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

Picture for a moment, being young, vibrant, and in a healthy place in your life, only to be told that your husband has a condition called Azoospermia. How would you react, would it be a deal-breaker in your relationship, do you believe your spouse would be willing to use donor sperm? Men with Azoospermia have a complete absence of sperm from the fluid ejaculated during orgasm (semen). Azoospermia may occur because of an obstruction in the reproductive tract or inadequate sperm production. This condition can cause male infertility. Sperm may be surgically extracted or provided by a donor for artificial insemination.

Today's guest, Jessica Thornton, knows personally about the effects of male factor infertility. Jessica and her husband knew from the very beginning that they wanted to be parents, but it never occurred to them that fertility struggles were on the horizon. When the first results of Jessica's husbands' sperm revealed low sperm count, it became apparent that their hopes of parenthood wouldn't come to fruition without a fight. Jessica describes their experience searching for a sperm donor surreal and weird wrapped together.

A few things you will learn from Jessica: how to be patient with your infertile spouse, remembering that you aren't the only one suffering, using personal strengths such as, comedy and playfulness to stay connected with your spouse, being patient with yourself, and how to include close family and friends along your journey.

Jessica is a pediatric occupational therapist and resides on the west coast of the US with her husband and fur-baby.

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Like many of us, Brett waited until she was in her 30's to find love and settle down. Brett Russo was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated with a degree in business management from Bucknell University, where she also met her future husband. After graduation, Brett found her passion working beside her twin brother and father for her family’s printing company, of which she is now the chief executive officer. She married her husband in 2015, and together they fought the hardest battle of their lives with their journey through IVF. Brett lives in New Jersey with her husband and their one-year-old son, who enjoys meatloaf and responding with “Nah” every time his mom asks for a kiss.

Book Description: "After another call from the fertility clinic reporting negative test results, Brett Russo started to panic. Unrecognizable to herself after countless rounds of unsuccessful IVF, she felt like a failure to herself, a disappointment to her husband, and the only female on Facebook without kids. At thirty-eight, Brett had a great career and a loving partner. But when they decided to start a family, her success story took a turn. She quickly learned that the answer to when she was having kids wasn’t as simple as she once thought.

In The Underwear in My Shoe, Brett takes you on her journey through IVF, a story of personal struggle and isolation mixed with humor. She shows you that only when she truly lost herself did she discover her inner strength and a sisterhood in the other women going through IVF—discoveries that changed her forever."

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Amy was diagnosed with infertility and spent years trying to conceive, thousands upon thousands of dollars, and countless days rethinking every step of the process. Amy shares her reasons for writing The Trying Game; get through fertility treatment and get pregnant without losing your mind.

Amy states that she has always written about whatever she was going through, from jumping out of a plane to the scary world of dating. As a health and lifestyle reporter, she found her first foray into the world of infertility fascinating — and tumultuous. Amy thought baby-making would be quick. It wasn't three years and 30+ columns later in The New York Times, and stories in The Washington Post, Newsweek, Slate, Haa'retz, and The Forward she finally got and stayed pregnant (my fifth pregnancy!).

Now she wants to help everyone get and stay pregnant and avoid many of the pitfalls and mistakes she made and to not go crazy along the way.

In this episode, we discuss:

Amy's fertility journey, the research required to write the book, judgments we make against pregnant strangers, knowing your fertility status, being competitive towards other women.

20:30-Baby envy Effects of infertility on marriage and relationships

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Are you worried you won't survive the holidays without indulging too much in your favorite comfort foods? If so, you'll want to tune-in to today's episode with Charlotte Grand, the founder of The Fertility Kitchen. Charlotte gives us tips on surviving the holiday season and maintaining our healthy lifestyle for fertility.

Bio: Charlotte is a Qualified and Registered Nutritional Therapist and specializes in preconception care and fertility. In her virtual practice, she focuses on the root cause, individualized nutrition, and optimal health to give her clients the best chance of conception and a healthy baby. She works with a diverse range of clients from those looking to optimize their preconception well-being to help clients with fertility issues, such as unexplained infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, male factor infertility, immune and thyroid dysfunction, endometriosis, and PCOS, to supporting those navigating assisted conception.

Charlotte created The Fertility Kitchen as a resource to empower women to take ownership of their fertility through nutrition and lifestyle medicine. She infuses joy into eating for fertility and provides a wealth of ideas and easy-going recipes. She believes food is the key to laying down the foundations for optimal fertility, IVF success, and healthy pregnancy and is continually astounded by the medicinal effects of eating well. This drives her passion for cooking, lifestyle, and nutritional medicine.

In this episode, we discuss:

Charlotte's fertility journey

11:56- Being aware of what works for you nutritionally Some signs of nutrient deficiency

18:30-How to stay on track with our healthy eating during the Holidays *Follow on Instagram

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Have you been searching the internet for simplified ways to improve your lifestyle for fertility, but often become overwhelmed by the vast amount of information? The holiday season is here, and this week's theme is wholistic living. Kicking the week off with Kela Smith, the founder of The Hormone P.U.Z.Z.L.E Society. Kela gives us an inside look into her program and how she became pregnant after unsuccessful reproductive assistance attempts. Listen to the entire episode to get Kela's organic fudge recipe, just in time for the holidays.

Kela is the C.E.O. and program director of the Hormone Puzzle Society, a woman's health hub for fertility, hormones, and the business of coaching. She is also one of the coaches at the Society. Kela works with women struggling with infertility and hormone imbalance and coaches them to get pregnant naturally and eliminate hormone imbalance symptoms.  Kela brings over 20 years of experience as a professional fitness trainer, wellness educator, and author. To date, she has published multiple books on fertility and hormones and four distinct online courses.  Kela holds four different qualifications as a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach. She realized her dream of creating a virtual holistic health and wellness practice and helping women worldwide solve these issues. As the Hormone Puzzle Method creator, Kela helps her clients learn how to cycle sync, so they have pleasant periods, boosted fertility, happy hormones, hotter sex lives, and greater creativity, productivity, and well-being at work.

In this episode, we discuss:

Kela's fertility journey

21:48-What the P.U.Z.Z.L.E. stands for in Kela's program

15:10-Small changes we can make today How to properly use supplements

35:38-Cycle syncing for exercise(menses)

41:29-Sex & libido health Kela's Organic fudge recipe

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If you need a good laugh, some candid conversation, and a few TMI moments; this episode is for you! Today's episode features the host of Tootsie Rolaids Podcast, Rocio. A NY native and mom to one IVF miracle baby boy. Rocio's journey to motherhood would test every facet of her life, including her faith. Rocio knew that she might one day have trouble trying to conceive because infertility was present on both sides of her family. She was diagnosed with unexplained infertility. With a strong support system, Rocio and her husband overcame the odds and realized their parenthood dreams.

Rocio and Monique also discuss in this episode, the importance of knowing your fertility status before marriage, lack of Latina representation in the fertility space, and how she navigated being a Christian going through IVF treatment. Tap here to connect with Rocio!

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Do you often feel shame around your infertility, miscarriage, or loss? If you answered yes, then you will want to tune-in to today's episode with Emily Ginn. The dictionary defines shame as: the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another. susceptibility to this feeling. disgrace; ignominy. Infertility is not your fault, nor does it bring disgrace upon your loved ones. Yet we cannot seem to heal entirely from shame. Too often, we allow outside forces to influence the thoughts and emotions concerning our circumstances. Within this episode, Monique and Emily discuss how we can heal and be fully empowered again while on our journeys. 

Emily states: Shame is a non productive emotion and compassion is the antidote. Emily Ginn is a Certified Life Coach, Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW), grief and crisis expert, IVF survivor, wife, and mom. She offers a proven framework, deeply rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to help you process your emotions about your journey and create a different experience around your fertility treatments. 

In this episode, we discuss: Emily's infertility journey Root causes of shame How to trade shame for positive vulnerability How to recognize of be mindful of when shame arises Why healing from shame is critical for emotional wellbeing How shame affects intimacy with our spouses Emily's three biggest tips to healing.

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What does being a mother or father mean to you? How far are you willing to go and what are you willing to risk to achieve your dreams of parenthood?

Shara Hutchinson shares her eight-year journey to motherhood, miscarriage, selling items from her home, and other resourceful ways she and her husband funded their fertility and IVF treatments. After enduring a tumultuous journey to pregnancy, Shara published her first book in 2018, entitled “I Still Want to Be a Mom”. She shares the hidden details of her 8-year journey from infertility to motherhood with the hope of inspiring women with similar struggles.

Shara is a TEDx speaker and the founder of the I Still Want to Be a Mom Foundation, established to strengthen, support, and encourage women diagnosed with infertility.

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We all know how expensive and financially taxing IVF treatment and other forms of fertility treatment can be, which is why today's Bonus episode features Gift Of Parenthood Grants. G.O.P. is a charitable grant program for uninsured couples and individuals who seek financial assistance. If you follow G.O.P. on social media but do not know much about them, tune in to today's episode. Misson per the website: Gift of Parenthood is a charitable grant program dedicated to helping couples and individuals struggling with infertility. The program aims at helping families conceive through advanced fertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, egg donation, embryo donation, and gestational surrogacy. Our goal is to disburse grants four times a year based upon the availability of funds. We do NOT distribute grants at any other time during the year other than immediately after the grant deadlines. In This Episode: G.O.P.'s Mission Who founded G.O.P. How many times a year grants are available Application process Other opportunities for financial help.

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Have you ever considered traveling abroad to receive IVF treatment? Going abroad for fertility treatment can be scary, but each year; a small portion of US Citizens make their way across borders for a shot at parenthood at a significantly lower cost. In today's episode, Lucia Lambert from the UK joins us to discuss her path to motherhood. For some, her journey may seem a little unconventional. Lucia traveled to Prague to be treated and cared for by a reproductive endocrinologist. She offers a detailed account of her experience and how it inspired her and her partner to begin offering boutique services for those seeking to be treated abroad.

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