Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

On this episode, Ali talks to Emmy Award-winning journalist and NFL Network reporter Sara Walsh about her infertility journey and what finally led to her "miracle twins." Sara opens up about her four miscarriages; how  working in a male-dominated industry drove her to keep her journey a secret; having a devastating loss while out of town for work; why advocating for oneself is so important...

On this episode, Ali talks to fellow infertility warrior Bre, about her "roller coaster" infertility ride. Bre talks about what happened when her partner, who is 21 years older than her, had a reverse vasectomy. She also talks about how infertility affected her relationship, how she and her husband were "looked at differently every step of the way" trying to have their own child, a...

Today, Ali is talking to proudAF egg donor mama Dani Repsch, who chronicles her infertility journey from IUIs to medicated cycles to donor eggs and beyond. Dani goes into detail about choosing a donor, grieving her genetics, failed cycles, becoming pregnant, and why she and her husband think it's so important that they tell their young son, Nathan, that he was conceived with donor eggs from th...

Nidhi is an IVF and Surrogacy Warrior, and today she tells Ali the long, complicated story of having her three babies under the age of four. Nidhi talks about a host of issues that contributed to her infertility journey, including uterine polyps, an ovarian cyst, and much more. She talks about multiple rounds of IVF, why they skipped IUI entirely, the effects of infertility on her marriage, how he...

Today, Ali is talking to Dr. Loree Johnson, @drloreejohnson, a therapist specializing in reproductive health, grief, infertility and pregnancy loss. Loree talks about going through six rounds of IVF and so much more, including finding out in the second trimester that their baby had chromosomal issues—and making the devastating decision to terminate for medical reasons. Loree talks about the grief...

What an episode! On today's show, Ali and her dear friend Alex Slate, aka @rockabyemaybe about her years-long journey to finally becoming pregnant and staying pregnant—and simultaneously expecting another baby via her beloved surrogate. It's an incredible story, featuring Alex's experiences with and thoughts on her five devastating pregnancy losses, her IUIs, moving to IVF, the Canadia...

Today, Ali is talking to her good friend Kate Knapton, founder of Jojii And Co., about her infertility journey, which ultimately led to having her two children through embryo adoption. Kate talks about finding out her husband had "zero sperm," what happened after his micro-TESE procedure, feeling  "so defeated," getting lost in Google rabbit holes and all the anxiety of #TTC. She d...

Today, Ali is talking to IVF mama and fertility coach Ceire about her dream of always having four kids—and how, of course, that dream did not go as planned. Ceire talks about her unexplained infertility and how while  doing IVF, she hid all of her fertility treatments from family, friends and co-workers because of shame and her unconscious beliefs of what family-building should look like. She talk...

Episode 1:  Laughing Through Infertility with Karen Jeffries from Hilariously Infertile It's said that laughter is the best medicine, but does that apply to a fertility journey? This episode's Baby or Bust guest Karen Jeffries certainly thinks so. With an avid social media following and successful book, Karen joins host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine to discuss humor&#39...

Today, Ali is talking to Jamie B., a.k.a. Glitter Enthusiast, about the long and winding infertility journey to having her twin boys. Jamie talks about her three IUIs, moving onto IVF, miscarriage, failed transfers, and  feeling like everywhere she went, everyone was pregnant. She also talks about being in the "jail of your own anxiety," how being pregnant after infertility is like "wa...

Welcome to the Season Four Premiere! Today, Ali is talking to Amanda Knox, who, as many of you know, is the American who spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with whom she shared an apartment. In 2015, Knox was definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, and today, she...

Chelsea and her wife have been trying to grow their family since January 2020. LIke so many others, they were derailed by COVID, and today, she tells Ali all about the rest of her story, including seven failed IUIs, being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, and their first failed round of IVF. She also talks about using three different sperm donors because there was a donor sperm shortage in 2...

Today's story talks about stillbirth. It's not an easy one, but it's real. And Ali is forever grateful to her guest, Christa, for sharing her first hand experience with infertility, IVF, and the devastating loss of their son, Zeke, who was born still at 27 weeks. Christa, a nurse, talks about how finding out that she and her husband were both genetic carriers for the same disorder, con...

Today, Ali talks to licensed individual and couples therapist Marly Steinman about her four-year-long infertility journey, including many early losses, an egg quality issue, anxiety, and a lot of guilt. She talks about "sobbing eyes out in the bathroom" while giving herself a shot at a baby shower, financial frustrations, and feeling like it was her fault because her body "wasn't w...

Today, Ali talks Aaron and MJ, who are married and also co-authored the book, "Men and Miscarriage: A Dad's Guide to Grief, Relationships and Healing After Loss." Aaron and MJ get allll into it, including how men don't know how to express their feelings around miscarriage, infertility and loss; their devastating loss of a baby at almost 17 weeks due to Sirenomelia, also known as me...

Today, Ali talks to the Today Show's Sheinelle Jones about her own fertility journey and her devastating miscarriage—and her new documentary, "The Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret," which airs tonight on MSNBC.  Episode sponsors:  FERTILITY RALLY @fertilityrally No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at  www.fertilityrally.com . Doors...

Not all of these stories end with babies. And this is one of those stories. Today, Ali talks to Jody, @childless_and_confident, who, after being diagnosed with early menopause at 37 or 38, decided she did not want to pursue fertility treatments to have children. Instead, she pivoted to embrace a life without children. "I need to help people find a path that shows them that there are great thin...

Today's guest, Stephanie, has been through it all during her infertility journey, including unexplained infertility, a daughter who ended up in the NICU and had to have brain surgery; a natural pregnancy that had to be terminated for medical reasons, and 10 IVF transfers. Ten! You read that correctly. Now about to give birth again, Stephanie recalls everything she's been through--and why s...

Today, Ali talks to entrepreneur, creative director of Poppington, author (of the children's book, "Dusko Goes to Space") and infertility advocate Raquel Horn about the years-long fertility journey she went through with her fiance, music mogul Damon Dash. Raquel and Damon have been through a tremendous amount as they've tried to expand their family, from going vegan, embracing acup...

Today, Jacqueline, who has always wanted to tell her story on a fertility podcast, is checking that goal off her list. She starts by telling Ali about her husband's battle with kidney cancer, and the very interesting, very lucky way his cancer was discovered. Then she explains how male factor infertility came into play (in the form of low sperm count), what happened when she went through IVF,...

Tara Brandner is a nurse practitioner, an infertility warrior and a full-time fertility coach. Like so many of you, she's endured a long road through infertility, followed by infertility treatments and a traumatic pregnancy. Today, she talks to Ali about all the things, including feeling lonely and confused, making a shift to a "not healthy mental space", why she left a clinic after he...

This is the story of two sisters who each have their own infertility journeys—but they are also very much intertwined. Both Emily and Katie had one child, and then, in 2019, their world was rocked when Emily was diagnosed with appendix cancer. After a surgery that took her ovaries, Katie donated her eggs to her sister, Emily, so she could try for her second kid. And then a lot more happened after...

Today, Ali talks to Nicole, who is still in the middle of what she calls her "infertility puzzle," -- with no baby yet. Nicole shares what she's been through so far, including not being able to get pregnant naturally, starting with IUI because she wasn't yet ready for IVF, a chemical pregnancy, getting those "big, fat, negative" pregnancy tests and the devastation of her tw...

Ashley has been a surrogate to three babies and has three kiddos of her own, and today, she talks to Ali about what it's really like to be a surrogate: Why does someone do it, What are the logistics, Where does one even begin? She also talks about the difference being a surrogate for a same sex couple and a couple that has gone through infertility. Then, she answers frequently asked questions...

On this episode, Ali talks to her friend and InCircle Fertility co-founder Sophie about navigating the "maze" of infertility. Sophie explains how her struggle with anorexia in her 20s may have played a role in her ability to have a baby, how she didn't hear a heartbeat at her first baby's second ultrasound, that "slow motion, underwater feeling" when the ultrasound tech&#39...