Hello all! My name is Abby and I am new to Mayo as of 2019. As a young girl I suffered from EXTREMELY painful periods and was consistently turned away from emergency rooms being told I was suffering from bad cramps. It was not until I was a freshman in college that I had a large cyst burst, was taken into my OBGYN's office instead of the ER, and by ultrasound scans they decided they had reason to do a laparoscopy to confirm the presence of endometriosis. It was so invasive I was put on Lupron injections off and on for years in order to hold off on the growth. After another laparoscopy where they removed one of my ovaries it was discussed that I would benefit from seeing Dr. Kahn at Mayo who specializes in infertility and endometriosis. February of 2019 I underwent another laparoscopy with Dr. Kahn, healed and then began 4 cycles of IUI's. All of the IUI's were unsuccessful and we made the decision to move straight into the IVF journey. Everyone warns you that it is hard but I do not think I was fully prepared for not just the physical toll it would take but the emotional and mental toll it took as well.

This group is something I wish I had from the very beginning of my journey. I have been blessed with a very supportive group of family and friends but unless someone has actually gone thru the process it is very hard for them to understand. I look forward to finding support from others here and I hope that I am able to offer support to others!