What is it like to be going through fertility treatments?

Here is a description of a typical 2-months:

  • I get my period
  • Start injections
  • Get an ultrasound and bloodwork every two days
  • Raise the injection dosage
  • Bloodwork and ultrasound
  • Add another injection and some pills
  • Time to go to to the mikveh

Doctor’s instructions: don’t have sexual relations until eggs are retreived. (As if waiting for the mikveh day itself wasn‘t enough). Oh yeah, and at 3:00 a.m. exactly you need to have an injection. – Does the specific time matter? – Yes

  • Night before egg retrieval – fasting
  • Arrive at the clinic
  • Full anesthesia (the fun part)
  • Wake up
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting

Doctor’s instructions: don’t have sexual relations until the beta HCG pregnancy test. — What, wait, a whole month with no relations? – Yes. 

  • Vaginal pills that feel like cottage cheese in my underpants (Sorry )
  • Nerve-wracking waiting period until the results come back
  • Extremely painful stomach pains
  • Rushing to the emergency room
  • Infection in my uterus
  • Hospitalization
  • Negative beta test
  • Period
  • I want to start another round without waiting. No, you have to wait, your uterus is infected, a fetus is precious and you need optimal conditions for the treatments. We still can’t have relations (you know Nida and so on…). Wow – it’s already been a month and a half with no relations!
  • Waiting for the next period

And repeat — God forbid!!!