Sisters in Loss Podcast: Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, & Infertility Stories

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone disorder in women that is also the leading cause of female infertility. September is recognized as PCOS awareness month. PCOS is one of the most underdiagnosed diseases in the world, with less than 25% of women with PCOS being diagnosed.

Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS after experiencing a missed miscarriage. Nkemka Egbuho has been trying to conceive for 2 years battling infertility.

In this episode she shares how it hasn't been easy to see others celebrating while she waits. Nkemka shares how she is preparing her body and mind for a IUI treatment with the hopes of conceiving this year.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have ever doubted yourself on this journey.

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Have you heard of the term Missed Miscarriage?

A missed miscarriage is when a baby has died in the womb, but the mother hasn't had any symptoms, such as bleeding or pain. Any type of miscarriage can cause shock, but a missed miscarriage can be particularly difficult because of the lack of symptoms.

Today's guest experienced a missed miscarriage and has battled infertility. Whitney McCoy is a wife, mom, and business owner of beauty brand NoirGirlbyJWhit and is a miscarriage survivor. She went through 2 rounds of fertility treatments and IUI one that lead to a missed miscarriage. In today's episode she shares her journey to motherhood, her missed miscarriage, and her beauty business.

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Have you ever heard the perspective of loss from a grandmother, sibling, or cousin?

Today's episode features the story of Audri Cabness's son Sebastien who was fatally injured and died to due to medical negligence in 2016. This catastrophic incident let Audri and her family to start a foundation called Sebastien's smile in his honor. Audri also has a family healing book called "Scootie Toots and the Feathers from Heaven" to help other families from parents to children begin to cope with grief that comes with child loss.

In this episode Audri is joined by her mom and cousin to share how the foundation was started, their roles in the foundation, and to share Sebastien's story. This episode is special because you get to hear and see Audri's mom and cousin and how they supported her through the loss of Sebastien and how they are living his legacy.

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Do you know what TFMR or Termination for Medical Reasons is?

Termination for Medical Reasons, or TFMR, is when a pregnancy is terminated due to a chromosomal, genetic or structural fetal abnormality, or where continuing the pregnancy would risk the health or life of the mother.

Today's guest experienced 14 losses. Yes, this isn't a typo. Turia West is a wife and mom and is still on the journey of healing from grief and profound loss. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2008 and then went onto have a 16 week twin loss in 2013. This twin loss revealed the balanced chromosome translocation. This means that a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome. Sections of 2 chromosomes hence switched places. Turia has this same translocation and learned that this could potenitally lead to miscarriage up to 50%. Turia continue to try to grow her family and suffered more losses and miscarriages along the way.

In today's episode, Turia shares her journey through IVF, getting an amniocentesis to confirm unbalanced chromosome translocation and being offered to Terminate for Medical Reasons (TFMR), but her and her husband decided against it.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced profound losses, TFMR, IVF, or want to learn how to overcome profound grief and loss and work towards your healing.

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Do you know what today is? It is our Anniversary! Yes, our podcast began today on August 2, 2017 and we are celebrating 6 years of Sisters in Loss.

Today's episode is a solo episode where Erica Michelle discusses 6 Lessons she has learned in 6 years of podcasting.

This episode is for you to listen to if you are interested in podcasting and want to know how to invest your time, money, resources, and creativity into this amazing life changing medium.

You can shop my Amazon Store for the Book Recommendations

Join our Healing Collective Online Support Group

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Do you know what TFMR or Termination for Medical Reasons is?

Termination for Medical Reasons, or TFMR, is when a pregnancy is terminated due to a chromosomal, genetic or structural fetal abnormality, or where continuing the pregnancy would risk the health or life of the mother.

Today's guest experienced 14 losses. Yes, this isn't a typo. Turia West is a wife and mom and is still on the journey of healing from grief and profound loss. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2008 and then went onto have a 16 week twin loss in 2013. This twin loss revealed the balanced chromosome translocation. This means that a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome. Sections of 2 chromosomes hence switched places. Turia has this same translocation and learned that this could potenitally lead to miscarriage up to 50%. Turia continue to try to grow her family and suffered more losses and miscarriages along the way.

In today's episode, Turia shares her journey through IVF, getting an amniocentesis to confirm unbalanced chromosome translocation and being offered to Terminate for Medical Reasons (TFMR), but her and her husband decided against it.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced profound losses, TFMR, IVF, or want to learn how to overcome profound grief and loss and work towards your healing.

You can shop my Amazon Store for the Book Recommendations

Join our Healing Collective Online Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

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Erica's Website

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Today's guest experienced secondary infertility due to male factor. Senoria Cain is wife and mom to a 13 year old daughter. She always knew her husband had a low sperm count and was able to see a urologist who recommended surgery to assist. After 10 years of no protection and experiencing secondary infertility she was able to get pregnant. At 12 weeks she was able to see the doctor for an ultrasound and found out she was having twins, but also that she was miscarrying them. Senoria had a missed miscarriage and took medicine to birth her babies opting out of a D&C. In this episode she takes us back on her journey to motherhood with her daughter, losing twins, postpartum recovery, cycle changes with grief, and moving forward with the possibility of trying again.

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Today's guest is a doula, student midwife, and single mother who has experienced racial disparities in the hospital that has affected her and her son. Kourtney Mcgowan experienced a miscarriage after thinking she wouldn't be able to conceive anymore children due to her endometriosis diagnosis.

In today's episode she takes us back on her journey, the prejudice she faced, and how being a single mother is challenging, especially raising a Black son.

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The road to parenthood looks different for many of us Sisters in Loss. This can be especially difficult for our masculine presenting LGBTQ+ sisters. Today's guest has experienced parenthood in many forms, from step kids, birthing her own with a sperm donor, IVF, loss, and a successful birth with her partner.

Dr. Gloria Pope began to document her journey through her partner's fertility treatments and IVF loss experience. She realized the importance of sharing her perspective as a partner and documented this in her book Hero: Memoirs of Infertility.

In today's episode, Gloria shares her different perspectives on parenthood including carrying her own son via a sperm donor, being a supportive partner to her wife who lost a baby at 18 weeks via IVF, and then having a successful pregnancy of her daughter through another round of IVF. She shares her journey as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, how she was treated while pregnant with her son, how she supported her partner through infertility and IVF, and how parenthood is shared between both partners.

This episode is for you to listen if you identify with LGBTQ+, want to hear the perspective of someone who has given birth and supported their partner through loss and IVF, and want to be empowered about how to combat systemic racism for those masculine presenting in our healthcare system.

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Motherhood is what today's guest calls a "Rites of Passage" to the best hoods on Mother Earth. Ariane Oyere is a wife and mother of 7. She experience the lost of her 3rd born at 9 years old and then two miscarriages after his Sunset. Her babies she refers to as the Summer Solstice.

In this episode, Oyere takes us back to her greatest obstacles in losing her Sunsets. She reframes child loss and miscarriage into sunset experiences. We also discuss lactation through bereavement and other spiritual modalities for healing. This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a miscarriage or loss and want to learn how to reframe your thinking into naming them sunset experiences.

You can shop my Amazon Store for the Book Recommendations

Join our Healing Collective Online Support Group

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