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

April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month! All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey's.

Today's guest and partner were diagnosed with infertility after trying to conceive for several months with no success and both decided to get check ups. She received positive results, but her partner had unfavorable results during his sperm analysis.

Marsha Derice found a fertility doctor and proceeded with an intrauterine insemination IUI that was unsuccessful. The IUI process was overwhelming and they decided not to try another round. She found out she conceived naturally after experiencing pain in her abdomen and the ER doctor confirmed her pregnancy and told her she was having an ectopic pregnancy. Marsha was immediately rushed into surgery to remove her fallopian tube.

In this episode, Marsha shares the emotional toll experiencing fertility challenges can have as a couple, especially seeing friends and family members having children, hosting baby showers, and feeling like something was wrong with her body. She finds out that she has a fibroids that are larger in size that will need to be surgically removed in order to continue with possible In vitro fertilization IVF.

This episode is for you to listen to if you and your partner both were diagnosed with fertility challenges, fibroids, and ectopic pregnancy.

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April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month! All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey's.

A couple should go to a fertility doctor after trying on their own for twelve months, six months for women over 35, and undergo an investigation. There are standard tests for both the woman and the man.

Approximately 20% of couples struggling to get pregnant are told that they have "unexplained infertility". After examinations and tests, the doctor states there is no known medical reason to explain why they haven't conceived.

Today's guest has been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. After 3 miscarriages, 1 ectopic pregnancy, failed clomid cycles, 2 fertility clinics to being diagnosed with '"unexplained infertility." Doctors told her the only chance of her becoming a mother was through In vitro fertilization or IVF.

Sophia Campbell's journey to motherhood required her unlearning past hurts and traumas and conquering infertility by faith to have her miracle daughter. In this episode Sophia shares her journey to taking back control of her life after loss and how she is on the mission to remove the stigma, to provide the education for women to feel supported and process the roller coaster of emotions,-guilt, shame, fear, anger, frustration and to provide a safe space and community for women to share more and learn from each other.

Today's episode is for you if you have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Today's episode is for you to listen to if you want encouragement to fearlessly go after your dream of becoming a mom.

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Have you heard of IUGR Intrauterine Growth Retardation?IUGR is a term that's used to describe a baby who isn't growing as quickly as he should be inside the womb. Officially, it's defined as an estimated weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age (i.e., the stage of the pregnancy). Any baby who is smaller than normal can be diagnosed with the condition.

Causes of intrauterine growth restriction vary but include placenta abnormalities, high blood pressure in the mother, infections, and smoking or alcohol abuse.

With this condition, a baby is born weighing less than 90 percent of other babies at the same gestational age.

Ultrasounds during pregnancy help monitor a baby's weight. Depending on the results, the baby may need to be delivered early.

Today's guest was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 19 years old and became pregnant at 23. She dealt with cervical insufficiency and IUGR and her daughter was born at 34 weeks with stomach ulcers and didn't survive. Keisha Jones was determined to become a mother at 31 and after a year with no result sought the help of a fertility specialist. She did not have insurance at the time and no savings to cover the large expense of IVF. Her state offered a study to cover 90% of the cost of IVF and she became pregnant after two mini rounds. Keisha made it to 23 weeks into that pregnancy before she lost that baby. She found a company that would cover the costs of IVF and tried again at 35 years old. Keisha gave birth to her third daughter at 36 weeks after suffering from severe preeclampsia during my pregnancy.

In this episode Keisha shares her endometriosis journey and journey through IVF, she shares how to find a study that could cover the cost of IVF or IUI, and how she is supporting parents through infertility in her new support group.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have Endometriosis, experienced an infant loss, or explored and want to learn more about cost options for IVF.

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Have you heard of Cervical Insufficiency?

Cervical insufficiency is painless opening of the cervix that results in delivery of the baby during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Connective tissue disorders that are present at birth and injuries can make tissues of the cervix weak. When the cervix is weak, the baby may be delivered too early.

Today's guest experienced a stillbirth at 19 weeks due to cervical insufficiency and a birth defect. Dorienna Alfred's first pregnancy ended in an early miscarriage and since miscarriage is so common she did not anticipate any difficulties moving forward with her journey to motherhood. Her second pregnancy was a stillbirth at 19 weeks and in working with maternal fetal health specialists, getting an autopsy, they learned that their son Joshua had a birth defect and she had cervical insufficiency. Dorienna went on to have two subsequent pregnancies where she was placed on bed rest for the majority of the pregnancy and during her third pregnancy was on bed rest in the hospital for 14 weeks.

In this episode, Dorienna shares how her rainbow baby pregnancies inspired her to write a book dedicated to experience, how she even as a psychologist did not understand birth trauma of what she experienced, and how her new practice as a therapist focuses on perinatal mental health.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a stillbirth, birth trauma or cervical insufficiency. This episode is for you to listen to if you are a therapist and experienced miscarriage or infant loss.

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Have you heard of a Molar Pregnancy?A molar pregnancy occurs when the placenta doesn't develop normally. Instead, a tumor forms in the uterus and causes the placenta to become a mass of fluid-filled sacs, also called cysts. About 1 in every 1,000 pregnancies (0.1 percent) is a molar pregnancy.

Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS and experienced a chemical pregnancy and untimely loss. After she switched providers they determined IVF would be the best option to grow her family. Brittney Cain went through mental health challenges due to the ups and downs of the IVF process especially after getting pregnant during her first round of IVF and it resulting in a molar pregnancy.

In this episode, Brittney shares her experience with IVF and switching fertility specialists that she felt safe with, undergoing a frozen embryo transfer and uncomplicated pregnancy with her rainbow baby, and pregnancy after loss with induction and C-section.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a molar or chemical pregnancy or IVF. This episode is for you to listen to if you want to know when is the right time to switch providers for the best outcome for you and your baby.

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Was it difficult for you to see other pregnancies after your loss?

Dealing with Pregnancy envy is a normal emotion especially after your miscarriage, infant or child loss, or infertility journey. You're not a bad person, friend, or relative for feeling pangs of jealousy.

Understanding the underlying thoughts that feed into jealous feelings may help you understand yourself better and even reduce these uncomfortable feelings.

Today's guest did exactly that after experiencing the loss of twins at 20 weeks. Marie Carmel Bien-Aime has a 18 year old and 7 year old who were both born prematurely. In 2016 she conceived twins naturally and at the 5 month ultrasound to confirm the genders the ultrasound technician stopped talking. This is when Marie knew something was wrong. The doctor comes in and says that she is already dilated and offered her a cerclage to prolong the pregnancy.

In this episode she takes us back to the time leading up to her untimely losses, how she had to make a decision to deliver her babies with no fluid, and waking up empty to no babies due to hemorrhaging when delivering the placenta.

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Women with fibroids are much more likely to miscarry during early pregnancy than women without them (14% vs. 7.6%). And if you have multiple or very large fibroids, your chances go up even more.

Today's guest experienced a miscarriage due to fibroids. With this history and due to her age of 42 she went on to seek a fertility specialist. Shashawn Dublin was recommended to complete IVF and during her first try she became pregnant with twins a boy and a girl. She then experienced excessive bleeding and was rushed to the Emergency Room where they determined she was in labor and began dilation. She lost her twins at 23 weeks and was devastated.

In this episode, Shashawn takes us back on her journey to motherhood, how she is moving forward with her journey to motherhood, and turning her pain into purpose by starting an organization around donor eggs and options to grow families.

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Can you imagine losing your toddler in front of your other older children?

Today's guest experienced the trauma and pain of losing her 3 year old son to a massive heart attack while her other children were in the room. Mashira Taylor's son Max had heart issues when he was born that eventually had open heart surgery to correct these issues. Her children were outside playing and her son was indoors because his stomach ached. He told her he felt like he was going to throw up before he passed away from a massive heart attack which looked like a seizure.

In this episode and Surviving Loss series she shares how she questioned God throughout the entire process of losing her son. How she had to explain that her son passed away to her other children, and how she is surviving after loss by starting a non-profit foundation for those going through the grieving process.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have ever questioned your faith in God on your loss journey. This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a child loss.

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Have you heard of the term Ambiguous Loss?Ambiguous loss is a loss that occurs without closure or clear understanding. This kind of loss leaves a person searching for answers, and thus complicates and delays the process of grieving, and often results in unresolved grief.Today's guest experienced an elective termination in her twenties after healing and working through childhood trauma she convinced herself she didn't want children. Alshante Squire then found love in a same sex relationship where her partner went through treatment and found out she was pregnant. She was excited until her partner broke up unexpectedly and wanted to raise their child without her. Alshante found herself faced with ambiguous grief and loss of a child, a rainbow baby, she wanted but could not be a part of their life due to legalities of parenthood. She went on to become a single mom by choice by undergoing removal of polyps to get pregnant. Alshante did get pregnant and lost that baby at around 6 weeks gestation. In this episode she takes us back on her journey to parenthood and her hopes to have her rainbow baby as a single mom by choice.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced any form of ambiguous loss. This episode is for you to listen to if you are still waiting for your rainbow baby.

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Have you considered donor eggs for your fertility journey? This podcast is in partnership with Fairfax Eggbank.

Many couples have to turn to using donor eggs after spending years going through fertility treatments and many use Fairfax Eggbank to continue on their journey to parenthood.

Fairfax EggBank is a leader in advanced techniques for frozen donor eggs. Their premier donor database showcases our diverse selection of highly screened and vetted egg donors, with detailed profiles on all of the donors, so intended parents can really get to know their perspective donors.

Fairfax EggBank's vitrification (freezing) and warming techniques were developed by our experts, who have been leaders in gamete freezing for more than 30 years. We work closely with over 300 clinics in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and the Caribbean on the proper technique for warming our frozen oocytes, to provide the best outcomes for our intended parents.

Today's guest is Teri Y. Reaves, the Director of Client Relations for Fairfax Eggbank. In this role, she is responsible for the oversight, strategy and development of the Client Relations team which works directly with intended parents and the company's 300+ IVF clinic partners.

In this episode we discuss:

• What are the benefits of choosing frozen donor eggs over fresh donor eggs?
• African American and People of Color using donor eggs and "cost" being a factor.
• How much does it cost to buy frozen donor eggs?
• Information around preserving fertility.
• How to choose the right clinic for you?
• Can you use insurance to buy frozen donor eggs?
• Single motherhood and using donor eggs or sperm to complete family

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