ORLANDO, Fla. — One in five women struggle to get pregnant and one in four women have trouble staying pregnant to term, according to the CDC.

Every single one of those women, have their own unique story to share — like Marie Collins, a Central Florida mother who is encouraging women to go find answers about their infertility.

What You Need To Know

Marie Collins, an Orlando mom, says that after her first pregnancy, she had 12 miscarriages before turning to in vitro fertilization 

Now she works at Shady Grove Fertility Clinic in Orlando to refer other women to get help with infertility

IVF can be an expensive option, but the Trump administration recently announced plans to lower costs for fertility medication and add fertility benefits for employers

On a day at the park, 2-year-old Lawson runs down a straight path forward to find his mom. But, his mother had a difficult path to get her son.

“It is just a long, hard journey, and I am one of the blesses ones,” Collins said. “I have another child at the end of the day, a healthy child and I feel so blessed and lucky to be his mom.”

After a normal first pregnancy, Collins said she miscarried 12 times before she turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF), which led to Lawson.

“You forget all the pain, all the anguish, everything goes away,” Collins said as she watched her son play at the park.

Her journey is more than just a success story, it inspired Collins to walk into a new career.

“When I went through it, I didn’t tell my family,” she said. “Nobody knew — no one knew how many losses I had, nobody knew I went to get fertility treatment. I did it all privately, because it is not something that women openly talked about.”

Collins is now a practice liaison at Shady Grove Fertility Clinic in Orlando, where she works with obstetricians for fertility referrals.

“Go, just speak to someone, see where you are at so you can plan your future,” said Collins said, who was 42 before she got help for her infertility.

“Time is against you as you get older as women,” she added.

For Collins, IVF was the best option. But at Shady Grove, it starts with an evaluation. For about half of the practice’s patients, the solution is a low-tech treatment, which could be as simple as oral medication.

“We see so many times that patients continue trying and continue trying, and by the time they come to see us, it is a little more challenging and the treatment and evaluation is going to be the most effective at the earliest time possible,” said Shady Grove Clinic’s Dr. Lauren Kendall.

Collins said her journey started with the desire to have a family and the determination to walk into the unknown. It’s a journey that she’s now helping other women take.

“I believe God makes a path for us, and I believe that he forged me into this path,” Collins said.