Nine IVF cycles. Eleven embryo transfers. Five fertility clinics. And 12 PGT-A normal embryos still waiting for answers.

Today's guest, Melissa, has been part of the Fertility Fight Club for years, and she's one of the women who show up on every call, ask the hard questions, and cheer everyone else on, even when her own journey has been unbelievably hard. Her story doesn't fit a neat fertility diagnosis, and that's exactly why I wanted to share it.

Melissa carried her daughter after her very first transfer. So why have things been so different since? For years the answer she heard was "it's your eggs" or "it's your age." She kept asking what was missing, and in this conversation she walks us through what she's uncovered along the way, from recurring adhesions to overlooked sperm DNA fragmentation testing to a health scare that finally validated what she'd been saying all along.

If you've ever felt dismissed, been handed the same protocol over and over, or wondered whether a normal embryo should be enough, this one is for you.

• Why a "mild" adhesion that keeps coming back deserves more attention
• What it's like to carry a baby once, and then face secondary infertility
• The story behind Melissa's IVF journey, from her first fertility testing through five different fertility clinics
• Why "it's your eggs" was never the full answer, and what changed when she found a doctor who looked at the whole picture
• Why sperm DNA fragmentation testing matters and the role male factor played in her results
• What to investigate before a transfer, even with PGT-A normal embryos (immune testing, microbiome testing, a sonohysterogram)
• The support tools Melissa used to prepare her lining, including HBOT and uterine PRP
• How she's protecting her peace, from setting boundaries with family and friends to stepping away from social media
• Why she keeps fighting: her daughter, her family, and the belief that this isn't just bad luck

Advocate for yourself. Melissa kept asking questions when others told her to stop, and I hope her story encourages you to trust your gut and get a second (or third) opinion.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Melissa’s Fertility Journey
• 09:25 First IVF Success
• 12:48 Cycle Two and Miscarriage
• 16:26 Clinic Three and PGT Testing
• 23:12 Brain Tumor Discovery
• 26:15 Donor Eggs and New Doctor
• 33:44 Immune Retesting Results
• 37:36 Biggest IVF Frustrations
• 42:24 Surgery Findings and Adhesions
• 50:28 ADHD Meds and Stress
• 59:32 Microbiome and Transfer Prep

Mentioned in this episode:

Fertility Blooms Programs

You guys know I don't bring just anyone onto this podcast, and today's guest is one of my absolute favorites: Dr. Rahi Victory, reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and founder of Victory Reproductive Care. Dr. Victory and I have worked together for years - so many late nights and weekends spent going back and forth on patient cases - and it's because we're cut from the same cloth. We both hate seeing someone repeat the same failed protocol for six months, a year, three IVF cycles, without anyone asking why it isn't working. We dig. We question. We don't accept "that's just how it's done."

So in this episode, I brought him on to answer the questions you've been asking me for years - and a few that might get us both in a little trouble.

We're covering:

• The truth about being told "unexplained infertility" - and why Dr. Victory believes it's often a sign of insufficient testing, not an actual mystery
• Endometriosis - why "endo doesn't matter for IVF" is one of the most dangerous myths out there, and what the data actually shows
• The fertility misinformation epidemic - mold, parasites, cortisol... Dr. Victory shares why chasing a single "root cause" trend can do more harm than good
• T-shaped uteruses - what they are, whether they can be fixed, and why so many women are told they can't be
• The testing most clinics skip - vitamin D, thyroid antibodies, microbiome, and why these basics matter more than you think
• Irregular periods - Dr. Victory doesn't hold back on why skipping cycles long-term is a real health risk, not just an inconvenience
• PCOS, GLP-1s, and what's actually helping patients right now
• Miscarriage - how many losses before you should start investigating (the guidelines have changed), and what to do after a loss of a "normal" embryo
• Egg quality and IVF protocols - can you overstimulate your ovaries? What's the deal with low-dose protocols? And the "embryo math" behind how many eggs actually become a baby
• The guys - why sperm health gets overlooked, and what's actually in your control
• DNA fragmentation testing - is it a scam, or something every couple should be asking about?
• Red flags - when to question your clinic, when to get a second opinion, and when it's time to walk away completely

