Shows
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSurrogate Whitney and her husband, Geremi, on Family Building with ConceiveAbilitiesOn today's episode, Ali talks to Whitney, a surrogate, and her husband, Geremi, about working with ConceiveAbilities, a leading egg donor and surrogacy agency. When people think about surrogacy, they often focus on the surrogate herself—but what about her partner? The truth is, a strong, supportive partner can make all the difference. Emotional strength, physical support, shared sacrifice—surrogacy is a team effort in every sense. Today, we're getting a behind-the-scenes look at what that partnership really looks like. Whitney, an experienced surrogate with ConceiveAbilities who delivered for her intended parents about a year and a half ago—and her...
2025-06-0632 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTDr. Molly Quinn of HRC on Recurrent Pregnancy LossWelcome back to another expert minisode! Today Ali is talking to Dr. Molly Quinn, is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist with HRC Fertility. Dr, Quinn prioritizes direct communication with patients and will always make herself available to patients for any questions, and today, she is answering ALL the things about Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, or "RPL." Ali and Dr. Quinn talk about how recurrent pregnancy loss is medically defined, how common it is, who is most at risk, what the most frequent causes of recurrent miscarriage and so much more. You do not want to miss this one...
2025-05-3021 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEmmy-nominated comedian and actress Riki Lindhome on Infertility, IVF, Adoption and SurrogacyDo not miss our celeb guest today! Ali is talking to the incredible Riki Lindome, a prolific, Emmy nominated comedian and actress from Knives Out; Wednesday; The Big Bang Theory; her musical duo, Garfunkel and Oates; and her one-woman show about her infertility journey, Dead Inside. Riki gets real with Ali about her family building journey, including how she navigated infertility, IVF, a devastating pregnancy loss, an adoption journey and finally, surrogacy. Riki also talks about her new solo comedy album, No Worries if Not, her sweet son, Keaton (whom she’s raising with her husband, comedian and actor Fr...
2025-05-2254 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCaitlin Trabert on Multiple Miscarriages, IVF Heartbreaks, Her Miracle Baby—And Being Pregnant AgainToday, Ali sits down with her dear friend and Fertility Rally member, Caitlin Trabert, for a raw and powerful conversation about her long and deeply emotional path to parenthood. Caitlin opens up about the heartbreak of multiple pregnancies and subsequent losses, her husband's balanced translocation, and the toll of IVF—physically, emotionally, and mentally. From the crushing "egg winner" high to the "zero embryos" low, a surprise pregnancy that ended in miscarriage, and learning her mom had breast cancer on the same day she was miscarrying—Caitlin talks about how hard it is to trust your body after so much los...
2025-05-1648 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART"So Now What?" author Lana Manikowski on IUIs, IVF, and thriving as a Childless Not by Choice AdvocateToday, Ali is talking to Lana Manikowski, a fellow Chicagoan, a certified life coach and the author of "So Now What?" -- a roadmap to help you create a life you love without the children you always dreamed about. Lana tells Ali about her years-long infertility journey, starting with an "unexplained infertility" diagnosis and 7 IUIs. Lana explains moving on to IVF, traveling to get treatment in Colorado, doing several rounds of IVF, and how she and her husband decided to stop treatment and embrace their lives without children. "So many women are left to navigate this alone," she says. "Here I...
2025-05-0948 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSurrogacy mama Libby Wicks on ectopic pregnancies, surrogacy and NewGen Families, the agency that helped her bring home a baby girlToday Ali is talking to Libby Wicks, a surrogacy mama who went through a five-plus year struggle to have her baby girl. Libby talks about her not one, but two ectopic pregnancies, her emergency tube removal, and being diagnosed (wrongly, she would find out much later) with Asherman's Syndrome. She also talks about IVF and how her infertility journey affected her mental health. "I was suffering from anxiety," she says. "There were many days I wasn't able to leave the house. I wasn't able to work, and it was absolutely devastating. I was a shell of myself. And I w...
2025-05-0256 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART"Normalize It" and "I Had a Miscarriage" author Jessica Zucker, PhDDr. Jessica Zucker is a Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in reproductive and maternal mental health. Today, Ali is talking to Jessica about her new book, "Normalize It," her first book, "I Had a Miscarriage," and Jessica's own infertility journey, including a devastating pregnancy loss at 16 weeks. "I felt like I was living in a documentary, like, How is this my life?" Jessica says. They also talk about women lifting each other up; normalizing the conversation around IVF; miscarriage and navigating pregnancy after loss; and more. For more, go to: https://www.drjessicazucker.com/Or...
