“Keep wiping those tears away. Just remember that the storms are going to make you stronger. God is so close to the broken-hearted and if you can slow down and listen I am confident that you will hear Him.” -Traci

Today’s podcast guest is Traci. She is a Management and Program Analyst at the National Institutes of Health. When she isn’t working or spending time with her family, she researches infertility and pregnancy loss for her blog, Road2Motherhood. She is a military spouse currently based in Stuttgart, Germany.

During the first year of trying to conceive, Traci became pregnant twice but miscarried both times. Her doctor discovered she had a balanced translocation, and she consulted with a genetic counsellor about how to best move forward. A month later, further testing revealed she had Factor V Leiden and bladder cancer. The tumour was quickly removed and she began chemotherapy. Join us to hear how Traci found out she was pregnant with her rainbow baby a week before she was to begin IVF.

I’m thrilled to have Traci on the podcast, sharing her amazing journey of miscarriage, genetic & clotting issues, and surviving bladder cancer. Follow along Traci’s journey on her blog and on her Instagram @road2motherhood.

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As a companion to Amanda’s story, Mary is diving into hydrosalpinx.

Hydrosalpinx refers to a fallopian tube that’s blocked with a watery fluid. To break down the term, “hydro” means water and “salpinx” means fallopian tube. This condition is typically caused by a previous pelvic or sexually transmitted infection, a condition like endometriosis, or previous surgery. Although some women don’t experience any symptoms, others may experience constant or frequent pain in the lower abdomen or unusual vaginal discharge.

An academic review examined 5,592 women undergoing IVF. Of these women, 1,004 had untreated hydrosalpinx, and 4,588 had another type of untreated tubal blockage. Between these two groups, doctors performed 8,703 total embryo transfers. The following success rates were observed between the two groups:

* Women with untreated hydrosalpinx had a pregnancy rate of 19.67 percent versus 31.2 percent for women with other types of blockages (the control group).

* Implantation rates were 8.53 percent for women with untreated hydrosalpinx compared to 13.68 percent in the control.

* Delivery rates for women with untreated hydrosalpinx were 13.4 percent versus 23.4 percent for women with other types of blockage.

* Women with untreated hydrosalpinx saw higher rates of early pregnancy loss — 43.65 percent — versus 31.11 percent for the control group.

Your ability to get pregnant with a hydrosalpinx will vary depending on the severity of your blockage and your treatment choice. Without treatment, pregnancy is possible, but chances of complications, like miscarriage, are higher. With treatment, the outlook is much better, especially with IVF. Your doctor is your best resource for information about your specific case and can help guide you to the treatment option that may work best for you.

This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe!

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

“Be your own advocate and be more involved with what’s going on with you!” - Amanda

Today’s podcast guest is Amanda from West Texas. She and her husband have been trying to conceive since 2018. Amanda tells Mary about her fertility journey with 8 rounds of Clomid. She was diagnosed with bilateral tubal blockage with hydrosalpinx. She later had surgery in 2019 to repair one fallopian tube and was diagnosed with endometriosis. Amanda did 2 IUIs in January and February 2020. Her fertility timeline was disrupted due to COVID and she is taking it day by day. She eventually plans on doing an HSG (dye test) and IVF later in the year.

Amanda has improved her diet and has seen improvements in the number of follicles developing. She focused on better portion sizes, lean meats, and increased varieties of vegetables. She is exercising more and is trying to decrease stress.

I’m thrilled to have Amanda on the podcast, sharing her journey of bilateral tubal blockage with hydrosalpinx, endometriosis, and IUI. Follow along Amanda’s journey on Instagram @infertility_journeytobabyc

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

Follow Dr. Mary on Instagram @fertilityfundamentals.

As a companion episode to Anisa’s story, Mary dives deep on the topic of miscarriage—especially the emotional impact of miscarriage.

Miscarriage or early pregnancy loss is more common than most people imagine, with as many as one in every four pregnancies ending this way. A miscarriage is the term used to explain the loss of a pregnancy in the first 23 weeks. Later loss is known as a stillbirth.

Abdominal cramps (ranging from a dull ache to severe pain) and bleeding are the first signs of miscarriage. On the other hand, some women have no symptoms at all and may only learn that their pregnancy has come to an end when it is detected during a routine scan.There are three options for women who would prefer to actively manage their miscarriage. These are medication, surgical procedure (D & C), or induced labour.

If you’ve been affected by miscarriage, speaking to a counsellor can give you an opportunity to express and accept your feelings about what has happened, in your own time.

Although it’s easier said than done, it’s important to remind yourself that your miscarriage is highly unlikely to have occurred as a direct result of anything that you did or did not do.

This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe!

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

“Everybody’s story is very different. To say that my story is invalid, just because I could get pregnant is not true. We compare our stories a lot and hope that we end up like so and so or hope we DON’T end up like so and so. Your story is valuable no matter where you end up. Someone is going to listen to it and be inspired. We’re all in this together!” -Anisa

Today’s podcast guest is from Tucson, Arizona. Anisa tells Mary about her miscarriage after announcing her pregnancy. She dealt with a lot of self-blame and doubt afterward. She talks about the pain and the physical ordeal of going through a miscarriage. It was hard and traumatic, like a nightmare. She was in a state of disbelief that it was happening to her. Anisa and her husband were able to find some comfort through burying their child. She also leaned on the support of their family and through prayer and Scripture. Anisa talks about feeling broken, numb, and empty afterward.

Anita is pregnant once more (yay!) Before she and her husband tried again, she took prenatal vitamins, went for walks, and tried to decrease stress and negative self-talk. She tries to enjoy everyday and tries to be present and mindful.

I’m thrilled to have Anisa on the podcast, sharing her amazing story of miscarriage and loss. Thank you so much for sharing your story. We see you, we hear you and we acknowledge your loss. Follow along Anisa’s journey on Instagram @i_have_an_angel_baby.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

As a companion episode to Amy’s story, Mary talks about fibroids and how it can affect fertility.

Fibroids are benign, or noncancerous, muscular tumors that grow inside the uterine cavity—on the uterine wall or outer surfaces—or on organs inside the pelvic cavity such as the bladder or bowel. Fibroids usually occur during a woman’s reproductive years, most commonly from the ages of 30 to 40.

Fibroids usually don’t cause fertility problems, but here is how they can.

* They can change the shape of the cervix or the uterus, both of which can affect the ability of the sperm or fertilized egg to enter the uterus or to move properly.

* Fibroids can block fallopian tubes.

* They may cause the lining of the uterine cavity to change.

* Fibroids can also affect the blood flow to the uterine cavity which can decrease the embryo’s ability to implant, or adhere to the uterine wall.

Oftentimes your fertility doctor will discuss the size and location of your fibroids with you, as well as any problems they may be causing and possible treatment options, if necessary.

This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe!

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

“Don’t give up and know your body. It helped me a lot. I started learning more about my body and I started asking questions and doing research about what works best for me and my husband. If it doesn’t work for you, stop, do your research and get back at it. Don’t give up on faith. You’d be surprised how far faith will get you and believe in and standing on your word, not listening to everybody. Not everybody knows what’s going on. They may not have bad intentions and they may not know that (what they’re saying) is hurting you. And even for doctors, maybe sometimes you need a second opinion.” -Amy

Amy tells Mary about her TTC journey since 2014. She first got pregnant in 2016 after years of trying to conceive naturally. However, she experienced spotting and unfortunately miscarried. After testing, Amy was diagnosed with fibroids, which the doctors believed was the reason behind the miscarriage. Amy felt hurt, emotional, sad. In 2017, she underwent a myomectomy to remove the fibroids. She recovered well and got pregnant again in 2019. Amy felt nervous and tried to stay on top of her health. However, she later lost her son prematurely due to an incompetent cervix. She was able to cope with this incredible loss through her faith in God and the support of her husband and her family.

Amy felt that really getting to know her body and knowing what worked for her body helped her conceive. She took Vitamins A, C, E, Blood Builder, beet powder, probiotics, seed cycling, and changed her diet. She ate more fresh food. She cut out soda and sugar and increased hydration. She lost weight and normalized her blood pressure. She also changed her mindset. She told herself that she will get pregnant and purposefully prayed and manifested her goal.

I’m thrilled to have Amy on the podcast, sharing her amazing story of fibroids, miscarriage, and loss due to an incompetent cervix. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Follow along Amy’s journey on Instagram @theinfertilebump.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

Follow Dr. Mary on Instagram @fertilityfundamentals.

As a companion episode to Kandi’s story, Mary is talking about INVOcell. This is a new fertility treatment option that could reduce the costs for couples trying to conceive.

Eggs and sperm are placed in the inner chamber of the INVOcell device. The inner chamber is placed inside the protective outer shell of the INVOcell device. This is closed and locked and placed inside the vaginal cavity for 3 days using the INVOcell retention system. Fertilization and early embryo development occurs inside of the woman’s body. After 3 days, the INVOcell is withdrawn by the specialist and the embryos are observed under a microscope. The best embryo or embryos are then transferred into the uterus.

If you have additional questions about INVOcell, talk to your fertility specialist. They can help you understand how this therapy could help you achieve your dream of having a baby. Further, INVOcell Bioscience (the makers of INVOcell), have an extensive list of FAQs on their site: https://www.invocell.com. These can help you learn more about this fertility system.

This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe!

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

“I know it seems impossible and like it’s very far away, but you just have to have faith and know that God is still working miracles. That’s what I have to keep telling myself, just have faith. You can’t just thank Him for the good things. You have to thank Him for the bad things. Without the bad things, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”

-Kandi

Kandi tells Mary about her difficult relationship with her abusive ex-husband and leaving him for the sake of the her daughters. She has 2 daughters from her previous marriage and they have been going through a tough custody battle. She is now with a supportive husband. She had a miscarriage, which was incredibly difficult. Now they are trying to conceive with the help of Invocell— a new fertility treatment option. But this has been put on hold due to COVID.

In order to stay healthy, Kandi shares that she eats a lot of vegetables everyday and stays hydrated. She drinks Fertility tea and red raspberry leaf tea. She exercises regularly like ab workouts, prenatal workouts, yoga, and meditation when feeling stressed.

I’m thrilled to have Kandi on the podcast, sharing her amazing story of Invocell treatment. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Follow along Kandi’s journey on Instagram @kandi_ttc_journey.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.

Follow Dr. Mary on Instagram @fertilityfundamentals.

As a companion episode to Natalie’s story (Episode 3), Mary dives in and educates us on what MRKH is and how it affects fertility.

MRKH syndrome is the common name for Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. MRKH syndrome is a condition where young women are born either without a vagina or uterus or with an underdeveloped vagina and uterus.

MRKH affects at least one in 4500 women. There are two types and this condition can be diagnosed with imaging such as MRI or ultrasound or through laparoscopic surgery.

Some patient support and advocacy resources are:

Beautiful You MRKH (https://www.beautifulyoumrkh.org)

Accord Alliance (http://www.accordalliance.org)

National Organization of Rare Disorders (https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/mayer-rokitansky-kuster-hauser-syndrome/)

This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe!

If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.