Host Elsa kicks off season five of the It’s a Circus podcast with Alicia, who shares her detailed IVF journey to becoming a mom to her son, Andreas. After trying to conceive naturally starting in 2019, Alicia and her husband moved from Clomid to three IUIs during the pandemic, then traveled from Florida to New York for IVF, paying out of pocket while navigating intense physical side effects and emotional strain. Alicia endured repeated two-week waits and three failed transfers, plus delays due to dangerously high blood pressure that required cardiology clearance, triggering grief, depression, and boundaries around family and social media. Further testing revealed silent stage-three endometriosis; after a difficult Lupron experience, she underwent endometriosis surgery in New Jersey and immediately completed a final, heavily medicated transfer that resulted in pregnancy. She describes an anxious high-risk pregnancy, induction at 37 weeks, a C-section, and emphasizes the importance of support, self-advocacy, and trusted doctors.
00:00 Welcome to the Circus
00:22 Season Five Kickoff
01:55 Meet Alicia and Andreas
05:21 Sharing IVF Online
07:29 Trying Naturally and Clomid
10:19 IUI During the Pandemic
12:09 Emotional and Financial Toll
16:17 Finding a New York IVF Doctor
20:45 Shots and Egg Retrieval
24:12 The Two Week Wait Spiral
26:43 Health Scare and Moving Plans
32:35 First Transfer and Heartbreak
41:07 Second Transfer and Hard Talks
46:24 Taking a Break and Setting Boundaries
52:50 When IVF Friends Move On
55:06 Taking a Break and Testing
59:09 Silent Endometriosis Found
59:49 Lupron and Third Transfer
01:02:56 Third Failure and Depression
01:08:34 New Doctor and Surgery Plan
01:14:26 Endometriosis Surgery Recovery
01:19:59 Final Transfer and Positive Call
01:25:48 Early Pregnancy Anxiety
01:31:20 Induction and C-Section Birth
01:33:26 Meeting the Miracle Baby
01:36:43 IVF Advice and Closing
Keep up with Alicia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicia_justasplash/
Thanks for listening to It’s a Circus Podcast — Unfiltered stories of motherhood, identity, and the art of Self care
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