2025-04-2440 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEmily Oster, Professor of Economics at Brown University and founder of ParentData.org on how we can teach the next gen about fertility, sex ed, and moreIt's another Infertile AF expert minisode! On today's episode, Ali welcomes Emily Oster, a Professor of Economics at Brown University, a bestselling author, and the founder of ParentData.org. Emily has a talent for translating complex data into practical advice—an approach that has made her a trusted voice for millions of parents. Today, she and Ali talk about sex ed, fertility, birth control, secondary infertility, endometriosis, and advocating for yourself in terms of healthcare and your medical team. Emily and Ali also explore the question, What should we be teaching the next generation, and how do we better pre...
2025-04-1627 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSingle Mom by Choice Kristin D. on sperm donation, IVF, egg donation, and never regretting having a baby on her ownOn today's episode, Ali interviews Kristin D., a single mom by choice, about the journey to having her 2 1/2 year old son, Blake. Kristin explains why she made the decision to have a kiddo on her own and talks us through the entire process, from having a "sperm donor choosing party" with her sisters to finding out she had stage two silent endometriosis (but no symptoms). She talks about connecting with others in the single mom by choice community, and says, "In the single mother by choice community, you don't find a lot of people who regret going ahead and hav...
2025-04-1054 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART"Vanderpump Rules" and "The Valley" star Kristen Doute on miscarriage, IUI and pregnancy after lossToday, Ali is talking to the "Vanderpump Rules" and "The Valley" GOAT: Kristen Doute. Kristen shares her entire family building story, starting with back in the day, when she and co-star Scheana Shay talked about freezing their eggs (although Kristen didn't do it then) to today, when she is happily engaged and expecting her first baby, a daughter, in June. Kristen talks about the sex education (or lack thereof) she got growing up in Michigan; how, when she met Luke, she was about to be 40 "and not playing around," and how she really wanted a family and stability. She...
2025-04-0245 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTReal Housewives star Roxy Earle and Dr. Arnold Mahesan on infertility, IVF and creating an app to help women conceiveToday, Ali is talking to Roxy Earle, an entrepreneur, influencer, and star of The Real Housewives of Toronto, alongside her husband, Dr. Arnold Mahesan, a respected fertility specialist. Roxy and Arnold share their family building journey, including how Roxy was told by a few doctors, before she met and fell in love with Arnold, that in order to have children, she'd have to "lose weight and do IVF." Roxy talks about how Arnold put her on a "very robust" lifestyle program, including fitness changes, managing inflammation and taking supplements, and how she was able to successfully get pregnant and hav...
2025-03-2633 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTKeren W. on recurrent pregnancy loss, low sperm count, IVF and the loss of her daughter at 17 weeks gestationToday, Ali is talking to Fertility Rally member Keren, who is still in the thick of her years-long infertility journey. Keren talks about growing up with seven siblings in "evangelical spaces," how her parents opted her out of sex ed in school; and having one of her ovaries removed, due to a cyst, at the age of 16. She talks about having a chemical pregnancy, followed by a "lot of disappointing cycles." She shares how having timed intercourse is "stressful and not sexy," what happened when they found out her husband had a low sperm count, and pivoting to IVF. She...
2025-03-2055 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTIVF Mom of Two and Start Asking Fertility Coach Nichelle Sublett, Part TwoToday, Ali is catching up with Mrs. North Carolina 2018 and IVF mom of two, Nichelle Sublett. Ali and Nichelle first spoke on Infertile AF back in 2019 -- and a lot has happened since then! At the time, Nichelle was 32 weeks pregnant with her first baby, son Hudson, who is now five. Nichelle had suffered five miscarriages and felt like her body was broken before Hudson -- and she fills Ali in on the rest of her infertility journey, including navigating Covid with a toddler; feeling like she couldn't complain about motherhood after going through infertility; and their next IVF...
2025-03-1124 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSpecial Crossover Episode: Ali x Fertility Doctors UncensoredIt's a very special crossover episode! Today, Ali talks to the three brilliant and badass board certified reproductive endocrinologists from Fertility Doctors Uncensored, Dr. Carrie Bedient, Dr. Abby Eblen and Dr. Susan Hudson. Ali and the Doctors talk about separating fact from fiction, why community is so important in the infertility community, and why Ali wrote her children's book about IVF, "Work of ART." Ali shares some of her infertility story, the doctors talk about their own fertility challenges and share some frequently asked questions, and then they all talk about their respective news books coming out.For m...
2025-03-0441 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTIntended Parent Maggie and Surrogate Jessie on Family Building with ConceiveAbilitiesOn today's episode, Ali talks to Intended Parent, Maggie, and Surrogate, Jessie, about working with ConceiveAbilities, a leading egg donor and surrogacy agency. Maggie explains how she and her husband, Matt, started trying to conceive more than five years ago. She talks about seven rounds of Clomid, multiple miscarriages, and moving on to IVF. When that wasn't successful, she pivoted to surrogacy, after she and Matt were matched with Jessie. Jessie talks about being a nurse, why there are so many nurses who become surrogates, and why she decided to become a surrogate in the first place. "My heart just...
