The Crippling Fear of Infertility and the Miracle of Life

Lately I’ve been in conversations with friends about their difficulty conceiving or their fear of infertility when they decide to have children. It wasn’t that long ago that I was anticipating the appearance (or lack thereof) of “Aunt Flo” each month, only to be crushed when as usual, “she” showed up dependably right on time. I would feign nonchalance, but internally I was saddened and disappointed. Many of you know the feeling well. Why aren’t we prepared for the difficulty of conception?

Most likely, the gossip and attention given to teen moms and unplanned pregnancies overshadows the more common stories of waiting and trying for months to conceive. We assume that the “accidents” imply that getting pregnant must be easy! But for women 20 to 30-years-old, they only have a 20-25% chance of conceiving each menstrual cycle. That’s only a one-in-four or one-in-five chance, ladies! So why is it so low? It’s simply hard to predict your exact ovulation date each month. And even if you can predict the date, you only have a 5-6 day window for conception to occur around the release of an egg. Add to this the high rate of miscarriage, and its a wonder that any of us get pregnant at all! 30-50% of fertilized eggs spontaneous “abort” before a woman is even aware that conception has taken place. Even after a positive pregnancy test, you have a 15-20% chance of miscarriage. I’m not sharing all of this informationto scare us, but instead to relieve some pressure from us as women! We start to wonder…wonder turns to worry…worry turns to stress….stress equals EVERYONE is miserable, AND you are less likely to get pregnant under stress! So the best thing you can do – is take care of yourself! Get healthy, enjoy your spouse, focus on today because you can’t get today back after its gone! If you are between 20 and 30-years-old, you have an entire year of trying to conceive before you should seek medical consultation. So until then, trust that God’s timing is the “right time” for a very special addition to your family! Life is a miraculous event! In the meantime, don’t forget about YOU! Take care, be well!

Shalom, LR