Infertility And Me: Stories of Infertility Survivors, IVF, & TTC

Tasha Van Howe, a wife, author, and repeated loss mom, shares her tumultuous battle with unexplained infertility that began two years after she and her high school sweetheart & husband married. Tasha goes into great detail about caring for her mom, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's & dementia while going through a complicated pregnancy, newborn loss, repeated grief, IVF, and an unbelievable adoption story to which she and Jeff are still fighting. 

-You can purchase a copy of Tasha's book, Miss Me Always here & connect with her on Instagram!

*It's going down (D)C, (M)aryland, and (V)irginia Friends! Hang with your girl in Annapolis, MD, for our first IRL event: No more Silent Silent Suffering Sip N Party, a fun night of socializing and painting. Since this will be an intimate and PRIVATE party, tickets can only be purchased with this link. Spaces are VERY limited see ya soon!

*Submit your story to Monique for a chance to record and help end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect on Instagram & SUBSCRIBE on YouTube

Support Our Show Sponsors:

*Learn more about the Mosie Baby Kit and read some of the amazing stories from the Mosie Community at try.mosiebaby.com/InfertilityAndMe. *Use code INFERTILITYANDME for [15% off] your order at checkout and join the 100,000 plus families who have included Mosie on their journey to conceive.

Let's face it, infertility and trying to conceive (TTC) can be incredibly costly! Oftentimes, people are forced to walk away to avoid draining their savings or fertility treatments, adoption, surrogacy, and egg/sperm donorship aren't an option financially. From the moment of diagnosis to the extensive research and exploration of various family-building options, it feels like a significant financial burden with no end in sight. 

Non profits mentioned:

• The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation
• Bundle of Joy Fund
• Cozy Warrior

Resources:

• Episode mentioned w/Lauren Makler on AppleiTunes & Spotify about her digital health company Cofertility.
• Article written By Amber Ferguson, reporter/video editor of The Washington Post: Shortage of Black sperm donors in America.
• 'Socioeconomic disparities in fertility treatments and associated likelihood of livebirth following invitro fertilization.'

Hey friend, thank you for tuning in to Infertility And Me Podcast. Connect with me on Instagram and or watch episodes on YouTube. 

• Submit your story to me, Monique for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. 
• You can support the continuation of I.A.M by 'buying me a coffee' on Ko-fi;) 

Support Our Show Sponsors:

*Learn more about the Mosie Baby Kit and read some of the amazing stories from the Mosie Community at try.mosiebaby.com/InfertilityAndMe. *Use code INFERTILITYANDME for [15% off] your order at checkout and join the 100,000 plus families who have included Mosie on their journey to conceive.

In this episode we're joined by Dr. K. Duga for an educational discussion about racial disparities in health care and how it affects Black women while TTC, why functional fertility care is important before or while seeking ART (assisted reproductive care) and advocating for yourself as a patient.

Connect with Dr. Duga on her website or follow her on Instagram to learn more about her services and how she can help YOU.

Submit your story to Monique for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect on Instagram & SUBSCRIBE on YouTube

If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

Infertility can make us feel invisible due to a combination of emotional, social, and cultural factors. In this episode we're discussing reasons we may be feeling this way and learning to identify our triggers.

Overall, infertility is a complex and emotionally charged issue that can leave us feeling invisible, both to others and sometimes even to ourselves. It is essential for society to foster greater empathy, compassion, and support for those going through infertility, creating a more inclusive and understanding environment for individuals and couples on their fertility journey.

Submit your story to me for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & SUBSCRIBE on YouTube

If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

Have you had a rough summer navigating infertility? In this episode I speak about boundary setting, how to prepare yourself for the engagements you've committed to, and the obsessiveness TTC creates in us.

Submit your story to me for a chance to record and end the stigma's surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & watch on YouTube!

If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

You’ve married your college sweetheart and well on your way to creating the life you’ve imagined, together. Some time passes and you've begun TTC. Our guest Steven Miller MS, shares his shocking diagnosis of male factor infertility, and the steps he is taking as a Social Worker to raise awareness about the effects of infertility. 

Follow Steven @sjmiller2024

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If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

Nicole Gomez Fisher shares her devastating endometriosis and scarring diagnosis from previous surgeries at 19 years old. Nicole's right ovary, both fallopian tubes, and part of her left ovary was removed during surgery. After marriage, TTC would be equally arduous for Nicole and her husband's eight year journey. 

What's Discussed:

1. Endometriosis
2. Surgical removal of reproductive organs.
3. 00:17:45:00- Egg donorship & Jealousy.
4. Loss
5. Surrogacy 
6. 00:19:00- "Good Egg" film's conception.
7. 00:24:00- Difficulties bonding after birth & adoption.
8. 00:26:40- Being LatinX and infertile.

• Nicole Gomez Fisher, writer, and director of "Good Egg" film. 

 " A woman struggling to get pregnant becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld with her potential egg donor."

Submit your story to me via email at [email protected] for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & watch on YouTube

If IAM podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. This helps us become more visible to friends who may be silently suffering with infertility too!

In this episode, Monique chats with instagram advocate Sabrina De Lellis. Sabrina has been TTC since 2019 and has stage four endometriosis. Before meeting her current partner, Sabrina began TTC in her previous marriage. She and her partner are still in the thick of TTC and figuring out what their next steps will be.@ivf_baby_d

In this episode we discuss:

Endometriosis, low ovarian reserve, & andenomyosis.

Embryo adoption

Unsuccessful IVF cycles.

Miscarriage.

Submit your story to me via email at [email protected] for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & watch on YouTube

If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

Imagine your doctor discovers signs of ovarian cancer during a routine ultrasound to prepare for an IVF embryo transfer, what would you do, how would you respond? In 2019, Jenny Lowe was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in the midst of her first round of IVF after four unsuccessful IUI cycles; she was 34 years old. 

Jenny also shares with us the day she tested positive for BRCA Gene Mutation, also known as BReast CAncer gene. Every human carries these genes. For a small percentage, their BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes mutate. As a result of her illness, she lost the ability to carry a baby and have genetic ties to future children.

Jenny shares what it was like to overcome ovarian cancer, the process of finding a surrogate, and the surprising volunteer surrogates. Just when the storm begins to clear, surrogacy would prove to be tumultuous too. 

To raise awareness Jenny wrote a memoir called Saved By Hope-affectionately named after her daughter. Snag your copy of Jenny's book, here! Follow Jenny on Instagram

Grab a copy of Jenny’s book here!

Submit your story to me via email at [email protected] for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & watch on YouTube

If this podcast has helped you, please consider leaving a 5 star Rating & Review on Apple iTunes or Spotify. Ratings & Reviews help increase the show's visibility so that we can reach more friends who may be silently suffering too!

In this episode, Monique chats with Megan Whiting. Megan and her husband were diagnosed with unexplained infertility in 2016, after several years of marriage. Meghan describes her experience through infertility as deeply traumatizing and life long. 

Megan Whiting is the Founder of the Pursuit of Rainbows Foundation and an advocate for Resolve. It is Megan's mission to spread infertility awareness, educate, and use her title as Mrs. Ohio International 2022 to give voice to the silent sufferers everywhere.

Key Moments: 

00:00:00- Intro

00:03:21- Meet Megan

00:09:24-Unexplained infertility & the emotional impact.

00:13:55- What does a life without children look like?

00:15:39- There's value in the pause & rest.

00:19:34- Miscarriage.

00:21:11- Pregnancy after infertility.

0:27:47- The right to family building. 

Submit your story to me via email at [email protected] for a chance to record and end the stigma surrounding infertility. Connect with me on Instagram & watch on YouTube