2025-02-2656 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTExtend Fertility's Dr. Joshua Klein on Fertilo, a Groundbreaking New Fertility TreatmentIt's another expert minisode! Today, Ali is talking to award-winning doctor Dr. Joshua U. Klein, co-founder of Extend Fertility, about a groundbreaking new fertility treatment called Fertilo, by Gameto. Dr. Klein (who, as you may know, is also the doctor who helped Ali and Vince have Sonny via IVF), explains exactly what Fertilo is and how it works in terms of egg freezing and IVF. He explains how Fertilo can shorten IVF and egg freezing cycles, who the best candidates are, and what research and clinical studies have been done to back the efficacy of Fertilo. "If Fertilo is...
2025-02-1824 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTFertility Rally member Mesha Hardesty on stage-4 endometriosis, OHSS and having her two daughters via IVFToday, Ali is talking to her dear friend and Fertility Rally member, Mesha Hardesty. Mesha tells Ali about getting her period at the age of 10, a cyst that led her to go on birth control at age 12, and painful periods that would "drop me to the floor." She talks about trying to have a baby, going through infertility during the pandemic, and what happened when she was finally diagnosed with stage-4 endometriosis. She also talks about her husband's semen analysis, pivoting to IVF, OHSS, endo surgery, why she had to have a D&C and having her two baby g...
2025-02-1438 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInvestigative Reporter Ginanne Brownell on IVF, Surrogacy and having her twinsToday, Ali is talking to Ginanne Brownell, author of "Elusive Mommyhood: An Investigative Reporter’s Personal Journey into IVF and Surrogacy." Comedian and surrogacy mom Tig Notaro says of the book,"A very important book for everyone, relevant to our times." On the pod, Ginanne tells Ali about freezing her eggs, a devastating miscarriage at seven weeks, and later, after her doctor said, "I think we need to accept that you have unexplained infertility," how she went down the IVF road with her husband. She also talks about pivoting to surrogacy, getting matched with a gestational carrier, transferring two embr...
2025-02-0847 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertile AF Minisode: Ask an RE Anything with Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey of Conceptions FloridaIt’s an Infertile AF Minisode! On today’s episode, Ali chats with Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey of Conceptions Florida about all things infertility. Included: What's the number one question he gets asked by fertility patients? Is there a good season to freeze your eggs? What are the biggest advances in the fertility world? What changes are happening in IVF labs? How is AI going to affect IVF and ART? And what about Ozempic babies? Does Ozempic affect fertility? He rapid fire answers the Qs -- you might learn a lot in 12 minutes!TOPICS C...
2025-01-3013 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTBlair Nelson, Ali's Fertility Rally co-founder, on TFMR and having her "mosaic miracle" babyIt's a very special episode! Ali's beloved PIBAC (Partner in Biz and Claw), Blair Nelson @fabivfmama, is back to share the third installment of her years-long infertility journey. Blair and Ali pick up where they left off during their last episode, in 2022, when Blair was pregnant with her son, Baron, but they had received devastating news that he had been diagnosed with a very rare condition called Limb Body Wall Complex. Blair talks about traveling from her home in Austin, TX to Colorado to undergo a Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR). She talks about the amazing fellow TFMR mamas...
2025-01-2242 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTPherDal’s Jennifer Hintzsche on unexplained infertility and the device she invented that got her pregnantIt’s an Infertile AF Minisode! On today’s episode, Ali chats with Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche, Ph.D., a scientist and the founder of PherDal Fertility Science, Inc. Jenn shares her 16-month journey with unexplained infertility and how her frustration with the diagnosis led her to take matters into her own hands. Using her scientific expertise and her husband’s engineering skills, Jenn invented a sterile, at-home insemination device that ultimately helped her conceive. Tune in to hear Jenn’s story and learn more about the innovation born from her personal experience.For more information, visit www.pherdal.com...
2025-01-1712 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAstronaut and IVF Warrior Kellie Gerardi on Secondary Infertility and Her Next Trip to SpaceGet ready for an amazing conversation with Kellie Gerardi, an astronaut, researcher, mom, and space industry sensation who made history when she flew as a payload specialist on the Galactic 05 research mission in 2023. "I had two dreams growing up: I was fascinated with space, and I always pictured myself having a family," Kellie says. Today, Ali and Kellie talk about how she launched her career, and also about the difficult infertility journey she is navigating currently. Kellie shares the journey to having her daughter, Delta, who is now 7, and what happened when she started to try for baby number tw...
