Infertility Sisters

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!

Tune in to today's episode to hear from listener of the show, Jenna. She talks us through the last 7 years of heartbreak as well as taking us right back through her extensive medical history which has played a part in where she is today. 

Her story discusses;

• Reproductive health concerns from a young age
• Surgeries which found Cysts, Adhesions and Endometriosis
• Low AMH
• 2 Round of IVF
• 5 Embryo Transfers
• The part her faith plays in her journey
• Miscarriage  
• Being advised to have a hysterectomy 
• A year break from treatment 
• Medical Menopause using Goserelin (Zoladex)
• Cycle never returning 
• Advised from Doctor using Donor is only way forward 

Jenna was very honest with us around some of the darker moments in this journey and I believe you will resonate with her a lot, especially in those hard, disappointing moments this journey comes with. 

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

This episode covers; 

• What is Endometriosis
• What are the symptoms 
• What are the ways to get diagnosed
• Management options 
• How endo can impact fertility 
• How can endo surgery temporarily improve your fertility 
• Endometrioma's, what are they and how do they treat them
• Does Endo impact egg quality 
• How to manage Endo holistically 

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!

Today I am joined by the wonderful Justine, also known as My Balance Project on Instagram. Justine takes us through her journey that ultimately lead to having her son, 12 years ago. 

Her story includes;

• PCOS
• Weight Loss
• Ovulation Inductions (Clomid & Trigger Injections)
• Impact the medications had on her personality and well being 
• Friends and family getting pregnant 
• Success after 18 months 
• Discussions on having a second child
• Weight gain and pressure of losing it before trying Fertility Treatment again
• Decision not to try again 
• How she feels years on from that decision 
• How a pet can play a part in completing a family 

Justine's story is one of courage and I really loved hearing her perspective years on from her struggles and hearing how the experience of Infertility shaped her. 

I have no doubt you will enjoy this episode!

What does FET even mean? How does it work? And most importantly, how does it feel? Tune in to this episode to hear me talk you through all of the above, plus so much more. 

During my recent FET cycle I recorded regular, real time updates as I went through the process. I want you all to go into this episode without apprehension so just know that this cycle was not successful. But that also means I must give a warning, as the last 20 minutes are my raw emotions caught when everything went wrong, and there are a lot of tears. 

This episode is a very raw account of a really emotional process so please only listen if you are in a place that you can handle the emotions. 

Enjoy!

Welcome back to Season 4!

Tune in today to hear all about Jasmyn's second round of IVF, which unfortunately has resulted in more heartbreak. Today we take you through the IVF process, focusing on the physical challenges this round presented. We also touch on the emotions of another failed round, continuous bad news as well as a surprise diagnosis that Jasmyn recently received. 

We also discuss how the podcast will look moving forward, with a big change we need to share with you all. 

We can't wait to being season 4 to you all!