My fertility journey has been a wild one to say the least, let me start from the beginning.
I was diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and started taking the pill to manage my irregular periods at the young age of 13. Since then I have been told “you’re not going to be able to have kids naturally”, “you have to start trying when you turn 26 otherwise it will be too late”, let me tell you, I heard it all.
On my 26th birthday, I went off the pill for the 1st time in 13 years, and along came the glorious side effects of having PCOS. I got severe acne and a period whenever my body felt like it, whether that was 40 days or 3 months. It wasn’t all doom and gloom though as I did lose a couple of kgs, and didn’t have to take a pill every day.
My partner and I were trying for about a year with no luck, so I decided to see a gynecologist. They had me taking 'clomid' which is used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, which is quite common for people who suffer from PCOS. We still didn’t fall so they suggested surgery to see what was happening from the inside. I went under for a laparoscopy, removal of a cyst, and ovarian drilling to stimulate ovulation. What was meant to be a quick procedure, was not. Somehow my appendix had latched itself to my right fallopian tube and ovary! I woke up to doctors saying “we don’t know how you’re alive”, “when do you recall your appendix bursting”? I was very confused and overwhelmed. Because my appendix was a major concern and had caused my right organs to swell so much they couldn't see anything, therefore, they weren’t able to proceed with the removal of the cyst and ovarian drilling on my right side, and only took my appendix out.
A year goes by and I start getting pains again on my right side, back to the hospital I go. After numerous tests, I was told I have to go under for another operation. Because of the damage my appendix had done, my right fallopian tube was completely ruined, swollen, and causing me pain, and while I was under they removed the original 5cm cyst from my ovary.
3 years on and still not pregnant, I think by this point I had weed on 30 tests and none had ever come back positive. So we thought let’s go see an IVF specialist. I go through yet another round of intense testing, and ultrasounds to get the devastating phone call from the doctor telling me they can’t proceed. An 8cm cyst had formed on my right ovary and I had an overactive thyroid, “you are going to have to have an operation to get the cyst removed before we start the IVF process”.
This news was heartbreaking, for the first time in my life I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness, helplessness and was unable to control my emotions. It seemed like everyone around me was falling pregnant, and every time I looked on social media someone new was announcing their amazing baby news. There was a week when I cried every single day all day, even when I saw one of my friends call, I cried because even the thought of telling them the story was far too devastating.
Within this same week, my fiancé Josh who is my number one support was flying to Townsville to be on the reality show, Survivor. We had our final call on Monday at 7pm and said our goodbyes, it was extremely scary not knowing when I would speak or see him again, especially knowing I was preparing for another operation. I hung up, and got ready for bed. By this time it’s 9pm, I noticed my period was late, which wasn’t unusual for me, my periods were so irregular and have been my whole life but this time my boobs were really sore, so I thought screw it, I’m going to do a pregnancy test. Never thinking it would would actually be positive, and for the first time EVER I saw two lines…I was in complete and utter shock! And then quickly realised I couldn’t tell Josh he was going to be a dad!!!!!!
6 pregnancy tests and an ultrasound to confirm I was in fact, 6 weeks pregnant! When I was getting all my tests done for IVF and potential operation it was all too early to tell. I think I felt every emotion there is possible within those two weeks, but right then and there I was overjoyed.
5 weeks later the producers call to tell me, “it’s time for Josh to receive a letter from home”. This will be the first time having had any contact since he entered, so of course, I had to break the baby news to him. I wrote a long letter telling him about my pregnancy and popped in an ultrasound. When the producers told me he found out, I burst into tears, I was so incredibly happy. It was the strangest feeling knowing that we were going to be parents and going through the entire first trimester without him, so once he knew, it was like a weight had been lifted off me. I hadn’t seen his reaction at all, not until the show aired, and by this time I was 30 weeks pregnant. We shared this moment with some of our closest friends and you could say there was not a dry eye in the house. The best thing about it is our little miracle baby will be able to watch this episode of his dad's raw reaction when he grows up.
I had lost all hope that I could fall naturally, and I am still in shock to this day that it happened. What did you do differently after my latest surgery you ask? My doctor told me to increase my vitamin D and being a lover of magnesium, I knew that magnesium is critical for you to get the benefits of Vitamin D, because without it, Vitamin D is stored in the body but not used. As the body relies on magnesium to convert Vitamin D into its active form. So I was taking 5 Vitamin D tablets a night, taking 1 Elevate and soaking my feet in magnesium 3-4 times a week, plus spraying my feet and tummy before bed every night and especially while I had my period. I lived an active lifestyle, it helped because Josh was my personal trainer and my dog needed to be walked daily.
This is my personal journey so I am in no way saying this is entirely the reason I fell pregnant or recommend it to anyone as I am not in a position to give health advice, although these are things I changed within the last year, and here I am now.
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Fast forward 9 months and I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and can honestly say that magnesium has been my saving grace. It has helped manage my body aches and pains, stress levels and reduced my leg cramps at night. I notice a huge difference in my sleep if I don't soak and spray and I truly get nervous about my legs cramping in the middle of the night if I forget to apply my Meo. It is an absolute must for helping with pregnancy symptoms and I couldn't live without it.
We started Meo Body because we are passionate about female health, female bodies, and creating awareness around the fact that shitty things happen and things don’t go to plan. And we want to bring you on our journey through the different stages of womanhood, fertility and be here for support but most importantly just being relatable!
