I grew up thinking painful periods were normal and I never thought to seek medical help up until the period pains grew worse over time. In 2018, I was rushed to the ER having excruciating period pain. After a series of tests, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and told I had fibroids. At that time, we had been TTC for 2 years.
We had to start researching what endometriosis was and it all became clear as to why I had those painful periods. We had to see a fertility clinic to guide us on the next steps of treatment and the way forward.
It was devastating to hear that this causes infertility and read stories of other women going through similar situations. I had a laparoscopy done but they were unable to take out the endometriosis, the doctor could only drain out the fluid, but we were not comfortable enough to proceed with IVF at the time since there was still endo and the chances of IVF being successful was low.
We had to change fertility clinics as we were not comfortable with the previous one due to their processes and this means doing tests all over again. These tests could take a span of six months based on appointments and referrals. Then I was told we had to do surgery to take out the endometriosis before IVF could be done but we had the pandemic which delayed surgeries, so I had to wait. I was still dealing with abdominal pain every day. This affected my lifestyle, my work, and my person as I could not bear the pain.
In March 2022, I was called for surgery and had a 10-hour surgery to take out the endo and fibroids. I am glad we are at the end of getting the miracle we always wanted. We are excited about this grant as this would help us with the cost of treatment and this grant would be very instrumental in us finally becoming parents.
We are hopeful to begin this new journey with your assistance and look forward to holding our our baby in the near future. We are so grateful to be selected for the grant.