2025-01-1046 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertile AF Minisode: Fertility Law Attorney Rachel Loftspring on surrogacy, donor conception and when it's key to have a fertility lawyerTime for another Infertile AF minisode! Today, Ali is talking to Rachel Loftspring, a Fertility Law Attorney and Partner at The Family Law & Fertility Law Group. Rachel talks about Navigating the Legal Landscape of Collaborative Reproduction (including what intended parents need to know about surrogacy and egg, sperm, and embryo donation); how the medical and psychological support systems play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of all parties involved in the surrogacy and donation process; and what it looks like when she works with intended parents around the globe. She also talks about when -- and why -- you mi...
2024-12-3112 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTTransgender dad and LGBTQ+ Fertility Advocate Trystan Reese on being pregnant, going viral and moreToday, Ali is talking to Trystan Reese, a transgender gay dad who went viral when he gave birth to his son in 2017. Trystan, a major advocate for trans fertility, is now a dad of three. He tells Ali about the overwhelming odds to get pregnant, including hormonal challenges; finding the right medical team; and facing harsh criticism on social media. He also talks about meeting the love of his life, Biff, and the discussions they had about Trystan becoming pregnant. "I’m a transgender man, I’ve been pregnant, and I’ve given birth," Trystan says. "People are like, 'What was i...
2024-12-2456 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMandy Messinger & Marni Wandner of Pixel Care on their respective IVF and infertility journeys, with two totally different outcomesToday Ali is talking to Marni Wandner, VP of Brand Marketing for Pixel Care, and Mandy Messinger, Director of Marketing for Pixel Care, about their respective journeys through infertility, IVF, and more. Mandy talks about meeting and falling in love with her wife, Lauren, and the challenges they faced as part of the LGBTQ community when they decided they wanted to build a family. She shares their experience with both known sperm donation and going through a sperm bank; a chemical pregnancy; a devastating miscarriage, and how they finally had their healthy little boy. Marni shares her experience with freezin...
2024-12-1855 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMusician and Infertility Warrior Kina Grannis on Infertility, Anxiety and IVFToday, Ali is talking to the brilliant singer-songwriter-guitarist Kina Grannis about her five year-long infertility journey. Kina talks about adopting a super clean diet and reading all the books before she started to try getting pregnant; why she was hesitant to share her infertility journey at first; and how the mention of the word, "IVF" made her want to die. She talks about going through IVF transfers; how "holding it all in was like this poison pressure cooker inside of me," and her "needle phobia." She also talks about finally getting pregnant; the text she sent her friends when p...
2024-12-1250 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTPsychotherapist Bethany Warren on Navigating Reproductive Trauma, from Infertility to Pregnancy Loss to TFMRToday, we are mixing it up a bit. Ali is chatting with Bethany Warren, a psychotherapist and EMDR consultant who's had a passion for helping people navigate reproductive and perinatal mental health issues for 25 years. Beth specialize in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, working with individuals experiencing pregnancy loss, termination for medical reasons, infertility and more. Today, she focuses on dealing "Navigating Reproductive Trauma," a session that originally aired at Fertility Rally Live. For more, go to www.bethanywarrenlcsw.com/TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Infertility; IVF; reproductive trauma; pregnancy loss...
2024-11-2629 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMegan Day on Losing Her Baby at 19 Weeks and then, a Surrogacy JourneyToday, Ali is talking to Megan Day, who shares her very real and honest story about infertility, including losing her son when she was 19 weeks pregnant. "It was called a miscarriage," she says. She explains what happened after that, including five excruciating surgeries and a lot of unanswered questions. Megan talks about the complications of RPOC (Retained Products of Conception), when she and her husband decided to pivot to surrogacy; finding a gestational carrier, and finally, awaiting the arrival of their healthy baby via GC, due any day now. For more: check out Megan's b...
2024-11-1950 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLauren and Patrick's Infertility Story: IUIs, Chemical and Ectopic Pregnancies, and IVF SuccessToday, Ali is talking to an amazing couple: Fertility Rally member Lauren Roth and her husband, Patrick. Lauren talks about growing up in Guatemala, how she and Patrick met, and what happened when they started to build their family. The couple then shares details about why Google and WebMD are "not particularly helpful" during infertility; their chemical pregnancy; and the unsexiness of "sending a calendar invite to have timed sex." They also talk about becoming frustrated as a couple, their five IUIs; and navigating chemical pregnancies and an ectopic pregnancy. They also discuss their egg retrievals and transfers, and f...
2024-11-1256 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTBest of Feat. Singer Christina Perri, Comedian Michelle Buteau and Olympic Skating Icon Tara LipinskiIt's the 300th Episode!!!!! Today we are featuring clips from some of the top-rated episodes with some of Ali's favorite celeb guests. First up, Christina Perri shares her long and difficult family-building journey, including miscarriage; the devastating stillbirth of her daughter, Rosie; navigating mental health; her blood-clotting disorder, and more. Then, Tara Lipinski talks about her endometriosis; IVF; miscarriage; navigating fertility treatments compared to the insanely hard work she did as an elite athlete, and pivoting to surrogacy. Finally, Michelle Buteau talks about the long road to having her twins, including IUIs, several rounds of IVF, four devastating miscarriages, exp...
