We sit down with Jess and Harry to share a fertility journey that didn’t go how they expected.

After months of trying, Harry received a poor fertility test result, adding another layer of uncertainty and loss of hope. As they prepared for IVF and a fresh start abroad, Jess then fell pregnant naturally…but that wasn’t the end of the struggle.

Jess experienced Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), being sick up to 16 times a day and needing hospital treatment, while also navigating her mental health and past struggles with bulimia.

This is an honest conversation about the side of fertility and pregnancy people don’t talk about.

The physical toll, the mental strain, and the reality behind the “happy ending”.

They now have a beautiful little girl, but getting there was anything but simple.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

If anything in this conversation around fertility, pregnancy, IVF or mental health resonated with you, these may help:

• NHS self-referral (fertility & mental health support):

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/self-refer

• Support for dads / male fertility & fatherhood:

https://futuremen.org/fatherhood/future-dads/

• NHS Perinatal Mental Health Support (pregnancy & postnatal care):

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/05/record-numbers-of-women-accessing-perinatal-mental-health-support

Over 57,000 new and expectant mums received specialist mental health support last year, with services now available across all of England.

• PANDAS Foundation (UK-wide fertility & postnatal mental health charity):

https://pandasfoundation.org.uk

Free support for prenatal and postnatal mental health, including:

– WhatsApp support

– Call-back service

– Email + peer support groups

A safe, non-judgmental place to start if you’re struggling.

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In this episode, we’re joined by our friend Ciaran Hannington, also known as The Male Fertility PT.

Ciaran works with men to improve fertility through training, lifestyle, and honest education - an area still surrounded by stigma, silence, and misinformation.

We talk about why male fertility is so often overlooked, the mistakes men commonly make when trying to “optimise” health, and how exercise, stress, diet, and mindset all play a role.

A straight-talking conversation about responsibility, awareness, and why men need to be far more involved in the fertility conversation.

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

In this episode, we sit down with Ian Stones, founder and co-director of testhim, to talk about the side of fertility that’s too often overlooked: men.

With over 15 years supporting couples through fertility challenges, Ian shares why male fertility is frequently neglected, how it impacts outcomes, and why change is long overdue.

We also talk about the unexpected way we crossed paths with Ian — a moment that set off a chain of events that played a significant role in their journey to pregnancy.

A powerful, honest, full-circle conversation about timing, trust, and the conversations that can change everything.

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After a year of no luck trying naturally and frustration with vague answers from doctors, we decided to take things into our own hands.

Eleanor’s discovery of Ian Stones through acupuncture led us to explore Jacky’s sperm health, and that’s when we uncovered DNA fragmentation.

It opened up a whole new chapter we never saw coming. We unpack the emotional, physical, and mental toll of year two, and everything we learned along the way.

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We reflect on the first year of this fertility journey.

A time that felt like stepping into the abyss.

We talk about the shock of early diagnoses that were missed, the uncertainty that followed, and the emotional toll of watching friends and family fall pregnant easily while we quietly struggled behind the scenes.

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

In this episode, we’re delighted to introduce Ro Huntriss, renowned UK fertility dietitian and founder of Fertility Dietitian UK.

With years of clinical and research experience, Ro brings evidence-based, actionable advice that genuinely changes the game when trying to conceive.

We kick things off with her story, explore how nutrition and lifestyle can actually shorten the waiting time to get pregnant, and unravel the facts from the myths.

Tune in to learn:

• How diet influences egg and sperm quality

• Lifestyle adjustments that make a real difference

• Real ways to empower yourself when the medical route feels out of control

Ro is also now the "Official aloomah Resident Dietitian" - this will be the first of many!

Every topic stems from YOU—our community. So please, feel free to comment and let us know what you want to know and we will do our best to ensure to ask Ro the questions YOU want the answers to.

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We’re Eleanor and Jacky, and after 5 years of navigating infertility, IVF, loss, and everything in between, we knew something was missing.

In this first episode, we share our story, why we created aloomah, and what No Straight Lines is really here to do.

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