Jen shares her fertility journey from frozen eggs, failed IVF, miscarriage, and being told she had about a 1% chance of success to ultimately conceiving naturally and giving birth to a healthy baby girl at 44. After freezing eggs years earlier as an “insurance policy,” Jen returned to fertility treatment at 43 believing IVF was her only option. Instead, all five of her previously frozen eggs were lost during the thaw, embryos from another retrieval stopped developing, and her clinic told her it was time to consider donor eggs. Jen decided she was not ready to accept that answer. She began working with a fertility-focused naturopath, discovered Aimee Raupp’s best selling fertility book: Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and eventually joined Aimee’s fertility program. Together, they looked beyond fertility statistics and focused on nutrition, hormones, thyroid health, supplements, digestion, stress, emotional healing, and rebuilding trust in her body. We discuss how age-shaming affected Jen’s confidence, why self-forgiveness and surrender became such an important part of her fertility journey, and what changed when she stopped treating fertility as something she had to control perfectly and instead focused on becoming healthier, supported, and more compassionate toward herself. After another miscarriage and an incredibly difficult year that included losing her father, Jen conceived naturally again at 44. That pregnancy resulted in her healthy daughter, Ruby James. Key Topics * Jen came to Aimee at 43, approaching 44, after experiencing miscarriage and a difficult fertility treatment journey. * She had frozen five eggs in 2016 while single, believing egg freezing would serve as an “insurance policy” for having children later. * When she and her partner decided to start a family at 43, Jen returned to the same fertility clinic believing IVF was essentially her only option. * Jen describes experiencing significant age-shaming during fertility treatment and being made to feel that her chances of becoming a mother were extremely low. * Her clinic attempted to use her previously frozen eggs alongside eggs from another retrieval, but all five frozen eggs died during the thaw and three embryos from the new retrieval stopped developing after three days. * After the failed cycle, Jen was told she had approximately a 1% chance because of her age and was encouraged to consider donor eggs or possibly IUI instead of another IVF cycle. * Walking away from that clinic became a major turning point, and Jen decided she wanted to explore another approach rather than accept that her fertility journey was over. * Jen began working with a fertility-focused naturopath who evaluated hormones and bloodwork that she says had not previously been explored in depth. * Around six weeks after her retrieval, Jen tried naturally and became pregnant on the first attempt, but that pregnancy ended in miscarriage at eight weeks. * Discovering Aimee’s book Yes, You Can Get Pregnant dramatically changed Jen’s perspective because it was one of the first resources she found that gave her hope about pregnancy after 40. * Jen says the emotional component of Aimee’s work became just as important as nutrition and supplements because she carried years of regret about not becoming a mother sooner. * A major part of their work involved forgiving her younger self, processing grief, and questioning the belief that she had somehow “missed her chance.” * Jen eventually realized that motherhood was happening at the right time for her life, her relationship, and the person she had become. * Letting go of the age-shaming she experienced in fertility treatment became another important part of rebuilding confidence in her body. * Jen incorporated Aimee’s nutrition approach and made major lifestyle changes around sugar, soy, dairy, alcohol, coffee, and other foods. * Instead of seeing the diet only as something she had to do to become pregnant, Jen began viewing it as a way to improve her overall health. * Having a supportive partner helped make the nutrition changes more sustainable, particularly because Jen worked in the restaurant industry and her partner was a chef. * Aimee and Jen discuss monitoring hormones, progesterone, estrogen, digestion, thyroid function, supplements, herbs, and other health markers during their work together. * Jen experienced significant improvements in digestion and overall health while working on these areas. * During the fertility journey, Jen’s father passed away, adding another major source of grief and stress during an already difficult period. * Instead of expecting perfection during that time, Jen continued following much of the plan while allowing herself more flexibility. * In February 2021, while working with Aimee, Jen discovered that she was naturally pregnant again at 44. * Jen says this pregnancy felt very different because she felt stronger physically and emotionally and believed she had done everything she reasonably could to support her body. * Although pregnancy after 40 came with anxiety and some minor complications, Jen describes feeling physically well throughout the pregnancy. * Her experience with her new OB was also very different from her earlier fertility treatment experience, with her care team being supportive rather than focusing primarily on her age. * Jen gave birth at 44 and turned 45 approximately one month later. * Her daughter’s name, Ruby James, carries a special connection to Jen’s late father. Ruby was his July birthstone, while James was his first name. * Aimee had unknowingly helped inspire the name Ruby during one of their conversations when she commented on Jen’s ruby necklace. * Jen says one of the hardest parts of the fertility journey was learning to surrender control after miscarriage. * As a business owner who was accustomed to being in control, she struggled with the uncertainty of fertility and pregnancy. * Through Aimee’s teachings, emotional work, and mantras, Jen began practicing trust instead of trying to control every possible outcome. * She learned to trust her instinct to try naturally and trust that she was taking the right steps even though she could not control exactly how the story would unfold. * Aimee discusses the importance of creating a sense of safety in the body, not only through nutrition and physical health but also by addressing fear, urgency, stress, and what she calls mental inflammation. * Jen says the emotional work of stopping self-blame and feeling that she was “not enough” became one of the most important parts of her journey. * She also emphasizes that fertility support should not be about perfectly checking every diet or supplement box. * Building the right support team became another major lesson for Jen, including practitioners, Aimee, her partner, and other people who genuinely believed in and supported her. * Jen says accountability and structure helped reduce the overwhelming amount of fertility information available online. * She encourages women to choose a path and trusted team rather than constantly jumping between different fertility recommendations. * Jen also learned to give herself grace when she was not perfect with food, supplements, or other parts of the plan. * Her message to other women navigating fertility is to recognize that it is a journey, give yourself compassion, surround yourself with the right support, and keep trusting yourself. * Jen ultimately conceived naturally after being told she had roughly a 1% chance and gave birth to a healthy baby girl at 44. Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome to The Fertility Authority and Aimee’s root cause approach01:20 - Introducing Jen’s Story of Hope02:05 - Life with baby Ruby almost one year later03:20 - Starting the fertility journey at 43 after miscarriage04:05 - Freezing eggs in 2016 as an “insurance policy”05:05 - Returning to fertility treatment at 43 and believing IVF was the only option06:10 - Age-shaming and being told the odds were extremely low07:30 - Losing all five frozen eggs during the thaw08:15 - Embryos stop developing and everything is lost09:00 - Being told she… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe
