Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Today, Ali is talking to Stephanie Levich, founder of Family Match, a fertility consulting firm for A-List celebrities, CEOs, and prominent sports and political figures who require extra support and privacy as they navigate their family-building journeys. Stephanie talks about growing up as one of three adopted children, how and when her parents told her she was adopted, and how she has worked in the fertility industry for more than 20 years. She also talks about finding herself in the throes of infertility when it came time to build her family, and what happened when she went through IVF. Stephanie also tells Ali about the children's book she wrote, "From the Start," about building families through assisted reproductive technology.

For more, check out

www.familymatchconsulting.com

www.fromthestartbook.com

Follow Stephanie at:

@familymatchconsulting

@stephanielevich

@fromthestartbook

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE

Adoption; talking to kids about adoption; fertility; infertility; surrogacy; red flags when it comes to surrogacy. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 4 support groups per week, 3 private Facebook groups, tons of curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali is talking to Cory Silverberg, sex educator and the author of You Know, Sex, a graphic style book that The NY Times recently called one of "The Books about Sex that Every Family Should Read." and Ali could not agree more. The New York Times Book review says, "Silverberg's writing is fearless . . . Here is that rare voice that can talk about the hardest things kids go through in ways that are thoughtful, lighthearted and always respectful of their intelligence." Ali and Cory talk about all of it, including how You Know, Sex is the first thoroughly modern sex education book for every body, covering not only the big three of puberty—hormones, reproduction, and development—but also power, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being. They also talk about the lack of good education we all got (and are still getting), talking to kids about fertility, infertility, and miscarriage -- and so much more. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE

Miscarriage; fertility; infertility; sex education; hormones; reproduction; pleasure; being a decent human being; LGBTQ family building. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 4 support groups per week, 3 private Facebook groups, tons of curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Today, Ali is talking to Catie and Ryan, who she met when Catie joined the Fertility Rally family. Catie and Ryan talk about everything that lead up to having their baby, who is actually going to be here any day now — from unexplained infertility to five IUIs to Ryan's "super sperm" to miscarriage to the anxieties of pregnancy after loss. Ryan also talks about writing his book, "Finally! An infertility Book for Dudes," which is funny, relatable and so necessary in this infertility landscape. 

Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/FINALLY-Infertility-Book-Dudes-Perspective/dp/B0B2TP64FM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ERAIP4F4X4PF&keywords=finally+an+infertility+book+for+dudes&qid=1661975450&sprefix=finally+an+infer%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Unexplained infertility; IUI; IVF; Clomid; sperm health; miscarriage; pregnancy after miscarriage; pregnancy after loss; men talking about infertility. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 4 support groups per week, 3 private Facebook groups, tons of curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

BEEBIZY

Beebizy, the #1 party planning app, was founded by mom of two, Laila Marshall, who struggled with the party planning process for various occasions. Whether it's for bachelorette parties, wedding showers, dog birthday parties or more, let Beebizy do all the legwork for you. Interested in a little more hands-on help? Beebizy also offers in-house event planners to make sure you don’t need to lift a finger! Check out www.beebizy.com, 

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali is talking to Ajima, who is calling from Belgium to share her very complicated family building story. It starts when Ajima's doctor went in to remove some fibroids, and mistakenly amputated her cervix, rendering her infertile. It also includes another traumatic medical experience, when Ajima's sister-in-law, who had agreed to be Ajima's surrogate, became paralyzed after receiving an epidural. This is not only a story about infertility and surrogacy, it's a story about racial disparities when it comes to black maternal health, of the injustice of medical mistreatment, and so much more. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Fibroids; cervical amputation; infertility; ovarian cysts; IVF; surrogacy; epidural; medical mistreatment; black maternal health disparities. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 4 support groups per week, 3 private Facebook groups, tons of curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali is talking to Allison, whose story begins with a diagnosis of leukemia at the age of three years old. Allison talks about her diagnosis, going through chemo and radiation, and getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant from her sister, who was just one year old at the time. Now a childhood cancer survivor, she talks about how her treatment came into play when it came time to try to have babies. She describes having heavy bleeding and cysts on her ovaries, deciding to freeze her eggs, and going through two unsuccessful rounds of IVF, because "there weren't any eggs to extract at that point." She talks about having a hysterectomy, using an egg donor and a surrogate to have her baby girl, and how today, she is the manager of the egg donor program at Conceiveabilities, helping others navigate egg donation and more. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Leukemia; childhood cancer; infertility; ovarian cysts; IVF; egg freezing; failed cycles; hysterectomy; egg donation; surrogacy.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

INCIRCLE FERTILITY @incirclefertility

Abbe Feder founded InCircle fertility after her own 6 year struggle with infertility. InCircle provides a holistic approach – from guidance on planning and decision making, to patient advocacy and day-to-day emotional support. All of this from someone who’s BEEN THERE.

InCircle is giving Infertile AF listeners a free 30 minute support session - check out https://www.incirclefertility.com/aliaf Again, use code ALIAF for a free 30 min session. I really can’t recommend her enough.

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cheyna Roth is a Senior producer at Slate, where she produces podcasts for a living. Ali first heard about her and her story when she talked about her own infertility struggles on a podcast that she frequently co-hosts, called "The Waves." 

Today, she shares that story with us, talking about endometriosis, the random places she's injected meds in her ass, retrievals, transfers, IUIs, miscarriage, pregnancy after loss, secondary infertility and so much more. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; endometriosis; IUI; IVf; egg retrievals; embryo transfers; secondary infertility; pregnancy after loss; grief; guilt. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

INCIRCLE FERTILITY @incirclefertility

Abbe Feder founded InCircle fertility after her own 6 year struggle with infertility. InCircle provides a holistic approach – from guidance on planning and decision making, to patient advocacy and day-to-day emotional support. All of this from someone who’s BEEN THERE. 

InCircle is giving Infertile AF listeners a free 30 minute support session - check out https://www.incirclefertility.com/aliaf Again, use code ALIAF for a free 30 min session. I really can’t recommend her enough. 

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Michelle V. is the proud mom of her angel baby Sweet Pea, who she lost due to miscarriage, her angel daughter Colette Louise who she lost at nine days old, and her only living child, her rainbow baby, Elliott Miguel. Today she tells Ali all about her journey, including infertility, miscarriage, giving birth to her daughter at just 24 weeks, their nine-day stay in the NICU, the devastating loss of Colette, and so much more. She's also going to tell us about how she and her husband founded The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, whose mission is to improve outcomes of pregnancy, childbirth, prematurity, and infancy, as well as aid in the grieving process through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; miscarriage; IUIs; NICU; infant loss; grief; advocacy. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire community of more than 400 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali is talking to Miscarriage Awareness advocate Chauncey Ellis about her two very different losses. Chauncey talks about growing up as part of the LDS church, how she was one of eight children in her family, and having her first daughter at a young age. She also talks about trying again seven years later, the two miscarriages she experienced, the grief she deals with to this day, and later, having another daughter, named Indigo. Today, Chauncey is a huge cheerleader for others in the #TTCcommunity, sharing education, advice and her own experiences. Follow her @chaunceyellis 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Miscarriage; multiple miscarriages; meditation; grief; pregnancy after loss. 

EPISODE SPONSOR:

THE CLASS. 

The Class is a fun and challenging workout that combines strength-training, cardio, and mindfulness to help you feel better. Check out The Class’ recent Fertility Series, backed by CCRM. Whether you’re curious about conceiving or actively trying to have a child, The Fertility Series strengthens your mind-body connection so you can maintain your wellbeing wherever you are on the fertility journey. This series includes conversations, meditations, and no-impact workouts that emotionally and mentally support you where medicine, society, and well-meaning loved ones fall short.

The best part? Infertile AF listeners can get an exclusive, 30-day free trial by going to theclass.com/infertileaf

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at www.fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month. See more on our IG @fertilityrally

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali is talking to Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd about the secondary infertility journey she is currently experiencing, after she and her husband, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, another DWTS pro, had their son, Shai, who is now five years old. Peta talks about her three miscarriages, dealing with loss in the middle of her Dancing with the Stars season, why she felt embarrassed and ashamed by having miscarriages, why she feels it's so important to talk about it now, how she and Maks have dealt with it together, and what happened when she started IVF this past June. She also talks about balancing work with raising a family (and the regrets she has in that area), wondering how and why miscarriage could happen to her, listening to her gut, why she thought IVF was "a broken woman-type of thing" and how her body and mind have responded so far during her IVF journey. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; secondary infertility; miscarriage; multiple miscarriages; IVF; egg retrievals; relationship issues; advocating for oneself; shame and embarrassment. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

PROOV

Today’s episode is sponsored by Proov, a women’s health company dedicated to providing information and solutions on key fertility hormones so they can reach their goals faster. The best part is that they’re giving Infertile AF listeners a special discount code. Go to proovtest.com, enter the code ALI25, and you’ll get 25% off your first Proov order of $25 or more.

EXTEND FERTILITY

Extend Fertility--co-founded by Ali's brilliant doctor, Joshua U. Klein, believes in being personal and data driven. They’re passionate about delivering fertility care in a more compassionate and transparent way. To help proactively explore your fertility options, Extend Fertility has an exclusive offer for all Infertile AF listeners. If you schedule a consultation and mention that you are a Infertile AF listener, you will receive $500 off your first IVF or egg freezing cycle. Visit extendfertility.com and mention Infertile AF.

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at www.fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month. See more on our IG @fertilityrally

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode, Ali talks to Ashley Gildin Spitzer about her four-year-long infertility journey, which ended with she calls her "twiblings," two babies born four months apart. Ashley starts with her diagnosis of hypothalamic amenorrhea (loss of her period), then talks about her IUI which ended in a blighted ovum. She then talks about her IVF journey, which included several retrievals, several transfers, and several devastating losses. She talks about seeing an immunologist, going gluten and dairy-free, and what happened when they pivoted to looking for a surrogate. She then explains how, in a wild twist, she became pregnant, and so did her surrogate--and how the two babies were born four months apart. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; hypothalamic amenorrhea; IUIs; IVF; accupuncture; surrogacy; miscarriage; immunology; ReceptivaDX; blighted ovum; chemical pregnancy; ectopic pregnancy; twiblings; NICU babies. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

KINDBODY

Kindbody is so forward-thinking, they've recently merged with our good friends at Vios Fertility Institute - some of the best in the business in my opinion. From now until September 5, Kindbody is offering priority access to fertility treatment during your summer break with an exclusive $1500 discount on egg freezing or IVF plus $100 off your first appointment.

Educators work tirelessly to take care of others all year and this is one way Kindbody can say "thanks".

Visit Kindbody.com/teacher-promo for details and exclusions, and to get your discount code for $1500 off egg freezing or IVF plus $100 off your first appointment.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy