hasn’t always been easy. But, in many ways, being diagnosed with premature ovarian failure before we had even started trying to conceive was “easy” in its own sense. We didn’t spend month after month trying with no success — we knew right from the get go that it was either going to be donor egg IVF or adoption if we wanted to become parents.
The especially difficult part of the journey wasn’t even when we actually did IVF, either; it was all that waiting — four years — until the stars and our finances aligned. And four years seems like nothing compared to the infertility journeys of others.
But there’s one thing I missed out on, throughout all those years of waiting and even with my diagnosis and known treatment options: the baby dancin’. IVF — especially donor egg IVF — is probably one of the least romantic ways to make a baby. There were romantic dinners, no candles, no torrid stories to report from the bedroom. We just showed up at the clinic, my husband did his thing, my RE did his thing, badabing, badaboom welcome to the Two Week Wait.
*swoon*
The Babymakin’ Blues
But in all seriousness, not being able to make a baby the “old fashioned way” was something that I really struggled with during all those years of waiting. Don’t get me wrong: No consequence sex without having to worry about birth control at all is pretty flippin’ awesome — but there’s something to be said for the special intimacy a couple shares when they’re trying to get pregnant together. And in my infertility journey, that was just something we never even got the chance to do even once.
But what if things had been different: What if I hadn’t been diagnosed with POF? For those of you’ve who’ve been reading since the early days, you may remember that we were also diagnosed with some sperm issues, specifically count and motility; nothing critical, but enough that my RE automatically built ICSI into my IVF treatment plan. What if we did get the chance to do the baby dance — but knowing we might have some mild male factor issues along the way?
Here’s how this alternate reality might have looked…
A TTC Journey With The Stork OTC
We originally planned to start TTC after we’d been married three years — after I’d finished grad school. Of course, both of those original plans got completely derailed (the grad school thing is a long story). But had we stayed on track, we might have gotten to do lots and lots of baby dancing — only to run into issues, but without really knowing why yet. I would have still been under 30, so we probably would have tried for at least a year on our own (as recommended by doctors) before we even would have had any kind of fertility work up done on either one of us. And that’s when we would have discovered that we were running into some male factor fertility issues — but that doesn’t mean we would have had to head straight to fertility treatments like Clomid or IUIs just yet. We could have taken advantage of The Stork OTC, a home conception aid from Rinovum Women’s Health.
The Stork OTC is the only FDA cleared, over-the-counter home conception device using cervical cap insemination to help you with becoming pregnant in the privacy and comfort of home. Fun fact: cervical cap insemination has success rates comparable to IUI, but The Stork OTC will cost you much less than an IUI will in your doctor’s office: Each Stork OTC costs $79.99 per one-time use unit. The Stork OTC also offers twin and bundle packs at a savings as well.
Here’s the really neat thing about The Stork OTC: It’s as easy to use as a condom and a tampon. If you can do either of those things, then hooray! You can use The Stork OTC. You still get all the glitz, glamor, and gusto of the Baby Dance — while giving sperm a little extra help getting to their target. This video explains how it all works:
In another timeline, I would have been thrilled to have The Stork OTC available while we were TTC. I’m the kind of woman who has no problem getting all up in her own business when needed, and The Stork OTC definitely requires a hands-on approach — but far less invasive than something like an IUI and without having to resort to fertility drugs. The Stork OTC is a great first-line option if you’re having difficulty getting pregnant and I feel, compared to fertility treatments, is worth the expense.
Of course, our journey took us on a very different, complicated path to parenthood. But it’s good to know that The Stork OTC is here now for couples who are just beginning their own journeys to parenthood.
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