I was recently asked by someone who was hurting from a failed attempt ‘Will it always hurt this much?’
My first gut response was to blurt out yes with my next breath, but fortunately I was able to hold onto that thought and think some more about it.
The pain of infertility is a lot like grief I believe. You grieve for a child you lost of thought/dreamt you had, you grieve for a life you might have had together and you grieve for the ability to create life which seems to be taken away from you.
Grief sucks. It hurts. It’s an immense pain. At the time you feel you will never get over it and it will always hurt that way forever.
Time isn’t a healer but time is brilliant at helping your body, mind and soul adapt to carry that grief. You learn to live with loss. You learn to adapt your thoughts, behaviour, habits to cope with the loss of whatever it is you once had but now have to live without.
You learn to live with infertility. You wake up each morning learning a little more how to deal with everyday life carrying the burden that you are still unable to conceive.
I don’t believe it hurts less. It might not be as acute as on the day your period starts or the day you miscarry or the day your scan doesn’t show a heartbeat but it will always be there. You cope better, you get stronger, you get wise to the world around you and adapt to stop it hurting you as it did before.
And so my answer? The pain of fertility never leaves you, but don’t worry, you get stronger. This will get easier and being strong will become the norm.
With love to anyone hurting.
