No Straight Lines

This episode was never supposed to be released.

Last year, we sat down together to record a conversation for Jacky's previous podcast, Bare Chat. Shortly afterwards, the podcast came to an end, and this episode was archived with no plans to ever release it.

But we've decided to share it anyway.

Why? Because this was the very first time we'd ever spoken on camera about finally being pregnant after more than five years of trying for a baby.

We'd been through three pregnancy losses, multiple rounds of IVF, male-factor fertility issues, countless appointments and some incredibly difficult years together.

At the time of recording, Eleanor was 25 weeks pregnant with our son, and we were finally able to have a conversation we'd spent years hoping we'd get to have.

In this episode, we go right back to the beginning of our journey in 2020. We talk about the investigations, the treatment, the losses, the impact on our marriage, the year we stepped away from trying, and the phone call that changed everything.

It's a very personal conversation, and one we're glad we didn't leave sitting in the archives.

We know not every fertility journey ends with a baby, and we're sharing our experience not as a blueprint, but as one couple's story.

__________

We're Jacky and Eleanor, husband and wife, and the founders of aloomah.

After spending more than five years navigating infertility, IVF and pregnancy loss, we created aloomah to offer the emotional support and community we wish we'd had during our own journey.

We also host No Straight Lines, where we have open, honest conversations with people who've experienced infertility, fertility treatment and loss, alongside professionals working in the fertility space.

Our hope is that by sharing real experiences, including our own, we can help others feel a little less alone, wherever they are in their journey.

💛 https://aloomah.com/

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Eleanor and Jacky sit down with registered nutritional therapist Jo Hurley, better known online as @feedyourfanny, for a conversation about an area of fertility that many of us have probably never even considered: our microbiomes.

Jo breaks down the vaginal, uterine and seminal microbiomes, how partners can share microbes, recurrent thrush and BV, and why she believes microbiome health deserves a place in the wider fertility conversation.

We also revisit Jacky’s own male-factor fertility journey, from high DNA fragmentation and low morphology to discovering a varicocele, and ask why some of these deeper investigations still aren’t routinely part of the fertility journey.

An eye-opening conversation about the things going on inside our bodies that most of us were never taught about.

🌐 Website

https://joanne-hurley.com/

📸 Instagram — Feed Your Fanny

https://www.instagram.com/feedyourfanny/

💛 Feed Your Fanny

https://joanne-hurley.com/feedyourfanny

💼 LinkedIn

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jo-hurley-89424256

💬 Work with Jo / Get in touch

https://joanne-hurley.com/contact

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Eleanor and Jacky sit down with fertility nutritionist Kirsten Mooring to ask a difficult question: what if “unexplained infertility” simply means we haven’t investigated enough?

From reproductive microbiomes and DNA fragmentation to sperm health, lifestyle, nutrition and the tests that can sometimes get overlooked, Kirsten explains why she believes couples need to look at the whole picture — and why male fertility needs to become a much bigger part of the conversation.

Kirsten also shares her own experience of unexplained infertility and why that journey ultimately led her to helping others find answers.

🔗 Find Kirsten

🌐 Website

https://kirstenmooring.com/

📸 Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kirstenmooringnutrition/

💼 LinkedIn

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-mooring-7181941a

📞 Work with Kirsten

https://kirstenmooring.com/my-services/

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Eleanor & Jacky sit down with fertility nutritionist Alison Hall to explore what might be getting missed when couples struggle to conceive or experience recurrent pregnancy loss. From nutrition and sperm health to PMOS, DNA fragmentation and the reproductive microbiome.

Alison also shares her own experience of multiple losses, including losing her little boy at 22 weeks, and explains why she believes fertility needs a more joined-up, individual approach rather than simply being told to “just keep trying.”

Website:

Alison Hall Nutrition

Instagram:

@alisonhall_fertility

Work with Alison / Free 30-Minute Review:

Book a complimentary fertility review

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Eleanor and Jacky sit down with fertility coach and author Liberty Mills to discuss being told she had just a 0.7% chance of having a baby with her own eggs at 43, how lifestyle changes transformed her health, and why she believes male fertility is still being overlooked. From reversing lupus symptoms to challenging outdated fertility advice, this is a powerful conversation about hope, resilience, and treating fertility as a team journey.

📖 Liberty's Book

360 Fertility: How to Improve Your Chances of Conception Naturally

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0DLP768NJ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

📖 Recommended Reading

Count Down – Dr. Shanna Swan

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Count-Down-Threatening-Reproductive-Development/dp/1982113669

🌺 Poppy Fertility Support

https://poppyuk.net/

📄 NICE Fertility Guidelines

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng257/chapter/Investigation-of-fertility-problems-and-management-strategies

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacky sits down with Shaun Greenaway, better known as Knackered Knackers, to discuss his diagnosis of azoospermia, the emotional journey of donor conception, and how infertility completely changed his identity. From devastating diagnoses to finding purpose through advocacy, Shaun shares how he's helping other men realise they're not facing infertility alone. 

You can find Shaun via his Instagram Knackered Knackers and also The Male Fertility Hub.

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Jacky sits down with sex educator and 'Dirty Talk' host Tatiana Ashbourne to discuss the pressure of trying to conceive, performance anxiety, intimacy struggles, and why so many couples feel alone when fertility starts affecting their sex life.

__________________

🔗 Tatiana Ashbourne

Instagram: @tatianaashbourne_

TikTok: @tatianaashbourne_

🔗 Dirty Talk Podcast

Instagram: @dirtytalkofficial_

TikTok: @dirtytalkofficial_

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.