Meet Leia and Krison Burroughs, who are still in the midst of their family building journey. On today's show, Leia and Kriston tell Ali about how Kriston was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when he was just a year old, and how they had no idea that the sickle cell drug, Hydroxyurea, would have a direct effect on his fertility. They also talk about microTESE surgery, the five hysteroscopies Leia had, and how the whole infertility journey has been hard on their marriage. They explain why they fired their OB, why they pivoted to embryo adoption, why they preferred doing that over donor sperm, and where they are now in the journey. Says Leia: "Did you know that 24% of men with Sickle Cell Anemia experience infertility due to the effects of the disease? Did you know that Sickle Cell Anemia affects about 100,000 people or that it occurs 1 in every 365 Black births in the U.S.?" Says Kriston, "Black folks need to start talking about our fertility treatments." 

For more, follow IG: @ladibuddafly08 and @owtspokeneducator and @iamkristonb

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Infertility; Sickle cell anemia; Hydroxyurea; fibroids; embryo adoption; donor sperm; therapy; marriage issues; health insurance; black maternal healthcare; fertility grants

EPISODE SPONSORS:

WORK OF ART

Children's Book about IVF

https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books

Do not miss Ali's children’s book about IVF! It's been getting rave reviews. “Work of ART” is the story of an IVF kiddo the day he learns he is a “work of ART” (born via IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technology). For young readers 4-8. Hardcover. Written by Ali Prato; Illustrated by Federico Bonifacini.

Personalized and non-personalized versions are available. Order yours now at https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books

For bulk orders of 10 or more books, go to https://www.infertileafgroup.com/bulk-order-request

FERTILITY RALLY

@fertilityrally

www.fertilityrally.com

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 5 to 6 support groups per week, three private Facebook groups, tons of curated IRL and virtual events, and an entire community of more than 500 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey.

Join today at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at www.fertilityrally.com/membership

SAVE $40 on an annual membership with code RALLY2024

NATALIST

www.natalist.com

Natalist is on a mission to improve your fertility journey with evidence-backed essentials to support your needs, from vegan prenatal packets to easy-to-use, plastic-neutral ovulation tests and fertility-friendly lube. Natalist is offering my community 25% off your first order at Natalist.com with promo code INFERTILEAF.

RECEPTIVA DX

https://receptivadx.com/

ReceptivaDx is the singular test capable of identifying endometriosis,progesterone resistance, and endometritis in one comprehensive analysis. These conditions are often the hidden culprits behind unexplained infertility, directly impacting the success rates of IVF treatments. Ask for the Receptvia DX test today, and use code INFERTILEAF24 for $75 off.

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