Hi Marn,
I had my first colostomy at age 2, then moved on from there. Nighttime and daytime incontinence were my life for years until I finally got my K pouch that sort of freed me to live my life the way I envisioned it.
I tried to get pregnant after getting married at 19...I managed with difficulty but was never able to carry to term...my uterus was folded over. They called it a hemi unterus. No one could ever tell me if it was due to all of the surgery or just that I was born that way.
So, in the end, my fertility was a problem. I never managed to have kids of my own so I raised a lot of other people's. Then I married a man with 2 of his own and I got 4 grandkids out of it.
It is a hard journey for some of us and many never make it but...being a mother is not always a biological choice.
Sometimes it is a question of being able to give your love to a child that needs it most.
I teach and consider my students like my kids...
I would never have been able to teach if I hadn't had my pouch done. So it was a trade-off and honestly, I had no choice.
Don't worry about it too much right now...live your life and enjoy it.
Sharon