Imagine being diagnosed with a heart condition and then infertility.
Then being told if you want a family to get on with it as you will need to have a life changing operation….
Gemma
My latest guest Gemma and I met on twitter, during the heated debate last month in the UK about IVF funding cuts within the NHS.
Only once we got chatting did Gemma share her journey and her heart condition which means she will need an operation and won’t be able to have any further pregnancies.
Gemma explains her bumpy road to having her baby, the throw away comments that some medical professionals seem to say. Gemma’s GP told her ‘to go on holiday , get drunk and it would happen’.
Six months later and further tests led to a diagnosis of a decreased ovarian reserve and endometriosis. Gemma explained how it was thought that the endometriosis was related to appendicitis as a child.
She had an infection after operation and needed a further operation. It’s believed this is the possible caused of her infertility.
Whilst talking openly Gemma highlights the issues we all face when being told about infertility…The overwhelm, the insensitive nature some of those telling us the bad news deliver it with, the speed in which we are dealt with when we’re still trying to process the last bit of information.
The loneliness felt when getting your head around infertility.
Gemma’s heart failed during her pregnancy. She is going to need heart surgery pretty soon. She makes a brilliant argument to anyone who calls ‘IVF’ a luxury when refering to it being funded on the NHS
Follow Gemma on twitter
Even ‘NHS funded’ IVF isn’t always free – we paid £800, couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t accept the extras and the IVF hadn’t have worked https://t.co/phmFHlvcAh
— Gem (@DietitianGem) August 16, 2017