This one is packed. If you've ever left a doctor's appointment feeling brushed off, unheard, or like you were being pushed toward IVF without real answers - this episode is for you.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Meet Dr. Rahi Victory
• 04:48 Endometriosis Myths
• 07:56 Unexplained Infertility
• 11:01 T Shaped Uterus Fixes
• 18:37 GLP 1s And Endo
• 20:03 Diagnosing Endometriosis Properly
• 25:45 Miscarriages & When To Investigate
• 29:19 IVF Stimulation And Egg Quality
• 33:44 Embryo Math
• 38:55 Run for the Hills Red Flags
• 43:31 Sperm & DNA Fragmentation
• 01:01:54 Hope or Hype Treatments
• 01:04:35 When to Fire Your Doctor

If you've ever felt like your fertility journey keeps throwing curveball after curveball, this episode is for you. I'm sitting down with Kara, one of my Fertility Fight Club members, and she is sharing her whole story.

Kara's journey started with two ectopic pregnancies (including a rupture that landed her in the hospital), which led her into IVF. From there, she went through failed transfers, a lab mishap that put her embryos in question, and months of testing to find answers her original clinic never looked for - including a stubborn case of ureaplasma, low iron, and low vitamin D.

But the biggest twist in her story wasn't medical. In the middle of prepping for a transfer, Kara made the decision to leave her marriage - and chose to move forward on her own, with a sperm donor, rather than put her dream of being a mom on hold.

We talk about:

• Trusting your gut when doctors dismiss your symptoms
• What it actually means to "optimize" your body for a transfer (iron, vitamin D, microbiome, building muscle)
• The judgment women face when they choose to do this alone
• Choosing yourself, even when it means walking away from what you thought your path would look like

This one is real, it's raw, and if you're in the thick of your own fertility fight, I hope it reminds you that you're not fighting alone.

Connect with Kara:

Instagram: @karathevampireslayer

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Kara’s Fertility Journey
• 02:04 First Ectopic Pregnancy
• 05:21 Rupture and Tube Loss
• 06:15 Second Ectopic and IVF Choice
• 09:42 Embryos and First Transfer
• 11:51 Lab Medium Recall Shock
• 15:57 Meeting Crystal and New Plan
• 16:50 Testing Vitamins Microbiome
• 19:53 Nutrition Weight Muscle Plan
• 21:57 Marriage Ends, Transfer Paused
• 26:00 Donor IVF
• 29:30 Solo IVF Judgment
• 35:01 Microbiome LIT Transfer Prep

Mentioned in this episode:

Fertility Fight Club

If you've ever had that giant box of fertility meds show up at your door and thought, "what on earth do I do with all of this?" - this episode is for you.

I'm back with Nurse Lindsay for a full walkthrough of everything IVF medications: what each one actually does, how to store them, how to mix them, how to inject without spiraling, and what the trigger shot is all about. We cover the stuff you already knew you had questions about, and a bunch you probably didn't know to ask yet.

We get into where to store your meds (and where not to), what to do if your dose changes and you don't catch it in time, how to handle needles, traveling with medications, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with all of it - because yes, you might want to throw something at your husband, and no, that doesn't mean something's wrong with you.

Lindsay also walks us through the real "911 calls" she gets from patients - missed doses, dosing mistakes, forgetting if you already injected - so you know exactly what to do (and not panic) if it happens to you.

A huge thank you to Nurse Lindsay for bringing her expertise and calm energy to this one. If you're heading into a cycle soon, save this episode - you're going to want to come back to it.

