Infertility Sisters

Today I am joined by Kat, who I went to high school with! She talks us through her personal women's health journey, her first marriage and then her TTC journey with her wife, which has resulted in their beautiful children. 

Today's episode covers;

• Missing periods
• TTC journey in first marriage
• PCOS diagnosis
• Tumor in her uterus 
• Lichen Sclerosus
• Deciding to have children when in a same sex relationship 
• Finding a sperm donor
• Miscarriages 
• Common misconceptions and questions around how same sex couples have children
• Legalities
• Maternity leave
• Toxic positivity 

This is our first same sex TTC chat and it's a goodie. There is still so much to learn in this space, especially for those of us who are in heterosexual relationships. And at the same time there are also a lot of similarities between Kat's story and where we are personally with our journey. 

Thanks so much for being an open book Kat!

After a long break, the podcast is finally back!

In today's episode I am joined by my husband Corey to discuss our third round of IVF. This round has taken up the last 12 months of our lives and it has been a wild ride. 

Topics discussed in this episode are;

• Medication break down
• Egg collection (hardest one yet)
• Our best fertilisation and embryo outcome yet
• Two biochemical pregnancies 
• Recurrent pregnancy loss testing 
• Hysteroscopy
• Final embryo transfer of this round
• A third failed cycle of IVF
• Next steps which involves egg donor discussions
• Surgery to explore endometriosis

This round was a rollercoaster and unfortunately was filled with so much heartbreak. Reliving it all was tough but listening back to this episode before posting it has surprisingly brought me plenty of joy. I am so happy we are sharing our story and I really hope that one day I can share the ultimate good news!

Jasmyn xx

Welcome back to this weeks episode! Tune in today to hear Hannah talk us though her 3-year TTC journey.

Her story involves; 

• Seeking help after 10 months TTC
• The emotions of months of negative pregnancy tests 
• Referred to Fertility Associates 
• Unexplained Infertility diagnosis 
• Ovulation Induction using Leterezole 
• IUI
• Developing anxiety 
• Leaving her job 
• IVF
• Being approached for a possible adoption 

It has been a pleasure getting to know Hannah, her positive outlook through the roughest times is something I admire.  If you want to keep up with her journey you can follow her on Instagram @hgasprivate. 

Thanks for listening! 

Evie is here this week to share her story of navigating trying to conceive over a seven year period.

Her story involves;

• The joy of getting pregnant quickly 
• The turmoil of that pregnancy ending in a missed miscarriage 
• A long period of TTC
• Second pregnancy resulting in miscarriage 
• Self referring to Fertility Associates
• Diagnosis of unexplained infertility 
• Ovulation Induction
• IUI
• Her husband getting diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 
• Spontaneous pregnancy resulting in their first child 
• Chemical pregnancy 6 months postpartum 
• FIIX Study
• IVF
• Unsuccessful fresh transfer 
• Spontaneous pregnancy resulting in their second child

Evie's story is one of heartbreak but also one of hope. I know it's not always easy hearing stories of success however I do think it is important that we let ourselves hear these stories to keep our hope alive. 

Thanks for listening! 

Today I am joined by Dr Amelia Ryan who has kindly offered us her time to help spread the word on Adenomyosis. Amelia is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist currently working at the Fertility Associates Auckland office. 

This episode covers; 

• What is Adenomyosis
• What are the symptoms 
• What are the ways to get diagnosed
• Management options - Is there a cure?
• How Adeno can impact fertility 
• The connection between miscarriage and adeno

Amelia is an amazing doctor and is someone who aligns so well with the Podcast. Her ethos for treating patients is amazing, she really is the gold standard for what care we should receive. It was a privilege to have her on today and please let me know if there are any other topics you would like us to cover with Amelia!

Well, as you can see by the title of Today's episode, Maddie has been faced with many challenges on her Fertility Journey. Maddie shares her journey with us, that has spanned over the last 4 years.

Her story invovles; 

• Ulcerative Colitis resulting in Colon removal 
• Loss of period 
• Referral to Fertility Associates
• PCOS
• Hyperthelic Amenorrhea 
• Public funded fertility treatment 
• Ovulation Induction (leterezole)
• 3 rounds of IVF 
• One day 3 transfer 
• No embryos making it to day 5 
• Recommendation to use an egg donor 
• Moving to Australia completing 2 further rounds of IVF there
• Decision to stop further IVF treatments 
• Egg Donor options 
• Where they are now

Maddie has had a really hard time finding people who have been down a similar road to her so if her story resonates with you, please reach out to me via Instagram or email and I can put you in touch. 

Mentioned in this episode;

• @thedietloigist
• @twolinesfertility 

Thanks for listening! 

**Episode Re-Release**

So you want to conceive a baby… now what?! We wanted to put this episode together to talk through the basics of trying to conceive. 

In this episode we cover:

• What preparation to do before trying to conceive 
• Menstrual cycle 101
• How to know when you’re fertile & when to time sex
• The two week wait
• When to seek help

Today I am joined by the wonderful Jessica, a Nutritionist and Medical Herbalist. Jess has dedicated her career to helping people to get pregnant. 

This episode discusses; 

• Endocrine Disruptors 
• Diet and eating habits for optimal egg health 
• Her stance on weight when TTC 
• Supplements for egg health 
• Key nutrients for Sperm health 
• The worst habits for egg and sperm health 
• What you can do during Fertility Treatment to support success 
• How to support Progesterone production 
• How important is this all, really?
• How to work with Jessica 

Jessica is a wealth of knowledge and this is such a great, down to earth conversation.  There is plenty of information for you to learn from but we also have some real chat about how hard this all can be. 

Thanks for listening! 

Here is the link to the blog mentioned in this episode; https://wellnessbyjessica.com/blogs/news/folate-and-fertility

Today I bring you the episode that I thought would never happen! Over the last 18 months you have often heard from me, talking you through our journey from my perspective. Well now you get to hear from the other half, and his perspective on what these last 3 years have been like for him. 

Today's episode discusses; 

• The early days of TTC 
• The process of getting a sperm test & the results 
• Meeting with the Fertility clinic 
• The impact of our miscarriage 
• His thoughts and feeling on IVF
• What steps he has taken to improve his sperm health 
• Looking after his mental health 
• The impact on his friendships 
• Counselling 
• Where he is now, 3 years into the journey 

I just cant express how proud I am of Corey for sharing with us today. This was in no way easy or comfortable for him but I just know the impact his honesty will have and it will only be positive. 

Thanks for listening! 

Today we welcome back Dr Amelia Ryan to share her wisdom with us. This episode discusses all things PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).

This episode covers;

• What is PCOS
• How to get diagnosed 
• What is PCO
• The part that insulin play in the body 
• How PCOS can impact Fertility 
• Medical management of PCOS
• Fertility Treatment options 
• Lifestyle recommendations to manage PCOS

Amelia is an amazing doctor and is someone who aligns so well with the Podcast. Her ethos for treating patients is amazing, she really is the gold standard for what care we should receive. It was a privilege to have her on today and keep your ears peeled for more episodes with her to come this Season!