Rachel writes:

“Here is my story: I have been blessed with 2 wonderful children. This is something I have never taken for granted, as I had an early natural miscarriage before my first child. Although the miscarriage was early, it greatly affected me and still does to this day. After the birth of my second child, I was diagnosed with a mental health condition that was brought on by the changes in hormones I experienced during both of my pregnancies. This condition requires me to take medication. I would absolutely love to try to expand my family, but the medication I take isn't conducive to pregnancy. I am so incredibly grateful for my 2 children, but I always wanted a larger family, and that is something that I can't have. This is something I must be willing to accept, but it is difficult. Many times people think that the inability to have a child or additional children is solely a physical issue, but that isn't the case.

I also suffer in silence.”

“Rachel” is remaining anonymous here to protect her privacy, but this it is very common to hear that someone cannot have children because of mental health issues. This is because medication might not be conducive to getting pregnant, the individual is not stable enough to add a child into their lives, with or without medication, or anything in between.

Please don’t assume that everyone is dealing with the strictest definition of “infertility.” Sometimes it’s something else entirely.