A reminder: your own medication doses, timing, and storage instructions should always come from your fertility clinic and pharmacy. This episode is here for educational purposes only and does not replace your care team.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 IVF Meds 101
• 00:45 Storing Your Meds Safely
• 07:07 Traveling With Meds
• 11:44 Gonal F Injection Demo
• 18:32 Sharps and Refills Planning
• 22:39 Menopur Mixing Walkthrough
• 31:38 Rotate Injection Sites
• 35:49 Cetrotide Mixing & Timing
• 42:07 Cetrotide Reactions Explained
• 43:22 Injection Mistakes And Fixes
• 47:59 Trigger Shot Timing
• 56:04 Side Effects And Safety Signs

Mentioned in this episode:

Fertility Blooms Programs

This one is close to my heart. Today's Love Your Story episode is with a past client, Ivona, and I am so excited (and honestly, a little teary) to finally share her journey with you.

Ivona and I have been through a lot together - Zoom calls, tears, and "okay, let's pivot" moments. Her story has endometriosis, canceled cycles, four different fertility clinics, a devastating early miscarriage, a doctor telling her she was "basically in menopause," and a moment where she almost went the donor embryo route entirely. And then - against every odd anyone put in front of her - she got pregnant naturally, gave birth to her daughter Ella, and is here today to tell you the whole thing.

If you've ever been told your numbers don't look good, that you're running out of time, or that this "probably won't work" - I want you to hear this one.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Getting diagnosed with endometriosis and bouncing between four fertility clinics over several years
• Canceled appointments (thanks, COVID), misdiagnoses, and being dismissed by doctors who didn't treat her endo as a real factor
• A heartbreaking early pregnancy loss and the frozen embryo transfers that didn't work
• The specific advice that finally moved the needle - including fertilisis testing, LIT therapy, and finally getting approved for a laparoscopy after being told no for years
• The call where a doctor told her, given her AMH and FSH, that pregnancy was unlikely - and how she and her husband refused to accept that as the end
• Seriously considering embryo donation/adoption before getting pregnant naturally
• Her nine-week scan, her pregnancy after loss, and a birth story that took a dramatic turn with an emergency C-section
• Why she trusts her instincts more than ever now, and the one piece of advice she wants every woman with endo to hear

This episode is proof that "unlikely" doesn't mean "impossible," and that persistence, the right team, and trusting your gut can change everything. Ivona's story is for anyone who needs a little more hope today.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Ivona’s Fertility Journey
• 03:38 Trying Naturally With Endo
• 09:45 Chemical Pregnancy After IUI
• 16:39 Canceled IVF Cycle
• 19:18 Egg Retrieval And One Embryo
• 25:32 First Transfer Miscarriage
• 31:00 Natural Pregnancy Loss
• 39:48 Prepping Final IVF
• 49:05 Fighting For Laparoscopy
• 52:51 Fertilysis
• 58:32 Embryo Adoption Option
• 01:01:21 Natural Pregnancy Surprise
• 01:04:28 First Heartbeat Scan
• 01:07:38 Emergency C Section Birth

We talk about egg retrievals, fertilization, embryo grading, and blastocysts all the time on this podcast - but most of us never actually meet the people doing this work behind the lab doors. Today, that changes.

I'm so excited to welcome Jessica Manns to the show. Jessica is a senior embryologist and laboratory supervisor at Radiance Fertility who's been in the field since 2018, and she's made it her mission to help patients actually understand what's happening throughout the IVF process - not just live through it, but feel informed and empowered along the way. You probably already know her from Explaining IVF, her Instagram platform breaking down the science in a way that actually makes sense, or from her two books, The Trying Time and The Busy Little Embryo. She's also a huge advocate in our community and has served as a gestational surrogate herself, which gives her a perspective on this journey that very few people in this field have - both through the microscope and through the human side of it.

If you've ever wondered what's really happening to your eggs and embryos once they disappear behind that lab door, this episode is for you.