2024-11-0532 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSarah Freese's Infertility Journey: IVF, Frozen Embryo Transfer and Fresh Embryo TransferOn this episode, Ali is talking to Sarah Freese about her infertility and IVF journey. Sarah shares the details on having irregular periods when she was a young woman, being on the birth control pill from age 18 to age 33, and how once she started to try to have kids, it was not as easy as she'd hoped. She talks about doing IVF, how her failed IVF transfer was "one of the worst calls" she's ever gotten, and about having implantation issues. She also talks about frozen embryo transfers versus fresh embryo transfers, and how they finally figured out the "...
2024-10-2939 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertility warrior-turned-fertility coach Rachel Mangahas on International Adoption and SurrogacyToday, Ali is talking to mom of four Rachel Mangahas about the long road to building her family, including going through international adoption twice and using a surrogate. Rachel talks about her infertility journey, and how it made her feel so broken and alone. She also talks about wanting a big family, doing timed intercourse and ovulation kits, male factor infertility, and IUIs. She explains how they navigated international adoption -- for two of their children -- and the sweet surprise they got when they used a surrogate, and the embryo transfer worked.TOPICS CO...
2024-10-2239 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLarken Co-founder Maggie Phipps on Secondary Infertility; Ectopic Pregnancy; Emergency Surgery and IVFToday, Ali is talking to fierce infertility warrior and mama Maggie Phipps, co-founder of Larken (which means "fierce" in Gaelic), a comfy essentials brand for anyone navigating fertility treatments, postpartum, motherhood, and beyond. Maggie shares how her mom had three miscarriages; how she herself had an early miscarriage; and how conceived her first two kids naturally, but then had trouble with baby number three. She also talks about her traumatic ectopic pregnancy and how she felt brushed off by several doctors when she told them she was in pain. Maggie also shares how she navigated the devastation of losing...
2024-10-1637 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTJenny Angerman's Infertility Story: PCOS, IUIs and IVFToday, Ali is on the pod with one of our beloved Fertility Rally members, Jenny Angerman @thedailyendomama. Jenny tells Ali about being adopted from India; how she met her husband; what happened when they started to try for kids and it wasn't happening; her endometriosis diagnosis; fibroids; IUIs; one IVF cycle that unfortunately did not work out, and then, finally getting pregnant. Jenny also shares her thoughts on trauma bonding; sharing her journey on IG and TikTok; how everything changed once she joined Fertility Rally; and where they are with baby number two. For mo...
2024-10-0847 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEve Wiley, Fertility Fraud Advocate, and Dylan Morgan, COO of Cascade Cryobank, on Sperm Donor TransparencyToday, Ali has two incredible guests: Eve Wiley is a leading advocate against fertility fraud after discovering that she was conceived with a different sperm donor than her parents were told. Dylan Morgan is the COO of Cascade Cryobank. Together, they are working on advocating against fertility fraud and increasing transparency when it comes to donor sperm protocols and procedures. What is Fertility Fraud? It’s when a doctor intentionally uses his own sperm to inseminate his patients without their knowledge or consent of the reproductive material. Eve talks about discovering that she was a victim of fertility fraud, and h...
2024-10-0140 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTHerMD Co-Founder Komel Caruso's Infertility Story: PCOS, IVF and Revolutionizing Women's HealthOn today's episode, Ali talks to Komel Caruso, the Co-Founder of HerMD, about her infertility journey. Komel talks about growing up in a traditional Muslim household and the sex education (or lack thereof) she received as a Catholic school student. It was, "Don't have sex, you'll get pregnant. You'll just get pregnant every time you have sex. I was just so fearful that if I had sex, I would get pregnant. Even if I was using birth control, I could still get pregnant. That fear leads to a lot of anxiety," she says. Komel also talks about having a "wo...
2024-09-2438 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAmber Izzo's Infertility Story: Blocked fallopian tubes, male factor, and IVF advocacyToday's guest, Amber Izzo, describes herself as "your oversharing, slightly chaotic mum friend and an IVF campaigner." Today, she's sharing her 7 1/2 year-long journey through infertility and family building, including blocked fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, and so much more. Amber talks about the deep toll everything took on her mental state, how she was "spiraling" and "became obsessed," how she felt brushed off by her doctors, and how, at one point, she had suicidal thoughts. She talks about navigating the mental health side of her journey; IVF treatments and advocacy in the UK, where she is based, and the wor...
