*Note from Sarah* I’ve asked my sister Jessica, to guest post from time to time. She has a different story to me about her experience with infertility. She’s on the other side of this journey and has a beautiful baby girl. Jess will share about her diagnosis, her experiences while trying to conceive and even her feelings about motherhood and the challenges PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) presents. She’s got a lot to share and just like me, wants to normalise these topics for discussions. So I give you my sister, Jess! 

Hi I’m Jess!

I am Sarah’s little sister. I am 28 (almost 29), and I live in Canberra, Australia. I have a full time Government job, a side hustle, PCOS, and I’m Mumma to three beautiful souls: our dog Bailey, an angel and our rainbow baby Emily.

My partner (Jesse) and I met at work in 2009. We started dating in 2010, he was 25 and I was 20. We became serious rather quickly and moved out together 16 months into our relationship after searching for a rental property for approximately 7. When Jesse was 30 and I was 25 he turned to me one night and said “You know what, I think I’m ready to have kids.” My ovaries couldn’t contain their excitement even though I knew it would be a while before we could start trying.

At the time we were living with his mum while our house was being built and I knew it would take some time for my body to “regulate” once I came off my Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP). I knew it would take longer than most women to regulate because I always had irregular periods before I started the OCP and when I came off them for a short period of time, I didn’t get a period for four months. I didn’t want to come off my OCP until we were in our house.

We moved into our house in July 2015, two days later I had knee surgery and I did not want to start trying until I was cleared by my physiotherapist (no point getting pregnant if you can hardly walk at your current weight). Approximately five months later I guess you could say we started trying to conceive. We said to ourselves “what happens happens, we’re not trying trying.” Little did I know, I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and would require assistance.

In my posts to come I will share with you my diagnosis, our journey to baby, and how PCOS has affected me pre- and post-baby. I am excited to share my journey with you. Like Sarah, I am determined to smash down the walls around this subject to make it “ok” to discuss. I want to empower other women (and men) to share their stories and let you know you’re not alone!