After three IVF cycles, Susanne and Mike Armour made the decision to stop trying for a baby. While childlessness wasn't something they planned for, the pair, based in Sydney, say their unwavering love for one another meant the future as a family of two was still one to look forward to.
Whether it's romantic, platonic, heartbreaking or surprising, our Love Story series is about love in all its forms.
Mike: We met on the first day of acupuncture school in 2005 in New Zealand.
For me, it was love at first sight.
Susanne: Having children wasn't necessarily high on my list, but once Mike and I were engaged, that was the kind of thing you start talking about. "Oh yeah, maybe it would be nice to have a child or two."
Once you start to think about that as a woman, it's a thought that is difficult to turn off.
Susanne: We started seriously trying for a baby in 2009 with me doing the whole shebang of acupuncture, herbs, temperature checking, et cetera.
We had good health literacy, good health contacts.
The thing that struck me was just how little support or care there was for me.
Susanne: My last IVF cycle was at the end of 2013.
What helped me heal was shifting out of normal midwifery to supporting women going through grief and loss.
Mike: Seeing what Sus went through with her pain, and being shocked by what little could be offered to her, triggered me into doing a PhD and working in endometriosis research.