2024-09-1746 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCarrot Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder Asima Ahmad's Infertility StoryToday's guest, Asima Ahmad, is a double board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility and obstetrics and gynecology. She is also the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Carrot Fertility, which believes in Fertility Care for All. On this episode, Ali and Asima talk about how Asima diagnosed herself with PCOS in her 20s; how her aunt had navigated multiple stillbirths; what it feels like being a fertility doctor and patient at the same time; and how, when Asima suffered her own pregnancy loss, she began to understand miscarriage on an even deeper level. She talks about the road that lead t...
2024-09-1042 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTGaia CEO and Founder Nader AlSalim's Infertility and IVF Story: There's a Better Way to Pay for IVFGaia is founded on the premise that Everyone Who Wants a Family Should Have the Chance to Try. Today, Ali is talking to Gaia CEO and Founder Nader AlSalim, who shares his own unexplained infertility journey, and how that led him to create Gaia, a groundbreaking company in the fertility landscape (see more below). Nader talks about the frustrations of their "unexplained infertility" diagnosis; the emotional, financial and physical tolls of infertility; going through five rounds of IVF with his wife; and how they finally had their son. He also talks about creating Gaia, based on "member-centricity," explaining it lik...
2024-09-0343 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSammi Lawlor's Infertility Story: Secondary Infertility, C-Section Ectopic Pregnancy and SurrogacyOn today's episode, Ali is talking to Sammi, a strongAF infertility warrior she met when Sammi joined Fertility Rally. Sammi shares all the details of the path to having her children, including going through secondary infertility; a very rare C-section ectopic pregnancy (a first for this show); termination for medical reasons; more surgery; the discovery of male factor infertility; and when they decided to go down the surrogacy road. She also talks about meeting her "angel" surrogate, several bumps along the way, and what lead--finally--to the birth of her second baby boy.TOPICS COVERED...
2024-08-2749 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTDr. Sarah Oreck on how her late-term pregnancy loss inspired her to co-found Mavida Mental Health CareOn today's episode, Ali is talking to yet another amazing woman who has turned her pain into her purpose: Dr Sarah Oreck, Co-Founder and CEO of Mavida Health. After her late-term pregnancy loss, Sarah created a company that would provide those on their path to parenthood the right tools and resources to take care of their mental health, every step of the way. Ali and Sarah talk about sex education and what they both learned about having babies when they were growing up; the devastation of what Sarah went through; how talking about miscarriage (or any loss, for that matt...
2024-08-2028 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCatherine John's Infertility Story: PCOS; IUIs and IVF SuccessCatherine John is a dear member of the Fertility Rally fam, and today, she's sharing her entire story with Ali, from being diagnosed with PCOS to going through IUIs. Catherine talks about exploring the option of doing her fertility treatments in Tijuana (and why she ultimately decided against it), her irregular periods; why she was told she was a good candidate for IVF; and what happened when she finally became pregnant with her son. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:PCOS; high testosterone; ovarian cysts; irregular periods; IUIs; IVF; IVF abroad; pregnancy after in...
2024-08-1350 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCheryl Sew Hoy, Founder of Tiny Health, on microbiomes, fertility and her own miscarriagesWhat do you know about the vaginal microbiome? What does your vaginal microbiome have to do with your ability to conceive? Ali didn't know much about this, and is still learning, thanks to today's guest, Cheryl Sew Hoy, CEO and Founder of Tiny Health. Cheryl, a longtime entrepreneur and women's health advocate, explains how the microbiome impacts well-being and fertility. She talks about prioritizing her career for years, having her two kids via C-section, what the term "vaginal seeding" means, and more recently, the heartbreak she's experienced having two miscarriages. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPI...
2024-08-0640 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTHopeful Mama Foundation Founder Emily Patel's Story: Early menopause; adoption gone wrong, donor eggs and IVFOn today's episode, Ali is talking to Emily Patel, founder of Hopeful Mama Foundation, about her family building journey, years of struggles, and finally having her two daughters. Emily talks about having hot flashes and night sweats at the age of 16, being put on birth control, and later learning that she had premature ovarian failure/early menopause. She also talks about having a doctor with terrible bedside manner, who told her, "Well, you're never gonna have a kid," and later, how going through a private adoption process ended in devastation. She talks about how infertility and the failed adoption lea...
2024-07-3052 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTChristie Bishop's Story: Brain cancer, sperm banking, IUIs and IVFChristie Bishop is host of the podcast, "What Nobody Tells Us," where she tackles taboo topics and hosts uncomfortable conversations, from cancer to grief to the foster care system. Today, she tells Ali her own family building story, starting with how her then-fiance, Bryan Bishop, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and given six months to live. Bryan's diagnosis changed everything about how and when they'd try to have kids, as their doctor told them, "You need to go bank sperm -- right fucking now." Christie shares how she and Bryan have navigated his cancer treatment over the yea...
2024-07-2357 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEndo Warrior Sandra Rimaldi's 10-year Journey To Having Her Daughter"I never thought I'd be down a 10 year journey just to have my one and only miracle daughter," says Sandra Rimaldi, an infertility nurse and infertility warrior who spent a decade trying to build her family. For years, Sandra worked with renowned Reproductive Immunologist Dr. Jeffrey Braverman, who passed away in 2019, treating patients from all over the world who had unexplained infertility diagnoses. At the same time, she was undergoing her own infertility journey, including IVF, a traumatic transfer, endo surgery and more. On today's show, Sandra tells us the details her journey, including her anxiety and PTSD after...
2024-07-1651 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEndo Warrior Sandra Rimaldi's 10-year Journey To Having Her Daughter"I never thought I'd be down a 10 year journey just to have my one and only miracle daughter," says Sandra Rimaldi, an infertility nurse and infertility warrior who spent a decade trying to build her family. For years, Sandra worked with renowned Reproductive Immunologist Dr. Jeffrey Braverman, who passed away in 2019, treating patients from all over the world who had unexplained infertility diagnoses. At the same time, she was undergoing her own infertility journey, including IVF, a traumatic transfer, endo surgery and more. On today's show, Sandra tells us the details her journey, including her anxiety and PTSD after...
2024-07-1651 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTFertility Nurse and Dandi co-founder Leyla Bilali’s Infertility StoryLeyla Bilali is a veteran fertility nurse with over a decade of clinical experience at a top NYC clinic. She considers herself to be a "Fertility Godmother," with big ideas for fertility care. Today, she tells Ali about her family building journey, including the road to having her two girls, and the devastating losses she has experienced while trying for a third child. Leyla talks about working in the fertility industry, freezing embryos, her husband's vasectomy, co-founding Dandi based off of her clinical experiences and fertility concierge business, and how as a fertility patient herself, she has more empathy and comp...
2024-07-0947 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLGBTQ Infertility Advocate Christina Bailey's Infertility Story: IVF and Same Sex Family BuildingPride Month Continues! Today we are celebrating the beautiful family built by Christina Bailey, aka @babybaileymamadrama on IG. Christina talks about coming out when she was younger, having her two older daughters via IVF, and how the LGBTQ community gets asked a lot, "Why don't you just adopt, or why don't you just foster?" Christina talks about going through the embryo adoption process, but deciding it was not the right path, and later, breaking up with her wife. "I spent so much time grieving and being hard on myself, like I wasn't good enough for somebody, and who would ever want m...
2024-06-2843 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSinger Nelly Joy's Infertility Story: Endo, IVF, Ectopic Pregnancy and IUIIn 2011, singer Nelly Joy told a doctor that she thought she had endometriosis, but the doctor just chuckled and said, "Most girls have painful periods," handed her birth control and Nelly went on her way. She spent years navigating kidney issues, anemia (blacking out), IBS, and constant throwing up from pain while being on the road doing an arena tour with Jason Aldean and Eric Church, opening sold out shows, being in and out of the ER not knowing what was wrong. When she and her husband started to try to have a baby, the road continued to be rough, i...
2024-06-221h 01Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLeia and Kriston Burroughs' Infertility Story: Sickle cell anemia; fibroids and embryo adoptionMeet Leia and Krison Burroughs, who are still in the midst of their family building journey. On today's show, Leia and Kriston tell Ali about how Kriston was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when he was just a year old, and how they had no idea that the sickle cell drug, Hydroxyurea, would have a direct effect on his fertility. They also talk about microTESE surgery, the five hysteroscopies Leia had, and how the whole infertility journey has been hard on their marriage. They explain why they fired their OB, why they pivoted to embryo adoption, why they preferred doing tha...
2024-06-1552 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTU.S. Women's Soccer Icon Carli Lloyd's Infertility Story: Unexplained infertility, IVF and finally, a successful IVF pregnancyToday, Ali has a true sports icon on the show: Former pro soccer star Carli Lloyd, who won two World Cups and two Olympic Gold medals during her incredible career. Carli is currently pregnant -- and in the second trimester -- with her first baby, but it's been a long and difficult infertility journey to get here. Carli tells Ali all the details, starting from when she and her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, Brian, started to try for a baby, and what happened when it wasn't working. She talks about traveling the world playing professional soccer, why she didn't want to...
2024-06-071h 03Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLex Borino's Fertility Story: Egg Freezing and Being Proactive At Age 30Today Ali talking to her sweet SoulCycle friend Lex Borino, a super successful bridal hair stylist about her recent egg freezing journey. Lex, who is 30 years old, explains why she came to this decision: "Once I turned 30 and realized, 'Ooh, I'm not in a relationship, that's not on the table right now,' I had to look at my options and be like, 'What can I do to be proactive in still being able to have a family without having a partner in the picture?'" Lex talks about how her mother had secondary infertility; how she started typing "egg fr...
