Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Today, Ali is talking to Dr. Loree Johnson, @drloreejohnson, a therapist specializing in reproductive health, grief, infertility and pregnancy loss. Loree talks about going through six rounds of IVF and so much more, including finding out in the second trimester that their baby had chromosomal issues—and making the devastating decision to terminate for medical reasons. Loree talks about the grief of that decision, how infertility affected her marriage, and why taking a break to travel was so important to them. Then Ali and Loree discuss trauma, EMDR, black maternal health, and the disparities in health coverage for women everywhere.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; unexplained infertility; stress and anxiety; IUI; TMFR; chemical pregnancy; tubal blockage, ruptured uterus, pregnancy after infertility and loss, rainbow babies.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

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

What an episode! On today's show, Ali and her dear friend Alex Slate, aka @rockabyemaybe about her years-long journey to finally becoming pregnant and staying pregnant—and simultaneously expecting another baby via her beloved surrogate. It's an incredible story, featuring Alex's experiences with and thoughts on her five devastating pregnancy losses, her IUIs, moving to IVF, the Canadian healthcare system vs. the U.S. healthcare system, dealing with anxiety and stress throughout it all, and so much more. Alex also discusses when they decided to use a surrogate, and what happened when both she and the surrogate became pregnant at the same time (she and her surrogate are about 8 weeks apart). 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; unexplained infertility; stress and anxiety; IUI; surrogacy; the Canadian health care system; pregnancy after infertility and loss.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

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 her good friend Kate Knapton, founder of Jojii And Co., about her infertility journey, which ultimately led to having her two children through embryo adoption. Kate talks about finding out her husband had "zero sperm," what happened after his micro-TESE procedure, feeling "so defeated," getting lost in Google rabbit holes and all the anxiety of #TTC. She discusses why they chose to go the embryo adoption route instead of using her eggs with donor sperm, the logistics of adopting an embryo, and grieving their genetics. Kate also discusses pregnancy after infertility, secondary infertility, and why she started Jojii and Co., her jewelry line for #infertilitywarriors. 

See Kate's super rad jewelry at https://jojiiandco.com/

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; male factor infertility; micro-TESE; anxiety; donor eggs; donor sperm; embryo adoption; pregnancy after infertility and loss; secondary infertility; snowflake babies. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

DR. TARA BRANDNER @tarabfertility

Dr. Tara Brandner works as an experienced doctorate nurse practitioner and fertility coach with patients worldwide. Tara has combined her experience as a healthcare professional and personal struggle to help couples navigate their family-building path. She offers a variety of services to fit your needs including a one-time visit, 1:1 coaching, and the Confident Fertility Academy. To find out more or to schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Brandnter, go to tarabfertility.com or direct message her on IG @tarabfertility 

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 IVF mama and fertility coach Ceire about her dream of always having four kids—and how, of course, that dream did not go as planned. Ceire talks about her unexplained infertility and how while doing IVF, she hid all of her fertility treatments from family, friends and co-workers because of shame and her unconscious beliefs of what family-building should look like. She talks about having her twin girls through IVF, a surprise natural pregnancy, and the battles she got into her husband over having a fourth child. She also talks about restricting my diet to veganism, detoxing from endocrine disruptors, and running on autopilot, missing the joy in front of her kids. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; being raised Irish Catholic; unexplained infertility; anxiety; pregnancy after infertility and loss; having twins; veganism; orthorexia; fertility coaching. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

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

Episode 1: Laughing Through Infertility with Karen Jeffries from Hilariously Infertile

It's said that laughter is the best medicine, but does that apply to a fertility journey? This episode's Baby or Bust guest Karen Jeffries certainly thinks so. With an avid social media following and successful book, Karen joins host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine to discuss humor's crucial role in her IVF experience, online community, and book Hilariously Infertile.

From PCOS diagnosis to IUI to IVF, Karen's fertility journey was full of ups, downs, tears, and—intentionally—laughter. Together with host Dr. Shahine, Karen reflects on moments from her family-building experience with unapologetic honesty. With laugh-out-loud stories, this episode will inspire you to choose comedy as a tool for self-care and empowerment.

Today, Ali is talking to Jamie B., a.k.a. Glitter Enthusiast, about the long and winding infertility journey to having her twin boys. Jamie talks about her three IUIs, moving onto IVF, miscarriage, failed transfers, and feeling like everywhere she went, everyone was pregnant. She also talks about being in the "jail of your own anxiety," how being pregnant after infertility is like "waiting for a miscarriage," how watching "The Bachelor" helped while she was grieving, and the importance of therapy. Jamie then discusses the unique style of art she's created, inspired by her own infertility journey, in which she uses sterile IVF needles to create art and decor—much of which winds up in the nurseries of babies who've been wanted so badly for so long. 

For more on Jamie, check out @glitterenthusiast and https://glitterenthusiast.com/

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Miscarriage; infertility; anxiety and grief; IUIs; IVF; failed transfers; unexplained infertility; pregnancy after infertility and loss; marriage; therapy. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

BABY OR BUST

Dr. Lora Shahine's new podcast, BABY OR BUST, features fertility experts and patients who are busting myths, shattering stigmas, and providing best practices to help anyone trying make their baby dream come true. Check it out here: https://babyorbustpodcast.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

Welcome to the Season Four Premiere! Today, Ali is talking to Amanda Knox, who, as many of you know, is the American who spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with whom she shared an apartment. In 2015, Knox was definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, and today, she is a mother to her baby girl, Eureka, a journalist, and the host of her own podcast, Labyrinths. 

And just so you know, this is not a podcast about the aforementioned. Today, Ali and Amanda are talking about Amanda’s own fertility journey, her devastating miscarriage, becoming a mother after loss, the criminal justice system's effect on family building, and the advocacy work she is doing today for wrongfully convincted women (and men) everywhere. 

They also talk about Amanda's four years in prison, and how she was terrified she would never become a mother, even comtemplating suicide. Also covered: How Amanda found love after being "vilified in the press," the anxiety of pregnancy after miscarraige, and how, during her third trimester, she thought she was going to die. 

For more on the work that Amanda is doing, check out sentencingproject.org and her podcast, Labyrinths. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Miscarriage; infertilty; the criminal justice system; wrongful convictions; advocacy work; anxiety and grief; pregnancy after infertility and loss; marriage; trauma. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

MY VITRO

MyVitro has everything you need to get your meds stored safely and organized so you feel confident and in control of your IVF cycle. Use code INFERTILEAF at myvitro.com to get 10% off MyVitro products.

KNOWELL

Fertility, PMS symptoms, cycle regulation, mood, metabolism, skin and hair health are all dictated by hormone balance. Knowell’s daily supplement provides the nutrition support you need to feel your best. Use code IAFKNOWELL for 10% off at KNOWELL.COM

VERACITY

Veracity is a totally new type of skincare brand that is revolutionizing the way we approach caring for our skin. Use code INFERTILEAF20 for 20% off at veracityselfcare.com.

FAMLEE

Famlee is the first and only 50-state fertility telehealth company with at-home hormone labs, 1:1 online clinical visits, and treatment and medications sent straight to your front door. Find out more and use code INFERTILEAF25 at famlee.com/getthekit for 25% OFF.

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

Chelsea and her wife have been trying to grow their family since January 2020. LIke so many others, they were derailed by COVID, and today, she tells Ali all about the rest of her story, including seven failed IUIs, being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, and their first failed round of IVF. She also talks about using three different sperm donors because there was a donor sperm shortage in 2020--and the first two we chose ran out of vials. After their second round of IVF, Chelsea is now pregnant--and she discusses their future plans, as well as the anxiety that comes along with pregnancy after infertility. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; same sex couples; same sex family building; IUI; IVF; donor sperm; unexplained infertility; failed transfers; anxiety; pregnancy after infertility and loss; two moms. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

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's story talks about stillbirth. It's not an easy one, but it's real. And Ali is forever grateful to her guest, Christa, for sharing her first hand experience with infertility, IVF, and the devastating loss of their son, Zeke, who was born still at 27 weeks. Christa, a nurse, talks about how finding out that she and her husband were both genetic carriers for the same disorder, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a hormone disorder, "rocked her world," how IVF was twice as expensive as she was expecting, and the toll fertility and other things took on her marriage. She also talks about the anxiety of pregnancy after infertility, "always waiting for the other shoe to drop," and the worst day of her life, when she had to deliver her stillborn son. She also gives tips on what to do if you know someone who's gone through stillbirth or infant death. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; financial difficulties; infertility trauma; guilt and anxiety; pregnancy after infertility; stillbirths; grieving the loss of a baby. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

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 300 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

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 talks to licensed individual and couples therapist Marly Steinman about her four-year-long infertility journey, including many early losses, an egg quality issue, anxiety, and a lot of guilt. She talks about "sobbing eyes out in the bathroom" while giving herself a shot at a baby shower, financial frustrations, and feeling like it was her fault because her body "wasn't working." She also talks about her own surrogacy journey, welcoming her twins, Jack & Celine, via surrogacy in 2019, and why today, her work includes helping other intended parents navigate their own journeys through surrogacy. 

MORE ABOUT MARLY:

As a licensed marriage & family therapist of 12 years, specializing in fertility issues, Marly decided to use her experience to help other parents navigate what felt like an impossible and uncertain process.

As a surrogacy consultant, Marly’s ambition is to help make parenthood possible for all. From helping you find the right surrogate and or donor, to building a team around you, and guiding you every step of the way, her goal is to facilitate the surrogacy journey, so intended parents can leave the stress behind and focus on what truly matters, growing their family.

See more at www.surrogacybymarly.com. 

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; infertility trauma; poor egg quality; miscarriage and loss; surrogacy; financial issues; the power of community; marital issues; guilt and anxiety; twins. 

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at www.fertilityrally.com. Doors open the 1st of every month. See more on our IG @fertilityrally

VIOS Fertility Institute, @viosfertility

Vios is a different fertility clinic experience built on a foundation of patient-centered care, evidence-based medicine, and innovative technology. With clinic locations throughout Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, the Vios Fertility Institute team understands the challenges of infertility. To learn more about Vios Fertility Institute and schedule your first appointment, visit ViosFertility.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