Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Amy Beckley, who has a PhD in pharmacology and an expertise in hormone signaling, had trouble conceiving for more than three years before turning to IVF to have her son. But when she decided she didn't know if she could handle the physical and emotional challenges of another round of IVF, she began tracking her own hormone levels, suspecting she had a problem with ovulation—causing her to lose pregnancy after pregnancy. Today, she talks to Ali about creating a game-changing fertility product called Proov in her basement, how she finally had another child, and why IVF is not the "Band-Aid" so many people make it out to be.

Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or who are building modern families in “non-traditional” ways. The space is for anyone seeking support, information, inclusion, humor, kick ass virtual and IRL events, and fun discounts on the journey of infertility and parenthood. To start your Free 7-Day Trial or join now, go to fertilityrally.com

Today we are partnering with Proov, the first 5 minute, at-home progesterone test to confirm ovulation. Go to proovtest.com, enter the code INFERTILEAF20, and you’ll get 20% off your first order.  

Andrea Syrtash is a dating and relationship expert, a published author, a television host and an on-air personality. She's also the founder of Pregnantish, an online magazine that helps people navigate the realities of infertility and fertility treatments. Today, she tells Ali all about the eight years and 18 fertility treatments she went through, including getting ghosted by two potential surrogates, before her cousin stepped in and offered to be her gestational carrier--resulting in her healthy baby girl.

Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or who are building modern families in “non-traditional” ways. The space is for anyone seeking support, information, inclusion, humor, kick ass virtual and IRL events, and fun discounts on the journey of infertility and parenthood. To start your Free 7-Day Trial or join now, go to fertilityrally.com

This episode, I'm partnering with NYU Langone Fertility Center. Join the thousands of families who've placed their trust in the experts at NYU Langone Fertility Center. When you're ready to explore your options, they're ready to help you build your family. For more information, check out their website fertilityny.org, Instagram @Fertility_NY, or call 212-263-8990.

Mathilde Froustey is a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and one of the best dancers in the world. Born in Bordeaux, France, Mathilde started dancing at the age of 9 and trained at the Marselle National School of Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Today, even though she says, "In the dance world, infertility is a taboo subject," she comes out to Ali about her personal struggles with infertility and more, including battling an eating disorder, being body shamed while going through IVF, and life in general in the highly competitive world of professional dance. “No one talks about this in the dance world,” Mathilde says. Well, they do now.

Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or who are building modern families in “non-traditional” ways. The space is for anyone seeking support, information, inclusion, humor, kick ass virtual and IRL events, and fun discounts on the journey of infertility and parenthood. To start your Free 7-Day Trial or join now, go to fertilityrally.com

Today we are partnering with Proov, the first 5 minute, at-home progesterone test to confirm ovulation. Go to proovtest.com, enter the code INFERTILEAF20, and you’ll get 20% off your first order. 

This episode, I'm partnering with NYU Langone Fertility Center. Join the thousands of families who've placed their trust in the experts at NYU Langone Fertility Center. When you're ready to explore your options, they're ready to help you build your family. For more information, check out their website fertilityny.org, Instagram @Fertility_NY, or call 212-263-8990.

Today, Ali talks to Nichelle Sublett, Mrs. North Carolina 2018, about the five painful years of infertility she endured—and why she chose to spread awareness about infertility after winning the pageant. Nichelle is finally pregnant with a baby boy, due at the end of August, and here she recalls her "horrible" path, including PCOS, five miscarriages, IVF, considering a surrogate, marital strain, and why, in the African-American community, infertility and pregnancy loss "just aren't talked about."

Today, Ali talks to Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo, a stand-up comedian, OG infertility advocate and mom of two, about her long path to parenthood.

Included:

IVF and how Clomid made her act like The Hulk, the uterine polyp she named "Jackson Polyp," going through couple's counseling and how her pregnancy announcement in 2014 ignited a Twitter war.

Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone’s who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or who are building modern families in “non-traditional” ways. The space is for anyone seeking support, information, inclusion, humor, kick ass virtual and IRL events, and fun discounts on the journey of infertility and parenthood. Think of it as 24/7 therapy—but unconventional and fun. (To be clear, we’re not licensed therapists, but we’ve both been there, and we know how you feel.)

To sign up, go to fertilityrally.com

This episode, I'm partnering with NYU Langone Fertility Center. Join the thousands of families who've placed their trust in the experts at NYU Langone Fertility Center. When you're ready to explore your options, they're ready to help you build your family. For more information, check out their website fertilityny.org, Instagram @Fertility_NY, or call 212-263-8990.

Josephine Atluri is a meditation teacher and a badass mom of FIVE kids. Today, she talks to Ali about how she always wanted a big family, and how she and her husband built their modern family in many different ways, including international adoption, IVF and surrogacy. She also talks about how, due to a lack of control, she developed the eating disorder bulimia during her infertility journey, and how she overcame that and is healthy today.

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This episode, I'm partnering with Pacific Fertility Center, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area has welcomed more than 10,000 babies through IVF, IUI and egg donation. For more info, check out IG: @pacificfertilitycenter, email [email protected] or call 415-834-3000 

Paula Rallis is an amazing woman who flips houses, flies planes, interior decorates and runs a chic lifestyle blog (www.paularallis.com) and IG account, @paularallis. In this episode, she tells Ali all about how, after a year of trying to have a baby and being unsuccessful, she found out she was born with a very rare medical condition in which she has only half of her reproductive system. After going through IVF and even more heartbreak, Paula explains how she and her husband found a surrogate to carry their healthy baby girl.

On today's episode, we're partnering with Circle Surrogacy, which is celebrating 25 years of making parenthood possible for heterosexual and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Circle partners with their surrogates, intended parents and egg donors until they achieve success together. Learn more at circlesurrogacy.com or by emailing [email protected]

I'm also partnering with Pacific Fertility Center, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area has welcomed more than 10,000 babies through IVF, IUI and egg donation. For more info, check out IG: @pacificfertilitycenter, email [email protected] or call 415-834-3000 

Today, Ali is talking to Amy, who, after 18 months of trying and more than 540 ovulation tests (yes, she counted!), finally had her son. Amy explains how a misdiagnosis of PCOS lasted for six years before she realized she didn't have it after all, the pressures she felt to have kids as an Indian woman, and why she and her husband didn't want to do anything invasive. She also tells us about inventing OOVA, a groundbreaking ovulation test for women that's now on the market.

BetterHelp Exclusive Offer: If you're struggling with life's challenges, try BetterHelp, the leading provider of online counseling, with over 4,000 licensed counselors and therapists. You can talk to someone through video calls, real-time phone calls, text or direct messages. Get 10% OFF at trybetterhelp.com/infertileaf

This episode, I'm partnering with Pacific Fertility Center, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area has welcomed more than 10,000 babies through IVF, IUI and egg donation. For more info, check out IG: @pacificfertilitycenter, email [email protected] or call 415-834-3000 

You might know journalist Amy Klein from Fertility Diary, the column she wrote in the New York Times about her infertility journey. Today, Ali is talking to Amy about everything she went through—including nine rounds of IVF, four miscarriages, two rabbis and one reproductive immunologist—before finally having her daughter in 2015. Amy also talks about finding (and affording) a clinic, baby envy, and when it's time to move on. 

A lot has happened to Whitney Port since you first met her on MTV's The Hills and The City. She married Timmy, the love of her life, became an entrepreneur, started a podcast, With Whit, and had a son named Sonny. Today, she talks to Ali about the miscarriage that "rocked her world"—and how it brought up feelings of guilt, confusion, heartbreak and even selfishness. She also talks about not being sure if they're going to have another kid — and if she'll ever let Sonny watch her live out her 20s on reality TV.

This episode is sponsored by Peanut, a social network for women. Peanut provides a community for women (who are trying to conceive) to build friendships, find support and learn from one another. Download Peanut for free in the app store or click https://www.peanut-app.io/.