I started treatment at the Ottawa Fertility Clinic in January of 2013. I had been referred by my family doctor when after going of my birth control pills (in the hopes of starting a family) my period did not return. I was sent through a battery of blood tests and ultrasounds, and after getting inconclusive results my referral was sent out and a few months later I had my initial consultation. During my consultation I met my attending doctor, was given requisition forms for even more tests and we went over a “plan of action” as to what treatment I would try first.
The next 5 or 6 months were a mix of stress, anxiety and frustration. I would go through two different treatments that wouldn’t work, many more blood tests and ultrasounds. After we finally discovered what my condition was and why I was infertile I would go through a brain scan to rule out tumours (a somewhat common occurrence for people with my condition). Thankfully the brain scan came back “unremarkable” (my husband still chuckles at that) and we began the “plan of action” that would eventually give us our daughter.
While I was going through treatment it was recommended that I limit strenuous physical activity. At that point in my life I was very active and ran 4 or 5 times a week, so it was difficult for me to scale back my physical activity especially because I used running as a way to deal with everyday stress from work and the stress of going through the fertility treatments. That’s where yoga came into play. I had practiced yoga since my early teens, but since I had started running I was doing yoga only once or twice a week to stretch out my runners legs. I upped my yoga practice to almost every day, which I found had a definite positive effect on my stress and anxiety levels.
After three rounds of treatment lasting 5 months all together and countless blood tests and ultrasounds, the day before Christmas I went in for my pregnancy blood tests and was told later that morning via phone call while I was sitting at my desk at work that I was finally going to be a mom. It took almost a year start to finish for my treatments to be successful. In August of 2014 we welcomed our daughter into our family.
I know of many women (and men) who aren’t as lucky as I was and can’t go, or don’t go through fertility treatment (for one reason or another). It can be a very difficult process for everyone involved and one I will never take for granted. I’m thankful for every doctor, nurse, ultrasound technician and assistant that I met on my journey and I can’t say enough good things about my experience at the clinic. Even now as my husband and I are starting all over again trying for number two, everyone that I interact with at the clinic still remembers me from the last time we were there three years ago and I am constantly met with a friendly face and a supportive atmosphere whenever I step through the clinics doors.
Jenn Tuthill is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. She received her certification to teach yoga for fertility from Family Passages. She has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. She was diagnosed with infertility in January of 2013 and successfully underwent treatment in 2014. For more information ‘like’ her Facebook Page.
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