• What actually happens after your egg retrieval - how embryologists find and identify the eggs in the follicular fluid
• ICSI vs. conventional fertilization, and how sperm quality plays a bigger role than we often talk about
• Embryo grading, demystified - what the Gardner scale numbers and letters actually mean (and why grading is more subjective than people think)
• Do frozen embryos "downgrade"? The truth about freezing, thawing, and embryo damage
• PGT testing - who Jessica recommends it for, and how age factors into that conversation
• Transfer day - what happens in the lab while the doctor is doing your transfer
• The ultra-fast thaw protocol Jessica helped develop, and how it's changing thaw times
• Behind Explaining IVF - how Jessica's Instagram page and her books, The Trying Time and The Busy Little Embryo, came to be
• Jessica's own surrogacy journey - why she chose to become a gestational surrogate, and what that experience taught her
• Her best advice for anyone in the middle of their own IVF journey

More from Jessica Manns:

Follow @explainingivf on Instagram

The Trying Time: A Comprehensive Guide to Infertility, IVF, and Family Building

The Busy Little Embryo

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Meet Embryologist Jessica
• 10:32 Handling Good and Bad News
• 15:51 ICSI vs Conventional IVF
• 19:05 Day 3 vs Day 5-7 Embryos
• 24:17 Embryo Grading Explained
• 32:11 Assisted Hatching
• 35:22 PGT Testing
• 37:33 Embryo Transfer Day
• 42:31 Ultra Fast Thaw
• 51:49 Surrogacy Journey
• 56:27 Best IVF Advice

Mentioned in this episode:

Fertility Fight Club

I'm sitting down with Nurse Lindsay from Victory Reproductive Care - the woman I text and call daily about our shared clients. Between the two of us, we've watched thousands of fertility journeys unfold from two totally different seats: her inside the clinic, me on the outside helping you optimize your body through nutrition, lifestyle, and honestly just helping you through the emotional rollercoaster of it all.

This episode is for every one of you who's texted me "okay this is going to sound crazy but..." - because it's not crazy, and you're not the only one wondering. We're finally answering the questions you're too embarrassed or too rushed to ask your own nurse.

What we cover:

• The biggest IVF misconceptions - why it takes longer than you think, and why rushing leads to mistakes
• Quick-fire myth busting: bed rest after transfer, "more eggs = better cycle," poor embryo grading, low AMH meaning - true or false?
• The lifestyle factors that actually tank egg and sperm quality (marijuana, alcohol, phone habits, and more)
• The questions you're embarrassed to ask: sex after transfer, wine after transfer, missed progesterone doses, & more
• Why being 100% honest with your medical team changes your outcomes
• What actually separates patients who succeed faster from those who don't
• Two stories you won't believe - including one involving a jailhouse phone call

This is also the kickoff to a new monthly segment: Lindsay and I are heading out into the field to try treatments like acupuncture, NAD+, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, then reporting back on what's worth it and what's not. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Loved this episode? Subscribe to the show and come find me on social @fertilityblooms and tell me which myth surprised you most.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Meet Nurse Lindsay
• 04:43 IVF Myths and Mistakes
• 09:23 Lifestyle Stress and Support
• 14:52 Timing Meds and Trigger Shot
• 19:48 Transfer Tips and Superstitions
• 36:19 Hidden Male Factors
• 40:40 Low AMH Reality Check
• 47:04 Marijuana and Sperm
• 53:36 IVF Stress Triggers
• 58:48 Sex and Timing
• 01:01:12 Medication Timing Mistakes
• 01:03:14 Wild Fertility Stories

Mentioned in this episode:

Fertility Fight Club

If you listened to Part 1, you know I left you on a cliffhanger. Here's where it picks up - and I promise you, nothing could have prepared me for this chapter.

After everything - the miscarriages, the rare ectopic pregnancy, the uterus damage, three rounds of IVF - surrogacy became our path forward. We chose Ukraine. My dad's side of the family is Ukrainian, and international surrogacy there meant our surrogate would actually be compensated well for the incredible gift she was giving us. We found Marina, and the second she told me she'd hold our baby "like a glass ball," I knew she was the one.

