My name is Kristy. I’m 26 years old and have been trying to conceive my first child since August of 2011. I have been married for over three years and have a nine-year-old stepdaughter. I am a daily poster on The Bump Trying to Get Pregnant and Trouble Trying to Get Pregnant message boards. Just a little background on my medical history. I am physically disabled due to a benign spinal cord astrocytoma (tumor) they found when I was five years old. Unfortunately, it caused a mess of other problems for me, including mobility issues, scoliosis, nerve damage, and a whole lot more. I’ve had a total of 17 surgeries (three tumor removals, two leg lengthenings with several re-breaks of bones in between, foot reconstruction, and many others) . I have definitely gone through hell and back but I fully believe that all of these challenges have prepared me for the struggle I am facing now.

Over a year ago my husband, Rich, and I trashed the birth control after visiting and speaking with each of my eight doctors to make sure it was okay for me to physically carry and have a child. I’ve always wanted to be a mom and I wasn’t going to let my disability or medical conditions get in the way of that. I wasn’t ovulating so I decided to call my OB — I call him Dr. Vajay for obvious reasons. He ran several tests and diagnosed me with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). He would always say, “We will get you pregnant. I just have a feeling it’s going to take a little bit longer for you to get there.” Truer words have never been spoken, Dr. Vajay. After that, he sent me off to the infertility clinic. I’m currently on my 5th round of Clomid and five days of injections into the stomach. I never thought it would take so much to get pregnant but I’m willing to do poke myself with needles, drive to tons of monitoring appointments and pay a ton of money to get there. I will have a child one day, whether it’s one month from now or three years from now. I’m never going to give up until I have a sweet little baby in my arms.

So now you know a little about my history and where I am on the roller coaster of trying to conceive. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, pictures, disappointments and how I handle this crazy ride in future posts. I’m incredibly open so feel free to ask any questions. Thanks for reading!

Have you struggled with fertility? How did you get through it?