Meteorologist and beloved RTE presenter Joanna Donnelly says seven miscarriages left her furious.
Joanna Donnelly has three kids – Nicci, 17, Tobias 12, and Casper, 10 – with her husband Harm Luijkx.
Their first was conceived with no issue at all.
However, secondary infertility – the inability to become pregnant or to carry a baby to term after having a baby – meant they had trouble once they started trying for a second baby.
She said: "It was very hard.
"I didn't handle it well at all. I was absolutely furious all the time. I was living from two-week wait to two-week wait.
"I had my daughter so everybody tells you, 'you have to be happy, because you have your daughter', but as anybody that's been through it will tell you, that’s not how it works."
Joanna told the Irish Times: "And when you’re suffering from miscarriage or infertility all that you can see is the pain that you’re suffering every time your period comes. I was furious. I was angry, I was frustrated, I was sad – all the time."
She understood the pressure that infertility can put on a couple.
Joanna said: "Infertility is a big pressure on couples.
“The poor guys often get left behind because the bleed is happening to the woman.
"But the pain is there for the man too.
"I kept an open dialogue about it and we were always careful to mind ourselves and mind each other and mind our relationship.”
Joanna sought out medical advice and was put on Clomid, a medication which stimulates ovulation and after a miscarriage tried intrauterine insemination (IUI).
The couple eventually found success with IVF.
She took the tough experiences and wanted to help other couples going through the same difficulties.
Joanna started the charity Pomegranate with her friend Fiona McPhillips which helps families pay for fertility treatment.
