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The Butterfly Journey
By Beatriz Alvarenga
Cecile and Mark had been trying to get pregnant ever since they got married, with no success. More than a year had passed when they finally decided to check if there was anything more than bad luck keeping them from having a child.
Mark was the first one to visit a doctor. His sperm count was lower than average: nothing alarming, according to the doctor, but it was likely the reason why they were having difficulties to conceive. The doctor talked to them about different fertility treatments and the couple left the clinic feeling some closure. They knew infertility issues were not always easy to pinpoint, so it was a good thing that they actually found a cause, and they were committed to tackle the issue.
“I should still go on with my appointment though,” said Cecile as they walked out of the clinic. Knowing that Mark had low sperm count wasn’t particularly happy news, but she was relieved that she wasn’t the one suffering from infertility. She felt it would be too heavy of a burden to carry. At the same time, accepting and even forgiving Mark was easier than doing it to herself. Having children had always been Cecile’s dream, and learning that, for some reason, she couldn’t, was a terrifying prospect - which was why she kept postponing her own appointment for so long, waiting for Mark to get checked first.
Cecile still remembered very clearly the face of the ultrasound technician as he looked at the digital image of her uterus. He looked baffled, what he was seeing was clearly intriguing – but for Cecile, it was definitely not a good sign to see the ultrasound technician looking so puzzled. He shrunk his eyes almost in disbelief, and stared at the screen for a long minute.
“What’s wrong?” Cecile asked, letting the panic show in her voice.