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

We are joined today by career woman, wife, and infertility advocate Krystle Chavez. Krystle was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and hydrosalspinx while engaged to her now-husband. A year after surgery to correct hydrosalpinx, Krystle began having severe pain and the fluid had returned with a vengeance. June of 2020, Krystle's right fallopian tube was removed completely. She has had three unsuccessful IUI's (intrauterine insemination) and is in the midst of her first IVF treatment cycle. Krystle says she has faced emotional obstacles such as shame, guilt, and jealousy but it was not until last year that all of the emotional and mental struggles she tucked under the rug exploded outwardly.

She often questioned God, why not us? Cultural belief systems played a huge role in Krystle and her husband sharing openly about infertility in their personal lives, creating a YouTube channel to document their story, and an Instagram page. Krystle describes leaning on her faith in God as an anchor and the only thing keeping her grounded on most days. 

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Imagine you are single, hold a high-profile position for an elected official, and have been TTC for four years. Today's anonymous guest is Denise. Denise has had her fair share of ups and downs over the last four years when she decided she would try to conceive on her own. She has survived multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, blocked fallopian tubes, and the partial removal of fibroid tumors. 

Denise has been to four reproductive endocrinologists because none will provide care for her unless she loses weight. She felt none of them truly respected her and only saw her as a type ie. a black woman who is plus size. It was then that Denise decided she would take matters into her own hands and sought the help of a midwife who referred her to a doctor that specialized in all body types. 

Email Monique if you would like to share on the podcast as an Anonymous guest. [email protected]

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Are you taking a forced or deliberate pause from trying to conceive through IVF treatment, IUI's, or trying to conceive naturally? Today's guests are Jasmine, Blanca, and Audrey: a group of friends who are the creators of the Infertilidad Latina Podcast. Today the ladies share their infertility diagnosis', struggles with finding community before becoming friends, why two of them are on a break from trying to conceive, and the process of surrogacy abroad.

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Bethany Jewell, a fertility yoga instructor was diagnosed with secondary infertility. Bethany became pregnant with her son very easily and quickly after marrying her husband. She shares in this episode what the last six years have been like trying to conceive a second child, and letting go of common labels such as "infertile." We also discuss the intense anxieties we feel while in the wait.

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Are you someone who has A-type personality traits or considers themself an over-achiever? If so, today's episode with Jessi Shuraleff will surely resonate with you. Jessi shares her struggle to motherhood after being diagnosed with unexplained infertility and how difficult it was to shed her perfectionist tendencies, and navigate working in corporate America. Jessi says her biggest lessons were letting go of things that were out of her control, asking for help, and taking the mask off of infertility. 

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It's thirty days after you've taken your vows, and you're being rushed into the emergency room by your new spouse. The pain in your abdomen is intolerable. This is no fiction story, it is the beginning of Ashley Hardy's long road to motherhood. Doctors told Ashley and her husband, that she was suffering from hydrosalpinx in both Fallopian tubes, and she would not be able to have children naturally. Of course, not knowing what that meant, she panicked. Ashley followed up with her ob/GYN and he echoed their sentiments but wanted to be sure with an HSG test. One tube was completely blocked and she had that removed.

Ashley's doctor attributed the scar tissue and blockage to a fibroid removal surgery 8 years prior. She had a massive fibroid that was causing a lot of issues. Ashley was also diagnosed with PCOS. Since she had one open fallopian tube, insurance insisted she complete 4 rounds of IUI, which were unsuccessful. She was later approved for IVF. During egg retrieval, doctors discovered an issue with the remaining fallopian tube and it was removed before moving forward. 

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Meaghan Shaffer describes walking away from further IVF treatment as feeling utterly exhausted and wanting to completely withdraw. She shares her struggle with thoughts of "just one more time," as many of us do.

Meaghan says she felt like she owed her husband a different life; a world without the constant obsession of TTC. She feels for her situation specifically, that they are on pause from TTC; rather than never going back. Meaghan suffered roughly four miscarriages, two ectopic pregnancies, which resulted in both fallopian tubes being removed on separate occasions, and three unsuccessful IVF cycles. 

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Imagine being consistently sick for months before you were to tie the knot and get married. So much physical pain that it became unbearable. Today's guest, Tiffany Lewis was told by a doctor in the emergency room that she would need immediate surgery to remove scarring due to endometriosis.

Tiffany awakened from emergency surgery to find that a salpingectomy had been performed (removal of both fallopian tubes). She describes the experience as deceitful. Doctors told Tiffany that one fallopian tube would be removed, not both. Before this day, Tiffany was not diagnosed with endometriosis.

Like many of us, Tiffany was not in the holiday spirit and found herself depressed and unable to log into Facebook to support the ladies in her private infertility group. It's the New Year, and with a much anticipated early February appointment for the next steps before an IVF cycle, Tiffany drew strength from her faith to push through and find hope once more.

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How would it make you feel if you were handed a brochure about miscarriage and the nurse or doctor walked away? Our anonymous Friend of this week is Aaliyah. She shares the suffering of recurrent miscarriages and the lack of empathy she received from more than one doctor. She and her husband both had children from previous relationships with no issues, so their four losses and secondary infertility diagnosis were not foreseeable.

Aaliyah began to wonder: Why am I getting pregnant if I cannot stay pregnant? Aaliyah has a doctoral degree and is studying the coping mechanisms of black women suffering from secondary infertility and miscarriage. She hopes to better bridge the gap between mental health therapists and women of color to help support them through their trauma. Links to things talked about:

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Cassandra Conley never imagined she would be diagnosed with fibroids while engaged to her ex-husband in her late twenties. Cassandra's fibroids were so large, her fallopian tubes were suppressed, and her ovaries took time to locate during sonograms. She had a laparoscopic myomectomy to remove her fibroids while also preserving fertility.

A myomectomy is often performed to leave the uterus intact so that the patient can conceive and become pregnant in the future. Although fibroids have grown again, Cassandra can function through her day-to-day life at a much higher level before surgery. Cassandra also froze her eggs in June of 2020.

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