CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For families struggling with infertility, the process to become pregnant is often an uphill battle.
The issue was highlighted in a recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO), which found that one in every six people have fertility challenges.
For Nichelle and Harold Sublett, a Charlotte couple, that challenge began in 2013 when they married, but didn't become pregnant for months.
"I got off the pill. I thought that I would get pregnant relatively quickly, just because I think that's what everybody thinks," Nichelle said. "I went and got an assessment from my OBGYN and she found out that I had polycystic ovary syndrome…. The hallmark symptom is the inability to ovulate.”
Determined to build their family, the couple started working with their doctor to find solutions.
"I did tons of fertility treatments…. I did everything gluten free, dairy free," Nichelle said. "Over that five years, I did get pregnant five times, but I had five miscarriages. So, it was a really difficult period in my life.”
While reasons can vary, their story is not uncommon with millions of men and women affected by infertility, according to the WHO.
The cost for help, can also be a challenge, the agency said.
“It’s important to talk to your health care provider," Dr. Michelle Matthews an infertility specialist with Atrium Health said. "There are certainly different tests that we can do to try to determine what the factors may be that contribute to fertility struggles and we can also offer treatments…. Some of them are lifestyle factors they can change. There are home tools women can use like apps and ovulation prediction kits to make sure they’re ovulating.”
For Nichelle, knowing she wasn't alone helped her and her husband to keep trying.
"I knew that if this woman can keep going, I can keep going," Nichelle said. "And that gave me hope, because there is there is another side.”
After six years, they gave birth to their son Hudson through in vitro fertilization (IVF), a doctor-assisted reproduction technology, which doesn't work for everyone.
"There's this period where you just can't believe it," Nichelle said. "It's wonderful, and now he has a little sister, Sienna, and she's nine months. Seeing the two of them together is just the highlight of my life.”
She's happy the study highlights the issue, and hopes her story will encourage other women to seek support.
"For so many years. I didn't want to tell anybody. I had shame," Nichelle said. "Find a few trusted people…and let them know what you're going through… that support was really key in helping me heal.”
Kayland Hagwood: Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.