Marina got pregnant with our twins in 2021. And then, in early 2022, the war started. Our surrogate and babies were in Ukraine, and we made the decision to fly toward the war, not away from it.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Marina, and why we knew instantly she was our person
• Getting married in five days to make the Ukraine surrogacy process work
• Racing to get embryos and sperm across borders before COVID shutdowns hit
• Watching the news and realizing the country carrying our babies was about to be at war
• Flying into Warsaw, taking a bus across the border, and the moment armed guards pulled us off it
• Air raid sirens, a hospital bomb shelter, and meeting Marina in person for the first time
• Babies born at 36 weeks, days after the invasion began
• Getting Maverick and Savannah - and Marina - out of an active war zone
• What it actually took to get our family home

This is the story I've never told publicly, and honestly, some of it still doesn't feel real to me even now. But it's also the reason this podcast exists - because if I can find a way through all of this, I want every one of you to know there's a way through your version of it too.

We're just getting started. This show is going to be full of real stories, real experts, and a whole community that gets it - because nobody should go through this feeling alone.

Subscribe or follow wherever you're listening so you don't miss what's coming next - new episodes, expert guests, and stories from the Fertility Fight Club community.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps

• 00:00 Twins via Surrogacy
• 04:56 Choosing Ukraine
• 07:13 COVID Wedding Rush
• 10:49 Transfer And Twins
• 15:08 War Fears Escalate
• 23:05 Refugees in Warsaw
• 26:11 Crossing the Border to Ukraine by Bus
• 29:48 Meeting Marina at Hospital
• 33:36 Bunker Birth Day Chaos
• 37:27 NICU Bomb Threats and Car Seats
• 39:23 Escape Plan and Passports
• 42:37 Project Dynamo Rescue
• 45:56 Podcast Mission and Series

I've told pieces of my story to clients for years. "I've been there." "I get it." But I've never told the whole thing, start to finish - until now.

This episode is Part 1 of my fertility story, and it's a big one. I'm talking chemical pregnancies I didn't even understand at the time, an ectopic pregnancy so rare (1 in 65,000!) that it grew on my ovary instead of my tube, a procedure that ended up damaging my uterus without me knowing for years, and three rounds of IVF where I kept getting blamed - for my age, my eggs, my "stress" - while nobody tested the one thing that turned out to actually matter.

I share this not because I want sympathy, but because I know so many of you are living some version of this right now. The rabbit holes. The clinics that don't call you back. The doctors who look at you like a number instead of a person. The moment you ask "when can we try again" five minutes after finding out you lost a pregnancy - and feeling guilty for asking it (by the way - it's the most common question there is).

In this episode:

• How my "healthy" lifestyle didn't protect me from infertility - and why that surprised me
• What a chemical pregnancy actually is (nobody explained it to me either)
• The ectopic pregnancy that almost cost me my life, and the surgery that followed
• The procedure I agreed to without fully understanding what it would mean for my uterus
• Three rounds of IVF, and the thing nobody tested until a doctor in the US finally did
• Why I started questioning "the way it's always done" - and started digging for real answers

This one ends on a cliffhanger, because life did too. By the end of this episode, I'm out of options I thought I had - and about to step into something I never expected. Part 2 picks up right where this leaves off.

If any part of this is your story too - you're not alone in this. That's the whole reason this podcast exists.

Don't miss Part 2 - hit subscribe/follow wherever you're listening so it lands right in your feed the second it's live. Trust me, you won't want to wait to find out what happens next.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 My Fertility Journey
• 06:53 Miscarriage
• 11:55 Ectopic Pregnancy Scare
• 15:20 Ovarian Ectopic and Surgery
• 20:47 Essure and IVF Begins
• 25:09 Seeking Help in US
• 36:02 Adoption Considered
• 38:54 Choosing Surrogacy Path

Tired of hearing "everything looks normal" and still not seeing those two pink lines? Welcome to The Fertility Fight Club - a safe space for women trying to conceive to get real answers, real support, and real hope. I'm Crystal, Holistic Nutritionist and Fertility Coach, and in this trailer, I'm sharing what this show is all about and why I created it: to help you find out what's really going on with your fertility, get real answers, and finally get those two positive lines.

Each week we're covering it all - natural conception, IUI, IVF, egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy - with help from doctors, embryologists, and fertility experts who'll help you move the needle on your journey. This journey is tough, but you don't have to do it alone. Hit subscribe and let's get started.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms