Valuable lessons infertility teaches you

You are in your early/mid/late-30s, you have your whole life planned, and now you want to get pregnant. Suddenly your doctor announces to you that you have some infertility issues and that it would be difficult to have children. And your world falls apart, and you begin questioning everything. “Why you? Why now? What will you do? How will you tell the news to your family etc.” During this difficult time of yours, infertility can teach you some valuable lessons.. Stop and breathe! Now it’s the time to put your life into a whole new perspective, appreciate the things you already have, and redefine your inner strength. Τhe first thing that changes when you get the bad news is the unwavering confidence that everything will be ok and go according to the plan. Life cannot be scheduled and that’s ok! You may conceive in your late 30s or 40s, you may not conceive at all, and that is totally fine, as long as you are at peace with it. Patience will now be your best friend. Infertility also sees no timelines. You can’t control how many IVF cycles you’ll go through, how many tries you’ll do until you conceive, how much money you’ll spend, and how much frustration you’ll have to deal with along the way. So stop scheduling things, let time flow, and trust the process. Live life gracefully and accept everything it brings you. In the meantime, don’t forget to take care of yourself. During that exhausting period of time, women tend to lose themselves putting everything else aside. The body and the mind get tired, your relationship with your loved ones is at stake, and suddenly you feel alone. Now is the time to take a deep breath, speak openly, express yourself and give it the care it needs. It’s not only you that experiences that unprecedented experience, but with the love and support of your loved ones you can experience it a little bit smoother. And here comes the infertility communities! If you feel that you can’t be understood by your family circle, there are many women out there like you who want to be heard but also hear of other similar experiences too. Connect with them, share your story and find that extra strength you need through their stories. Sometimes, they are just a hashtag away… Interestingly enough, there is a study that analyzed Instagram posts of people undergoing IVF treatment and findings showed what a great impact social media and infertility communities and forums had on their psychology. More specifically, they analyzed Instagram posts from 5 randomly selected days in February 2020, with the hashtag #ivfcommunity, and they identified that women undergoing IVF often utilize social media to document daily experiences, offer and recognize sources of community support, and provide and receive education regarding their treatments. Given the increased prevalence of mental health conditions, medical providers should explore challenges discussed on online platforms and consider harnessing the supportive nature of online communities to supplement care for IVF patients. That is why MEDIPASS created a safe space for you to share your concerns, fears, emotions, hopes and dreams. A Facebook Group with the main purpose of support, educate, and share people's stories. Either you have undergone a fertility treatment, conceived or not you are more than welcome to share your voice. Each story matters and from each story we gain valuable knowledge! Photo by Andrea Piacquadio It is ok to lose hope for a while as long as you’ll find it again soon. Your friends will always try to encourage you by telling you that this time is the lucky time, the time you will conceive, but deep inside you have a negative premonition. The doctor calls and gives you the bad news, you are not pregnant. You knew it, you are starting to lose hope and maybe you want to give up. It is your and your partner’s decision on how to proceed. You deserve a time out, to cry, to yell, to be vulnerable, to fall back, but when that time passes you have to stand again on your feet stronger and more optimistic. Life doesn’t end if you don't conceive this time, it won’t end the next time, and it won’t end if you do not conceive at all. Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness. The light can be translated into a baby, but also into your unconditional love for your partner and your family who struggle with you even when you can’t conceive. Don’t forget all the things you should feel grateful for. That is the biggest lesson infertility can teach you. And while you are coping with something unimaginable, your neighbor could experience something even worse. We are so quick to judge in this world and one valuable lesson that infertility can teach you is that there's always something more to the story. After all, the people with the biggest smiles can hide the biggest pain. Be kind to everyone, show true compassion, and be happy for others, especially when you are in your darkest periods. When you can be genuinely happy for someone else, you will maybe be surprised by how quickly things change for you. During infertility time, you will learn that suffering is part of life, but you will also learn that hope and faith are much greater than any struggle. Be grateful for what you already have, live each day to the fullest with its ups and downs, stop scheduling things, take care of yourself and leave the rest to the universe or the doctors ;) The most important thing you should remember is that fertility doesn’t define you. Infertile women tend to feel ashamed and alone, but you are not your infertility, you are not alone, and MEDIPASS is here to support you through your fertility journey. As K. Kavafis -a Greek poet- has said, the important thing is not the destination, but the journey itself. During that journey you will rediscover yourself and your strength, infertility will teach you valuable lessons, you will fall, you will rise and you will find hope even when no one else can. And why choose MEDIPASS and Greece for your fertility journey? Greece is rapidly becoming a competitive destination for IVF, due to the combination of high-quality and advanced services at reasonable rates. Over the years, more and more couples from Europe, the USA, Australia, and Canada are placing their trust in healthcare professionals in Greece to support them to pursue their dream of childbearing. IVF, ovarian rejuvenation, egg donation, these are terms not to be afraid of, as MEDIPASS can make your journey safer, always according to your wants and needs. Together we will transform the fertility journey! Request your quote and shall we start?