“Don’t Keep It a Secret,” the sign read. So I’m telling all of you.

 

Last July, a study was released that said one in three Americans have either used fertility treatments or know someone who has. Now, if you’re reading this you are one of those one in three, because I’ve used fertility treatments.

I debated talking about this so publicly, partially due to my own misconceptions or judgments of what IVF involved, and the type of people who had IVF. As I started telling people around me it became less some big strange scary thing and as easy as saying “I had tacos last night.” 

Obviously, Ralphie would need to know, as we work is close proximity. The nightly injections (a total of 50 before my egg retrieval) meant my hormones were in overdrive. Hot flashes had me wearing tank tops and putting on the air conditioning when it was snowing outside.

My amazing boss needed to know since I was popping out for lab and ultrasound appointments every other day and, depending on when my retrieval ended up happening, I would need to take a day or two off from the show.

Then I just started to drop it into conversation pretty often because it had become a regular part of my life and the reaction reinforced that one in three statistic. People told me they had done IVF or their sisters or cousins used IVF. I heard about a woman who successfully carried a baby for her identical twin sister. Of course, I also heard the obligatory stories of people who had tried unsuccessfully for years and then had a miraculous pregnancy.

It’s not hard to see why. Since 1987, over 1 million babies in the US have been born using IVF.

This past weekend I underwent my egg retrieval. There’s a corner at the facility where patients can leave messages of hope for one another. My nerves were going slightly crazy so I started to read them while I waited. There were a few that stood out to me. There were song lyrics from Tupac and Britney Spears, bible verses, and even my favorite Martin Luther King quote.

But this one was exactly what I needed to see:

“Talk to people., Don’t make it a secret. There are so many of us and we can help each other and support each other.”

I had been debating writing this blog and that was the push I needed. This doesn’t mean I’m going to be documenting every single step in my personal journey, explaining my choice, or dispelling infertility myths. I’m not an IVF spokesperson or an activist. I’m just hoping to add another baby to that over 1 million number.

About Rebecca Romo

Rebecca Romo hosts Feel Good Mornings weekday mornings from 6-10 am on 99.9 The Q. Originally from New Orleans, she moved to Cape to be with her husband a second generation Cape Codder.



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