Infertility: Our Unwelcomed Guest

On average, couples have sex 104 times before getting pregnant. Obviously, some get pregnant quicker, but sometimes it takes longer. For the people who had to keep trying and trying, getting pregnant is stressful and heartbreaking. This post on infertility is meant to address the feelings of heartbreak that come month after month of trying and not getting pregnant. If you've struggled with getting pregnant too, I hope this post helps you feel less alone in your pain. For others, I hope this post helps foster a better understanding of the emotional turmoil that infertility brings and a little more insight into why someone struggling to get pregnant might lose it. I present to you haiku I wrote while my husband and I struggled with infertility due to endometriosis. I’ve titled my set of poems Infertility: Our Unwelcomed Guest. I’ll warn you now that, depending on our relationship, some of this will seem like way more information than you ever wanted to know about me.

Dull aching, now throbs

The courtesy call she sends

Warning me of loss

Hot diarrhea

And I know she’s coming soon

To empty my soul

I clench the toilet

Waiting out the contractions

Preparing to wipe

Look between my legs

My heart drops though my stomach

Her fangs have sunk deep

Her name writ in blood

I examine the contract

Written on tissue

Non-negotiable

I prepare for her visit

Destructive, cruel

She thrashes about

Tearing, screaming in her room

While I wait outside

I abide her stay

With resentful silent tears

Mourning with Malbec

Mark the calendar

Crimson stained dates, warning us

Of her next visit

I would love to read your own haiku about your feelings about getting pregnant in the comments.