Worth Every Shot: Cassidy Lance McWherter Releases Book Detailing her Pregnancy Journey
It’s something that more than 6 million women in the U.S. face, yet rarely talk about. It can feel isolating, and depressing. While the world celebrates countless pregnancy announcements and gender reveals featured on social media, an entire population is suffering — mostly in silence — hoping for there own good news to share. Pregnancy difficulties affect couples in a myriad of ways. And for six-time CrossFit Games veteran Cassidy Lance-McWherter, it’s a story worth sharing in the hope that others, including other elite female athletes, may benefit from her experience.
It’s been one helluvah road: When Cassidy and her wife Aly first decided to start a family, they never expected the difficulties they would face. What began in 2017 as a trip to a fertility clinic to explore their options for starting a family, became an avalanche of doctor visits, IUI and IVF attempts, hormones, pills, injections and ER trips that took the couple on a three-year-long emotional roller coaster. And, it seemed to get worse with every negative pregnancy test.
- “Whatever you think you are going to feel, imagine that and then add in a hundred other outlandish seeming irrelevant emotions just to add a special kick to the complexity of the moment. I cannot speak for Cassidy but as a spouse, I couldn’t figure out if I should cry, be supportive, be angry, be neutral, be positive or be everything all at once,” Aly wrote.
The big moment finally came just last October, when the couple found out they were pregnant. “We are so excited. We obviously wanted to tell everyone immediately, but we knew we needed to wait until closer to the second trimester,” Cassidy said.
At 11 weeks, the couple made an official Instagram announcement, posting a photo of a onesie with the phrase “worth every shot” across the front. It was a nod to the countless injections Cassidy had to endure throughout her pregnancy journey.
Now that their story is out in the open, the couple has published an e-book detailing their process of fertility treatments. They’re sharing their story for a few reasons:
- Education: Throughout this process, there were many times the McWherter’s felt as though they weren’t getting clear information from healthcare providers. There are sections of the book identified as “what we wish we had known,” that share information the couple wasn’t privy to throughout their journey.
- Transparency: Many couples deal with fertility or other issues when trying to start a family. The more people talk about it, the easier it becomes to face head-on, armed with the proper knowledge of how it all works in real life.
- Support: “We are here for anyone and everyone going through this process,” the couple wrote. “Please reach out if you feel overwhelmed or want to talk through any of this. We are not doctors but we have been through a lot trying to start a family and we are more than willing to be there for others in ways we wish someone could have been there for us.”
The book, “One Day: Our Personal Guide to IVF,” is available now online as an e-book. This is just the first installment in the couple’s story — they’re currently working on writing and publishing a second part as well.
Get the Newsletter
For a daily digest of all things CrossFit. Community, Competitions, Athletes, Tips, Recipes, Deals and more.
"*" indicates required fields
