Steph runs the website ivfyou.com, where she blogs about her fertility journey and the troubles she has faced along the way. She recently found out that she’s gotten pregnant through IVF. On this episode of the podcast, I talk to her about what it was like to find out she was pregnant and how she dealt with her fears in early pregnancy. We also discuss why she stopped taking pregnancy tests, whether or not you should transport sperm samples in your bra and what it was like to undergo fertility treatment while her husband was often away for military service.

Top quotes:

Steph: “I tried to tell myself this when I was going through the thick of it. Seeing, o gosh another pregnancy announcement on Facebook. Something that I found useful was telling myself “I don’t know their story. I don’t the struggle, I don’t know what they went through.”

Steph: “I found it very helpful to journal. Especially if I had a really negative thought, I found it very therapeutic to write it down so it’s not attached to my brain so much and get it out on paper.”

Steph: “Trust that whatever you’re doing, you’re doing enough.”

Book recommendation: “The Trying Game” by Amy Klein

About Steph R.:

Steph R. started IVFyou.com to be both a documentation of her story, as well as a wealth of resources and interesting topics regarding (in)fertility. From Arkansas to Hawaii to Maryland, Steph and her partner have been through the gauntlet of reproductive health. She’s learned a lot in the process, and she wanted to consolidate her findings into a single place. You can also find her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ivfyou_2022/