IVF Uncovered

I often speak with women that are working so hard on their fertility journey to do everything perfectly. By the time they talk to me, they are exhausted, confused, and at a loss for what do to next. If they're doing everything that they're supposed to do, why isn't it working?   IVF doesn't have to feel like jail. You can enjoy life and still work towards creating the family of your dreams. In fac...

Meet Kelli   Kelli is not our typical Path to Parenthood story. Kelli had her first child through IVF after two rounds. When she and her husband decided to continue growing their family, they knew they would need IVF support again. She had already discovered Tasha through Facebook and was a regular podcast listener. Kelli told herself that if the first transfer wasn't successful, she would hire th...

Meet Jessica.   Jessica and her husband thought IVF was the answer to their unexplained infertility woes. A doctor would take her eggs, combine them with his sperm, and POOF - a baby. They expected IVF to work on the first round (hint, it took 4 more rounds).   When Jessica found the FU Project Workshop, she was still skeptical about bringing in an additional team to help her and her husband on th...

At the ripe age of 33, I would have laughed at anyone that tried to tell me that it would take more than two rounds to have my family. After all, fertility wasn't my problem. My husband was the one with a low sperm count. Boy, was I wrong? IVF can be so overwhelming. Yes, it's science, and it exists to help you grow your family. However, there is a misconception that because science is involved, t...

Meet Mari.   When we met, Mari was sad and angry. Mari and her husband had been trying for a year to conceive, but hadn't had any success. At that point they decided it was best to have some tests done. Doctors diagnosed Mari with unexplained infertility and recommended IVF, but Mari and her husband weren't ready.   Instead they continued to try naturally, followed by a couple of failed IUIs. They...

HAPPY NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK!!   1 in 8 couples face fertility issues. That's why National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) and the work RESOLVE does is so important.   As anyone that listens to this podcast knows, it took me 10 rounds of IVF to have my two very expensive children. If you're on a fertility journey, you know how challenging this journey can be.   When you first enter...

Meet Anne.    Anne was diagnosed with a diminished ovarian reserve and completed two unsuccessful egg retrievals (1-2 eggs total), followed by two unsuccessful fresh transfers.    After joining the FU Project Workshop, she did another two egg retrievals.  The first produced 4 Day 3 embryos which are on ice and then the second produced over 10 eggs and she now has 6 Day 5 genetically tested embryos...

An open letter to all fertility clinics... Have a little more respect for my vagina. I realize that you may be used to having women spread eagle in a room while you're going about your business, but for us, it's strange AF!   Give us a towel, a blanket, anything to cover our vagina, and as a result, our anus, from the room full of people taking notes, chit-chatting and getting prepped for a proced...

Meet Jena.   She has PCOS, had her first child via IUI (got pregnant on the second one), and then could not get pregnant with baby #2 (sound familiar?). She joined the FU Project Workshop for our experience, expertise and ability to customize a plan for her. In this chat she will share what she also was able to accomplish (other than, yes, a pregnancy) and the advice she would give someone in her...

I recently had one of the hardest weeks of my life this past December. I was working double time so that I could feel prepared to take a week off for the holidays (that's already stressful at any point in the year), but then my husband was diagnosed with covid and my dad was dying from covid all at the same time.    Stress, whether acute or traumatic, has affected us all. We learn that stress is b...

Meet Emma…    She had gone through one IUI and five failed transfers with IVF when the doctors started recommending surrogacy. However, she felt there were still avenues she could take to get and stay pregnant. When we met, Emma wasn't ready to give up on herself, and she wanted to make sure she got it right with her next embryo. Not only was her first transfer with the FU project successful, but...

Oh yes, I'm going there. We are talking about God, Religion and your IVF journey. Religion can play a huge role in your life's decisions. It can play an even more confusing  role if your religion and life goals create conflicting in ideologies. But is IVF and fertility support innately against God's will? Are you playing God by using IVF to get you pregnant?   This whole God conversation started b...

Meet Stephanie…    She was confident in her egg retrievals and then they were unsuccessful.  She was confident in her embryo transfers, and then they were unsuccessful. When we met, she wanted guidance on what was going wrong and to be better informed during her next steps through her fertility journey. Stephanie not only received guidance and useful information but also a fruitful community of pe...

There's annoying news, and there's sad news. There are things you can control, and there are things you can't control. When you're trying to navigate your fertility journey, every bump can feel like a mountain. Whether you're having to postpone your appointment (again) due to a thin uterine or you just had a failed transfer, there's a way to handle news that'll benefit you and your journey in the...

Meet Jennifer…    Getting pregnant seemed like an uphill battle with both her husband and herself having fertility issues.  They tried for two years, both naturally and through IVF, before they found me. When we met she had already went through 2 egg retrievals and 5 failed transfers with genetically tested embryos, interviewing surrogates as a possible option and then natural pregnancy that ended...

From simple prayers to multi-step mystic processes,  there is no shortage of weird tips, tricks and superstitions people subscribe to in order to get and stay pregnant. When you're going on your 10th round of IVF like I was, you get a little desperate for something to make you magically pregnant, even if that involves taking crazy advice from strangers.   On what would be my final round of IVF, I...

Meet Charlotte…    She needed IVF due to a male factor (like we did) and thought that IVF was going to create control and order in her fertility journey  (like I did).  When we met, Charlotte just had a miscarriage after IVF. It was then that she realized she needed support and guidance moving forward through her fertility journey. She originally joined the FU project just to get an opinion over h...

Meet Heather…    For Heather, having her second child felt like a ticking time bomb. There was pressure to make something happen since she was getting older and the statistics of her having a baby weren't getting any better. But she wasn't ready to give up on her body's ability. When we met, Heather was 42 years old with light endometriosis and being told that she could not get pregnant without an...

Meet Jamie…    For Jamie, she had her first child easily through a couple rounds of IVF. When she tried to have her second child, things didn't go as smoothly. After many failed rounds and lots of frustration, Jamie felt like she hit rock bottom in her fertility journey. When we met, Jamie thought that her dreams of having a family of four may never actually happen. There was nothing technically w...

Meet Megan…    She has severe diminished ovarian reserve (only makes 1-2 eggs on stimulation drugs), has severe endometriosis (two laparoscopy surgeries) and was told it would be impossible for her to have a child with her own eggs.   She was at the most famous clinic in the USA with an exceptional doctor and was brave enough to leave there (and trust me) to go to a different, less known, doctor. ...

Is IVF feeling unfair?   Are you riding the emotional rollercoaster and wondering why your partner seems to be sitting cool, calm and collected on the sidelines? It's easy to feel like you're making all of the sacrifice while your partner's life seems unfazed by the IVF rollercoaster?   IVF is a huge commitment and places a lot of physical, emotional and mental demand on the female. This doesn't m...

Meet Erin…    For Erin, deciding to do IVF after trying for about a year wasn't the problem. In fact, she was confident going into IVF since there were no obvious problems with her or her partner's fertility. When we met she had done two rounds of IVF.  She had everything going for her - high egg reserve at 39 and loads of embryos after fertilization. But she only has a total of 1 embryo (between...

ARE YOU STILL IN A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP?   Hint: You probably are. But it is with yourself.   Handling the stress of your fertility journey is downright difficult. Fertility journeys are a perfect breeding ground for those negative thoughts to creep into your head and control how you react to your own life. That being said, regardless of whether you've heard of a Drama Triangle, you've probably been...

Meet Michelle…    Michelle had completely embraced the IVF route for her fertility journey. She was pretty confident a nd believed she was going to get pregnant the first go-around. Flash forward through four failed transfers and learning to cope with anger and frustration, she not only got pregnant but developed a more positive, healthy mindset. When we met, Michelle had a failed transfer at her...

When you're going through your fertility journey, navigating the holidays can seem daunting: The holiday cards featuring someone's newborn or seeing a pregnant relative or hearing how one of your friends got pregnant so easily can be absolutely devastating depending on your current mindset. Then there's the "advice." Your aunt gives you her special 8-step routine to increase your fertility. Your m...