Been There, Injected That Fruitful Fertility

**Our Season 2 Finale Episode **

According to the CDC, 8% of Black women between 25-44 seek infertility treatment, compared to 15% of White women. Obviously this is a multi-layered, systemic issue: we have a complicated healthcare system, shitty and inequitable insurance policies which result in high costs to seek fertility treatments, medical racism when it comes to the ways medications are tested and the way providers interact with patients, and there is a lot of community bias about Black people being hyper-fertile (which is obviously not true, and super damaging).

We’re talking to Regina Townsend, founder of The Broken Brown Egg about her fertility journey and why she created The Broken Brown Egg. 

We also asked Regina:
What were some of the biggest challenges you experienced during your fertility journey?What do you wish Black fertility warriors knew? What do you wish White fertility warriors knew?What inspired you to create The Broken Brown Egg?

If you’re a planner who loves control and updating your Google calendar, welp....infertility is probably your greatest nightmare. Infertility can bring even the most buttoned up, organized, over-functioners to their knees.

In this episode, Danielle and Patrick Hall, spouses and co-founders of MyVitro, share their own fertility journey alongside their favorite tips for getting through infertility when you’re Type A and why you should embrace your desire to organize and schedule if you’re gearing up for IVF.

To learn more, visit MyVitro.com.

The title “fertility coach” is one that’s creeped up quite a bit in the TTC community lately. But what is a fertility coach? How are they trained? And should you consider hiring one?

Today we’re asking Kela Smith about fertility coaching, her Hormone P.U.Z.Z.L.E. method and how you can become a fertility coach yourself.

Despite its high prevalence, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a disorder that is shrouded in mystery. It is often misdiagnosed and unrecognized due the fact that its signs and symptoms can vary widely from one individual to the next and can fluctuate throughout a person’s lifetime.

Today, we're talking to Dr. Stephanie Dahl, a reproductive endocrinologist at CCRM Minneapolis and asking Dr. Dahl all about PCOS. Some of our questions include:
What is PCOS?What are some common symptoms of PCOS? How is it diagnosed?How does PCOS affect women’s health and also women’s fertility?What are some lifestyle changes that could help women with PCOS?

Of all infertility cases, approximately 40–50% is due to “male factor” infertility. And while this diagnosis can be devastating for men, it can be equally challenging for women who are trying to support their partners and also grow their families.

On this episode, TJ Peyten shares her story through infertility, a male factor diagnosis, questions about her faith and ultimately a family grown by adoption.

To learn more about TJ, you can check out this article she wrote for Fruitful or purchase her book "Semen Secrets."

A lot of people are surprised by the emotional challenges infertility kicks up. They're unexpected. They're big. And we mostly deal with them in private. What is it about infertility that makes you feel totally insane and what are some coping techniques that might alleviate some of the stress and big feelings that pop up?

On this episode, we're talking to mental health expert (and fertility warrior herself) Rena Gower LCSW about what makes infertility such a traumatic life event.

We're also asking Rena:
What are some of the most common challenges you hear from people going through infertility? Are there common themes?What are some warning signs that a marriage or relationship might be straining under the pressure of TTC?How do you know it’s time to talk to a therapist or mental health expert?Are there any coping techniques or tips that listeners can implement to make going through infertility a bit easier for them?And here's a link to the article referenced in the episode that Rena wrote for Fruitful about how infertility can affect your sex life and marriage:
https://www.fruitfulfertility.org/blog/2111/infertility-sex-and-marriage/