Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Latest Episodes:

The Roe V. Wade Episode Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

HOW WILL OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE IMPACT IVF PATIENTS AND THE INFERTILITY COMMUNITY AT LARGE?

On today's special bonus episode, Ali is joined by Dr. Sahar Wertheimer, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist practicing in Los Angeles, and InCircle Fertility founder, fertility coach and infertility warrior Abbe Feder to discuss the implications of the overturning of Roe V. Wade. Among the things they discuss: If life begins at fertilization, what does that mean for embryos, creating embryos, discarding embryos and things of that nature? Are women supposed to stock up on the abortion pill? How do we deal with losing bodily autonomy? What it's like to be "waiting to be unpregnant" after a loss, and how young women today will come of age with fewer rights than her mothers and grandmothers. Dr. Werthemier also tells Ali and Abbe what doctors are saying behind the scenes, and what the next few years might look like. Then Abbe talks about how she had to take the abortion pill at one point for a very wanted pregnancy, and also how she had to to take methotrexte for an ectopic pregnancy, and how she went through TFMR when she was pregnant with IVF triplets (and how if the law were different at that time, she would have had a very different outcome).

RESOURCES:

https://resolve.org/resolve-statement-supreme-court-dobbs-decision/

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/roe-v-wade-overturned-how-to-help-action/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ZSWBhCVARIsALERCvz0frUWttW5kc_pTnHQoHUTJl3IdqwWZ2EIgFpmyerb3GBkdwNhYyAaAm0EEALw_wcB

https://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/asrms-response-to-the-dobbs-v-jackson-ruling/

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Monica @waitingforbabywunder Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Today, Ali's friend Monica tells us all about her infertility journey, including how she discovered she has uterus didelphys, a rare congenital condition where you're born with two uteruses and pelvic kidney--both of which make it difficult and unsafe for her to carry her own pregnancy. Monica talks about meeting her husband, when they started to try having babies, starting IVF, falling down a Google rabbit hole, pivoting to a new clinic, going through PRP treatment, finding and matching with a surrogate (and then another, and then another, and then another), and where she is now.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; uterus didelphys; pelvic kidney: PRP; surrogacy; advocacy; loss and anxiety.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Beli is formulated with the right nutrients to help boost your fertility, increase egg quality and support IVF to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy. To get started with Beli, go to belibaby.com and use code ALI15 for 15% off your first month of either Beli Women or Beli Men.

Support this podcast at:

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Jaime B: A Covid Story Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

On today's show, Jaime shares her infertility journey, including how she lost her baby girl, Emily, at 23 weeks gestation in December 2020 due to getting Covid while pregnant. Both Emily and Jaime's placenta tested positive for Covid. "It was an absolutely devastating loss," Jaime says. "Prior to losing her we had five early miscarriages. We finally brought home a baby this February - my son Brody is now four months old." Jaime says her journey is "to help promote awareness of Covid and Pregnancy to help prevent this from happening to others."

NOTE FROM ALI: Please guard your heart -- this is a sad and difficult episode. But it's so important, and I can't thank Jaime enough for sharing her story.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; unexplained infertility; miscarriage; RPL; Covid; IVF; still birth; IVF success

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month--and we are currently running a special for our 2nd Birthday: Just $129 for an annual membership--which is $70 off! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

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E! News Host and Style Expert Lilliana Vazquez Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

Today, Ali is talking to Lilliana Vazquez, host of E! News, style expert and founder of The LV Guide, about the six years she spent battling infertility. Lilliana gets super candid about all the things: how she met her husband, how her first retrieval got messed up, how it's difficult to talk about infertility in her Latin community, how IVF is "a thief," being your own health advocate, the importance of getting a second opinion, how infertility almost "broke" her marriage, and finally, how she had her baby boy, Santi. "In my head, I had told myself, 'This one IVF round is going to lead to a beautiful, healthy baby,' which I think a lot of women do," she says. "It's very expensive, it's emotionally taxing, it's a huge sacrifice, and then to get that news, you're like—this was supposed to be my baby."

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; egg retrievals; relationship issues; advocating; the anxiety of motherhood after infertility

EPISODE SPONSORS:

PINK STORK www.pinkstork.com

For PinkStork, wellness is personal. As The Wellness Brand for Women®, they feel called to support all women on their wellness journeys. Our bodies are wonderful and complex, but they don’t always act the way they should. Whatever your ailment, Pink Stork is here to support you⁠—physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Founded by CEO Amy Suzanne after her own health struggles, Pink Stork is women-owned and women-run with over 80% female employees. Their diverse team cares deeply about offering clean, natural products and the women who trust them every day.

