Disclaimer: Testimonials appearing on this site are individual experiences, reflecting real life experiences of those who have used our products and/or services in some way or other. However, they are individual results and results do vary. We do not claim that they are typical results that consumers will generally achieve. The testimonials are not necessarily representative of all of those who will use our products and/or services.
In April of 2018, Camille emailed our team to share, “I just found out I am pregnant at 43, I have been following the program since January. It is truly a miracle. We don’t have to finish IVF now. I would love to write a success story to share, it does make you want to give other woman hope. I’ve wanted another child since I was 37.”
In a follow-up email in January of 2019, we received this update:
 “My advice to someone praying for a child is to not give up, and that is hard to do when you have to wait another 15 days for a new cycle I know. Do the things that it takes to make your body healthy…” |
“I so much want others to have hope. Getting pregnant at 43 was extremely emotional, and knowing that others had done it did gave me hope.
I truly can’t even still believe it happened. She was born on 11-15-18, and healthy. She is truly a miracle baby.
I do owe it to the post and products recommended by Natural Fertility Shop.
I will work on it, and send soon! I would love to help others….”
This is Camille’s Success Story…
My goal is to share our story to help someone. Six months of research in one location to share with other woman struggling with infertility. Writing this as harder than I thought, because it does bring a lot of emotion.
I read an article about how it is okay not to have your stuff together. As humans, we have these high expectations of what a “perfect life” would look like. When it doesn’t happen that way, are we really failing?
As I have grown into an adult I have realized that I have always been different. I have probably done everything the hard way, but I wouldn’t change it because it made me who I am… I poured my heart and worries out to God, and he answered. Maybe not on my timeline, but when the time was right. Including when I met my husband, Jared. We talked about having a child, and I knew my age would cause problems. I knew it may never happen. We started discussing and researching options, but it seem during those months time was flying by. It gave me hope to know my own mother has also given birth after 40, I was a teenager at the time. Similar, to the age my current daughter is now. A lot of woman today are having families at an older age, and large spans between children.
After a couple months of trying on our own, we asked our OBGYN for suggestions. I was put on Clomid for awhile, and after that it was advised for us to see an infertility specialist. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Infertility had not been part of my vocabulary. I had been around people having kids my whole life, including myself. I had no idea what this world meant to so many woman. It felt like something was wrong with me, even though I had kids. No one seemed to understand that. Even heard comments: “Well you already have kids.” Once I realized how hard this battle was becoming it consumed me. Every month I would get my period I would cry, and wonder how can it be so hard.
Our first IVF appointment was exciting and filled with hope. Even though I was nervous about the fanciness of the office with the free drinks. I wanted to see statistics on the wall of success stories, not some fancy vase. After, lots of blood work and meetings we met with a financial advisor. At this point I had googled IVF, and learned how expensive it was. Our total price was close to 21,000. The financial price caused frustration, and we felt like giving up. How was it possible we weren’t going to have a child over 21,000. That seemed ridiculous. I began to question when something that was discovered in 1970’s, was still so expensive. I wondered why the insurance companies don’t help woman more. I wondered why younger woman are not coached about freezing eggs and/or saving them at a younger age.
The only thing I knew in life was to study and learn, so that is what I did. I read and read. I found foundations and millions of articles. One book in particular, “The Untold Truth”, I had read by the pool side last summer highlighted some real facts. I read about the mini cycles, and the cost being more effective. I wondered why hadn’t anyone suggested this to us. It wasn’t really about the money of the cycle, but the cost of the medicine. Most of the cost with IVF is the medicine, with mini cycle you have less medicine, and it is half the cost. The concept behind it’s success is you can do more cycles, hoping to retrieve more eggs. For someone over 40, and having low number of eggs it seemed perfect. The name Dr. Silber, out of St. Louis, kept coming up in my research. St. Louis is about a three and half hour drive from us, so I wondered how the distance would work. I called to ask questions, and learned they have many out of state patients. We scheduled our consultation and went to our first consultation. The office and hospital was at St. Luke’s Hopsital, and was warm and welcoming. It wasn’t fancy with free drinks, but the walls hung with success stories and lots and lots of files. We met other couples from all over the Unites States. I knew I was in the right place. After meeting with him, we developed our plan to start right away. After, I started my menstrual cycle I was put on the birth control pill to start the process.
About three years ago, before my decision to try to have another child, I became head over heels in love with Crossfit/Weightlifting… However, I read how lifting and intense exercise takes on your body. It could possibly take away from conceiving. I decided to focus on getting pregnant, knowing I could return later. Realizing that I might never get a chance to qualify was very hard for me. I felt a loss in the sense of what do I do now. What does the rest of the world do? I started working on the house to sell, and spent more time with my daughter.
The only thing we held onto was the chance to possibly conceive naturally until the transfer. I started to learn more and more about getting pregnant naturally. I researched and did what I read. Not one day went by that I didn’t learn something new. I never knew the power of natural supplements. The Natural Fertility Shop online has an unbelievable amount of information. I would listen to their blogs, and the daily emails keep giving you hope. I quickly learned where every herb store was close to me. Some things I took I had to special order.
January 1, I started the fertility food/smoothie challenge from the cookbooks suggested off their website. However, the next two cycles were the same. We had one more month to try before we would start birth control again. I don’t feel like I did a lot different, other than some mind techniques from Russel Davis, email newsletters. I did read about a study http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4485468.htm. I started taking Niagen, which is an anti-aging B vitamin.
The last cycle, my period never came. I was for sure it was just a longer cycle, and worried I wouldn’t be able to start birth control in time for the fertility transfer. Easter Sunday (of all the days) I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had dreamed of the day that God would let the stick be positive, and that day it was. It still feels like a dream, flying out of the bathroom to tell my husband. It is hard to write about it emotions and how this affected him. The journey is just as hard on the husband. He would know not to tell me about upcoming baby showers, or if someone was pregnant. It was hard for us to be around younger kids. He would also wonder why we couldn’t just get pregnant. That day he didn’t wonder, he knew God blessed us.
I was very worried I had been taking so many things, what would happen if I quit all of it cold turkey. Most the natural products you shouldn’t consume pregnant, and I had already taken them for two weeks. I was very cautious of what I ate and exercise in the beginning. My doctor had little belief I would stay pregnant.
As days turned into weeks and into months, I remained pregnant. I stopped walking around in a bubble, and started back CrossFit. I became super strong during the pregnancy. It always felt too good to be true, and even when I would see the ultrasound photos I couldn’t believe it to be true. I had never exercised during a pregnancy, but i just listened to my body. I felt healthy and strong. Most of the pregnancy I worried about birth disorders. We did do the genetic testing early on, that gave us some peace. Plus, we found out we were having a little girl 🎀. I never saw a specialist, but I did remain on blood thinner injections. I worried about the birth with being on blood thinners. We switched to Heparin towards the end, and a scheduled date (opening morning deer 🦌 season)…
Now that she has entered our world, life has become very busy. Never forgetting the moment I saw her, and how beautiful. Her big blue eyes, smiles, and laughs make it all worth it. I can’t look at her without remembering how hard we prayed for her. The tears and patience paid off. God gave us the wisdom to know the resources that surround us. She is a gift from God, and I will never forget that. Samuel 1:27 “For this child I have prayed”
I’ll never know what one thing I tried that might have worked that time around. My advice to someone praying for a child is to not give up, and that is hard to do when you have to wait another 15 days for a new cycle I know. Do the things that it takes to make your body healthy. The Natural Fertility Shop is the most informative website out there. January of 2018, I committed to what they were telling me in the readings, and on November 15th I held my baby.
Josephine Isabella “Bella” Portukalian meaning: “God will Increase”
Camille Portukalian, Age 43
—Blessed
——May my story give even one woman hope as others did for me
Would you like to read more stories of success? We have pages and pages of testimonials from women who have achieved improved menstrual cycles, balanced hormone levels, pregnancy and more. Click Here to Read More Success Stories…
Elizabeth Willett is the Senior Herbalist and Lead Educator at NaturalFertilityInfo.com. She holds a BS in Mass Communications (2000) from Minnesota State University, and a Master of Arts degree (MA, 2010) in Holistic Health Studies with a specialization is herbalism from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. Liz has written over 200 articles on women’s fertility and brings a vast wealth of knowledge and expertise in holistic health and healing to Natural Fertility Info.com
