"Not being able to get pregnant within the first six months was frustrating, but not alarming. I knew that most couples conceive within the first year of trying. When the one-year mark came and went, I was concerned, but didn’t take any concrete steps toward getting answers with the help of a doctor. I was just barely 20, after all, and I was young and healthy. Sure, my cycles were irregular and there might be a stretch of 6 to 10 weeks between periods, but if I’m having periods, then that means I’m ovulating, and eventually everything will align properly and I will get pregnant, right?

On the grand spectrum of infertility, our problem was solved relatively easily. We didn’t have to use costly, invasive procedures to build our family, and my physical issue of being anovulatory didn’t detract from my ability to safely carry a pregnancy. As such, I decided to be a gestational carrier to help another infertile couple who did need to use such extreme measures to have a baby. Being a surrogate was my way of “paying it forward,” so to speak. It was during medical testing for surrogacy that I received a full and proper diagnosis for my infertility — Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

Our four children range in ages from 9 to 13, and our family is complete."

Stories like this give me hope