Haidee and Phils Baby Dream

Here is a little write-up on our fertility journey so far:

January 2021 marked three years of infertility for Phill and I. Three years trying to start a family of our own. Granted, we have immigrated during that time which put us under huge amounts of stress.

But now that we have settled in New Zealand and have undergone a myriad of tests, ultrasounds, and a Lipiodol fallopian tube flush, we have been diagnosed with Unexplained Infertility. I also have a diminished ovarian reserve -- meaning that I am older internally than my actual age and have a far smaller reserve of ''healthy'' eggs than most women my age.

This, in itself, is a huge obstacle when trying to fall pregnant naturally. Once your eggs are lost, they're gone forever and there is no medication on the market (at present) that can reverse this.

There is also no apparent or obvious reason for this -- it often just boils down to genetics or a DNA mutation.

Because we started our lives over from scratch, we don't have a huge life savings. For this reason we have also gone through the publicly funded system for all our tests and procedures. Due to our Unexplained Infertility diagnosis, we have to wait a further 2.5 years for any type of publicly funded treatment, including IVF.

When it comes to infertility, time and age play a massive part in falling pregnant and having a healthy child. At the moment, I still have age on my side at 33. But at 35 or 36, my chances become significantly lower. This is why we have been told to try Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) now while I still have some time on my side and my ovarian reserve does not deplete any further.

With four rounds of IUI you have roughly 35% chance of falling pregnant. Now, that might not sound amazing, but at the moment, our chances are at 8% of falling pregnant naturally. This is why we would rather try, than not!

We would love to strike while the proverbial iron is still ''hot'' (aka me, lol), and embrace the chance to bring a rainbow Swart baby into the world!

We are so eternally grateful and humbled by any support -- whatever the amount may be. If our IUI journey is a success, you would have played a part in it. That is a gift that equates to life itself. And honestly, there is no greater gift in the world.

Haidee and Phill