Women on Strike- Infertility
Sam had always imagined her body as a well-coordinated team: the brain as the CEO, the heart as the loyal HR manager, and her uterus as the hardworking employee quietly doing its job every month. But lately, things had changed. One morning, she felt like her body had held a secret meeting and passed a resolution: “No ovulation, no cooperation!” Her ovaries had gone on strike, her uterus had taken a vacation, and her hormones were running around like unsupervised interns.
The strike wasn’t subtle. It came with irregular periods, surprise acne attacks, mood swings that could make a horror movie seem calm, and bloating so dramatic she once joked, “If someone pats my belly, I might just give them baby shower invites for my gas.” Her period tracker app sent her notifications like a worried friend: “You alive, girl? Haven’t heard from you in weeks.”
When Sam visited her gynecologist, she was given the full list of suspects behind the rebellion. First on the list was PCOS- tiny cysts partying on her ovaries and sending hormone signals everywhere except where they belonged. Then came thyroid issues, her overachieving gland that alternated between hyper and lazy phases. Add to that possible fallopian tube blockages (which Sam imagined with tiny construction boards saying “Road Closed”), and of course, modern lifestyle habits: late-night instant noodles, stress eating, no regular exercise, and sleep patterns messier than her college notes.
“Oh, and age!” the doctor added. Sam was 28, but apparently, in fertility language, that’s when people start acting like you’re submitting retirement papers.
Sam admitted the signs had been there all along. Acne and unwanted hair growth had appeared in places she didn’t remember subscribing for. Period pain often felt like her uterus was hosting a monthly cage fight. Most importantly, despite a full year of “romantic cardio” (as she called it) with her husband, there was no baby trophy to show for it. To top it off, there were relatives popping up every family function asking, “Beta, koi good news?” Sam wanted to print a badge that said, “No good news, only good coffee.”
Her gynecologist didn’t give up. Step one: change the lifestyle- more salads, less stress, yoga (or as Sam renamed it: fancy sleeping with positions), and evening walks. Step two: medicines like Clomiphene citrate and Letrozole to coax her ovaries back into action and Metformin to tame her PCOS-related insulin resistance. Step three: if nothing worked, there was IVF- a modern miracle Sam described as “sci-fi parenthood, where embryos get a high-tech photoshoot before moving in.”
Despite all the chaos, Sam didn’t break down. Instead, she laughed through it. “Some people have midlife crises; I have mid-ovary drama. At least I get free ultrasounds!” she joked.
Her message to every woman walking this painful, emotional path is
“You are not broken. Your ovaries are just negotiating work conditions. Be patient, get help, and hydrate- and when someone asks about ‘good news,’ tell them: ‘The good news is I’m fabulous, functional, and still on my terms.’”
Stay happy and blessed