The best part? Infertile AF listeners get a special discount. All you have to do is go to pinkstork.com and use CODE InfertileAF15 for an exclusive discount on your purchase

PROOV

Today’s episode is sponsored by Proov, a women’s health company dedicated to providing information and solutions on key fertility hormones so they can reach their goals faster. The best part is that they’re giving Infertile AF listeners a special discount code. Go to proovtest.com, enter the code ALI25, and you’ll get 25% off your first Proov order of $25 or more.

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at www.fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month. See more on our IG @fertilityrally

RECEPTIVA DX

The ReceptivaDX test can help couples struggling with unexplained infertility. It can help identify endometriosis before an embryo transfer, and has the potential to save women the stress, anxiety, and cost of multiple failed IVF attempts. Learn more at receptivadx.com or download the ReceptivaDX app. Use code INFERTILEAF for $75 off.

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

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Meg @creating.crawfords Jun 16, 2022

Show notes

On today's show, Meg, aka @creating.crawfords, tells us all about her infertility journey, her heart condition, and the spinal injury she endured—all of which have made it so that she is unable to carry a baby. Meg talks about her miscarriage, trying for another year and half, the car accident that left her with chronic pain and in a neck brace, and how she and her husband pivoted to both surrogacy and donor eggs. Then, Meg explains how they found both their egg donor and their surrogate through social media — and how the surrogate is due with their baby in July.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; unexplained infertility; miscarriage; chronic pain; surrogacy; donor eggs; donor egg transfer; IVF; IVF success

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month--and we are currently running a special for our 2nd Birthday: Just $129 for an annual membership--which is $70 off! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jade Jun 09, 2022

Show notes

Today Ali is talking to Jade, an amazing friend she met through Fertility Rally, and who works as a school counselor. Jade explains her entire infertility journey, including her hysteroscopy, "huffing" essentials oils, what happened when her doctor found uterine polyps, multiple failed IUIs, her laparoscopy and the discovery of endometriosis, and how all of this affected her relationship with her husband, Justin. Jade is about her have her first baby any day now, and she talks about her experience with IVF, panic attacks, what it felt like to finally be told she was pregnant, and of course, the anxieties that come with pregnancy after infertility. At one point, Jade asks, "Why am I setting myself up to get slapped in the face again and again?"

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; hysteroscopy; essentials oils; uterine polyps; failed IUIs; laparoscopy; endometriosis; IVF; panic attacks; pregnancy after infertility

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month--and we are currently running a special for our 2nd Birthday: Just $129 for an annual membership--which is $70 off! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Taylor @infertileandimpatient Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

Today Ali is talking to her very dear friend Taylor, who you might know from IG as @infertileandimpatient, and who Ali met when she joined Fertility Rally (@fertilityrally). Taylor has been through a ton, and today she tells Ali everything that happened leading up to the miracle birth of her twin girls, Quinn and Charlie. She talks about being blinded by miscarriage after miscarriage, being told by doctors that she had "bad luck," her diagnosis of a balanced translocation, the discovery of chronic endometritis, how she set a goal to make 10 embryos, and then how, in her words, making embryos became kind of an obsession. She also talks about pregnancy after infertility, being in the NICU with the twins, and the "survivor guilt" that comes along with having babies after infertility and loss.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; balanced translocation; chronic endometritis; IVF; miscarriage; recurrent miscarriage; pregnancy after infertility and loss; twin pregnancy; identical twins

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 325 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month--and we are currently running a special for our 2nd Birthday: Just $129 for an annual membership--which is $70 off! Join at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at fertilityrally.com

BELI @beli.baby

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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ICYMI: Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet May 26, 2022

Show notes

Mathilde Froustey is a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and one of the best dancers in the world. Born in Bordeaux, France, Mathilde started dancing at the age of 9 and trained at the Marselle National School of Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Today, even though she says, "In the dance world, infertility is a taboo subject," she comes out to Ali about her personal struggles with infertility and more, including battling an eating disorder, being body shamed while going through IVF, and life in general in the highly competitive world of professional dance. “No one talks about this in the dance world,” Mathilde says. Well, they do now.

Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or who are building modern families in “non-traditional” ways. The space is for anyone seeking support, information, inclusion, humor, kick ass virtual and IRL events, and fun discounts on the journey of infertility and parenthood. To start your Free 7-Day Trial or join now, go to fertilityrally.com

Today we are partnering with Proov, the first 5 minute, at-home progesterone test to confirm ovulation. Go to proovtest.com, enter the code INFERTILEAF20, and you’ll get 20% off your first order.

This episode, I'm partnering with NYU Langone Fertility Center. Join the thousands of families who've placed their trust in the experts at NYU Langone Fertility Center. When you're ready to explore your options, they're ready to help you build your family. For more information, check out their website fertilityny.org, Instagram @Fertility_NY, or call 212-263-8990.

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Jaycee Gossett of The Class May 18, 2022

Show notes

Today, Ali is talking to Jaycee Gossett, a founding teacher and VP of training at The Class. The Class is a workout that strengthens your physical, mental, and emotional well-being through an innovative combination of fitness and mindfulness. Jaycee is a rockstar in the wellness world and today she’s going to tell Ali all about her infertility journey—which she is still in the midst of. She talks about her diagnosis of unexplained infertility, doing six IUI, doing three rounds of IVF but making it to the transfer stage, and how she and her husband have navigated everything so far.

Jaycee also tells Ali about something really cool that’s happening this week at The Class:

The Fertility Series, which includes conversations, meditations, and no-impact workouts that emotionally and mentally support you where medicine, society, and well-meaning loved ones fall short. 1 in 3 teachers at The Class have faced fertility challenges and will share their stories, because no-one is alone on this journey. The meditations will help you move energy, regulate the nervous system, and calm the mind for phases when movement is not advisable or stillness is needed. There will also be a toned-down, no-impact version of The Class without jumping and extreme twisting

FIND OUT MORE AT THECLASS.COM

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IUIs; unexplained infertility; IVF; silent endometriosis; Receptiva DX test; assisted reproductive technology; self-care.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 300 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month. See more on our IG @fertilityrally

BELI @beli.baby

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Samantha Busch Returns May 11, 2022

Show notes

Today, Ali's badass friend Samantha Busch @samanthabusch returns! It's been over two years since we did our first podcast episode, in March 2020. SO. MUCH. HAS. HAPPENED. Samantha and Ali catch up on ALL the things, including how she switched clinics and did another egg retrieval, how she had another loss--a pregnancy that ended devastatingly with two blighted ovums, finding the right gestational carrier, how it felt when her book, “Fighting Infertility,” came out, and how she and Kyle navigated the next phase together. She also talks about her baby girl, who is due via gestational carrier ANY MOMENT NOW! Always real AF, Samantha talks about how excited she is, but also how she is "so guarded" as well—understandably. If you want to hear her entire story, catch up on part one before listening to this ep.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility; IVF; miscarriage; blighted ovum; gestational carriers; surrogacy and surrogates; the anxiety of motherhood after infertility; intended parents; the book "Fighting Infertility."

EPISODE SPONSORS:

PROOV

Famlee Fertility

Famlee Fertility, which offers affordable at-home labs, convenient telehealth visits, and Rx delivery has made it the number one choice for women looking for fertility support and real solutions without ever leaving their home for lonely waiting rooms or sterile doctor’s offices. If you’ve been diagnosed with Unexplained Infertility, PCOS, have recurrent miscarriages, or are considering IVF or have had IVF without success, Famlee Fertility can help you identify and correct the leading hormonal imbalances standing in the way of getting pregnant. Schedule your FREE consult at Famlee.com. That’s F-A-M-L-E-E.com. Famlee: Clinical fertility treatment, at home.

ConceiveAbilities

ConceiveAbilities Surrogacy and Egg Donation is proud to be celebrating 25 years of building families. As a leading, full service woman-owned agency, their mission is to help everyone who dreams of a family, do so. Learn more about why parents and surrogates alike choose ConceiveAbilities Surrogacy Agency as the best agency for them at conceiveabilities.com

FERTILITY RALLY, @fertilityrally

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer support groups, private Facebook groups, curated events, and an entire of more than 300 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey. Doors open the 1st of every month. Follow us and see more on IG @fertilityrally

Support this podcast at:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infertileaf

https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy