Sarah Wilson shares her emotional journey through 3.5 years of unexplained infertility before finally getting answers through laparoscopic surgical excision for stage two endometriosis. Just two months after surgery, she experienced her first positive pregnancy test.
Listeners will hear about infertility testing, Clomid, intrauterine insemination (IUI), IVF, embryo transfer, laparoscopic excision surgery and endometriosis awareness. Sarah also talks about the emotional toll of infertility and what it was like to finally experience the birth center birth she’d always hoped for.
Her story offers encouragement to infertility seekers, especially those looking for answers after years of uncertainty. Sarah’s experience highlights the importance of self-advocacy, supportive care, and finding community during difficult times.
Trying to conceive
Sarah and her husband Blake began trying to conceive in October 2020, expecting the process to happen naturally and quickly. After months of no success, Sarah took a fertility test and was finally diagnosed with unexplained infertility.
The uncertainty of not having clear answers became emotionally draining. While many of her test results came back normal, Sarah continued to feel that there was an underlying problem contributing to their infertility.
Fertility treatments and IVF
Sarah initially completed several rounds of Clomid before moving on to intrauterine insemination (IUI). After three unsuccessful IUIs, she and Blake decided to pursue IVF in hopes of growing their family.
The IVF process brought its own emotional highs and lows, including a failed embryo transfer in August 2023. Sarah shares how the repeated disappointments deeply affected her mental and emotional health.
Endometriosis diagnosis and surgery
While searching for additional answers, Sarah learned about the ReceptivaDX test and began investigating whether endometriosis could affect implantation. She eventually underwent laparoscopic excision surgery, where her doctor diagnosed and removed the second stage of endometriosis.
After 3.5 years of infertility, Sarah was overcome with relief to finally have answers. Just two months after the surgery, she saw her first positive pregnancy test.
Birth Center Labor and Delivery
In January 2025, Sarah experienced the birth center birth she had always dreamed of. She labored for 17 hours in a calm and supportive environment alongside her husband Blake before welcoming their daughter Louisa.
After years of infertility, Sarah describes Louisa’s birth as deeply emotional and therapeutic. The supportive atmosphere of the birthing center helped her feel safe, empowered and fully present during labor and delivery.
FAQ
A: Sarah spent 3.5 years saying her infertility was unexplained before laparoscopic excision revealed stage two endometriosis. Her story highlights how endometriosis can sometimes go undiagnosed for years while contributing to infertility.
A: Laparoscopic excision surgery is a procedure where a specialist removes endometriosis lesions from the body. Sarah had a mastectomy and became pregnant just two months later.
A: Sarah describes her 17-hour labor as calm, supportive and deeply healing after years of infertility challenges. Giving birth in a birthing center gave her the environment and experience she had always hoped for.
A: Sarah shares that infertility and failed embryo transfers brought intense sadness, frustration and isolation. Finding supportive providers, educational resources, podcasts, and online communities helped her feel less alone during the process.
Sarah Wilson Bio
Sarah is a 32-year-old stay-at-home mom who lives with her husband, dog, and one-year-old daughter in Florida. She enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her friends and family in sunny St. Petersburg. Connect with @sarah_daly on Instagram.
Resources
For those in the Tampa area
Today’s episode is in collaboration with Inito. Trusted by over 100,000 users, Inito is the only home fertility monitor that monitors four key hormones (estrogen, LH, FSH and PdG), providing a six-day fertile window AND confirming ovulation. Unlike basic LH strips, Inito gives you numerical hormone values unique to your body so you can really understand what’s going on instead of guessing. We’ve all been there looking at the lines on ovulation strips trying to decide if they really are getting darker or not. It’s especially helpful for people with irregular or unpredictable cycles, or if, like me, you ovulate later in your cycle than the “average” person. Inito’s newest device – the Insight Reader – is a standalone, wireless device – so you can start a test, go about your day and get results automatically in the Inito app (available for iOS and Android). Staying near the device is prohibited. Just dip. Essay. and Go.
For Birth Hour listeners, the Insight Wireless Reader is available right now for just $99 with code BIRTHHOUR at inito.com.
ABOUT THE TIME OF BIRTH
The Birth Hour is a birth story podcast hosted by Bryn Huntpalmer. With over 1,000 episodes and 27 million downloads, it’s one of the longest-running pregnancy and birth podcasts in the world. New episodes are posted every week — no medication, epidural, home birth, hospital birth, c-section, VBAC and everything in between.
🎧 Listen: Search for “The Birth Hour” on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
📚 Know Your Options Childbirth Course: thebirthhour.com/course
💛 Patreon: patreon.com/thebirthhour