2024-05-2329 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCarly Stockdale's Infertility Story: Egg freezing, pregnancy and surrogacy for baby twoToday's episode features Carly Stockdale, who started Nascency, Everything to know about surrogacy, and whether it’s right for you Carly talks about her egg freezing experience, pregnancy, and why she and her husband decided to use a surrogate for baby number two. She also talks about everything she's doing with Nascency, which provides info on becoming a surrogate and also taking the surrogacy path as an intended parent. For more, go to https://www.nascency.com/
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Infertility; egg freezing; surrogacy; traumatic birth; intended parents
EPISODE SPONSORS:
WORK OF ART
Children's Book about IVF
https://www.i...
2024-05-1631 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTUFC Fighter Katlyn Cerminara's Infertility Story: IVF, miscarriage, and being in the waitToday's episode features a total badass, UFC fighter Katlyn Cerminara. Katlyn talks about getting into fighting as a young girl; thinking she would be pregnant right away when she took out her IUD (very relatable!); and going to a specialist after trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant after three months. She also talks about being told by her doctor "You're so young, everything looks fine" -- and why that pissed her off; doing a handful of IUIs that were unsuccessful; and moving onto IVF. She talks about her chemical pregnancy, her miscarriage, and also how going through infertility treatment in the...
2024-05-1050 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTModern Mom Probs’ Tara Clark on Unexplained infertility and IUI successToday Ali is talking to Modern Mom Probs founder Tara Clark about her unexplained infertility journey. Tara talks about growing up in Catholic school and the "fear-based" sex education she got; her three devastating miscarriages; being diagnosed with fibroids and having a procedure to remove them, and why she and her husband needed to take a mental health break after their losses. She also talks about trying again, doing three IUIs; getting pregnant on her third IUI; and the anxiety after loss she experienced when she was pregnant with her now-11 year old son, Jack. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPI...
2024-05-0233 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART#NIAW: Infertility in Pop CultureIn this week’s special crossover episode, Ali is joined by her friends Abbe Feder (host of The Fertility Chick) and Elizabeth King (host of Creation Innovation podcast) to discuss infertility in pop culture. As infertility becomes more talked about in TV, movies, music and the news, what shows get it right? Where do we still need more support and stories shared? How can we ensure the narrative feels authentic? And when it doesn’t, is it just plain fun to laugh at? Ali, Abbe and Elizabeth get into all of this today, covering everything from Bluey to American Horror Story...
2024-04-2440 min
Friends With FertilityInfertility in Pop Culture with Abbe Feder and Alison PratoTune in to the Creation Innovation Podcast for a fascinating discussion on how infertility is making its mark in pop culture. In this special episode, we are joined by Abbe Feder and Alison Prato as we dive into the evolving landscape of infertility representation in mainstream media.
From hit TV shows like American Horror Story to chart-topping songs by Taylor Swift, infertility struggles are being portrayed more openly and authentically than ever before. We explore how these portrayals are reshaping societal perceptions and fostering important conversations around fertility challenges.
Join us as...
2024-04-2435 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTJohn Yurcisin's Infertility Story: Single dad by choice"Growing up, I always imagined I'd one day be married with kids" says today's guest, single dad by choice John Yurcisin. "I've dated many smart, interesting, beautiful women. I was engaged once and called it off. I just never found my life partner." And so, John decided to become a dad on his own. On this episode, John shares the entire journey to having his two sons as a solo parent, including being the only heterosexual man in a room of 250 people at the Men Having Babies conference; finding a single parents group online; choosing and connecting with his surrogate; choosing an...
2024-04-1949 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCara DiFalco's Infertility Story: Single mom by choice"Truthfully, my journey is about 10 years long at this point," says today's guest, Cara DiFalco. Cara grew up in a big, boisterous Italian family in NJ, and she always knew she wanted many children. After getting divorced with no children at 38, she decided she would pursue being a single mom by choice, and today, she tells us her whole story. She talks about how her family embraced that decision; finding a sperm donor, including her pro tips on choosing a donor and navigating the donor sperm process; navigating three unsuccessful IUIs; her endometriosis; her egg retrievals and how "fertility treatments a...
2024-04-1243 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTBailey's Infertility Story (Part Two): Deciding to stop infertility treatments and work in a clinicIt's part two with our friend Bailey, who first shared her story on the pod in 2021. At the time, Bailey talked about having hair loss, night sweats -- finding out her AMH was just 0.1 and she had diminished ovarian reserve. She was told, 'You should be freezing your eggs, like, yesterday.'" Catch up on Bailey's first episode, and then listen to this one to find out where she is today, three years later: No longer going through treatments herself, working in a clinic, and making life much easier and better for any infertility warriors following in her wake. She als...
2024-04-0532 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAshley Hingston's Infertility Story: Surrogacy MamaLFG!!!!!! Today's guest is a dear friend of Ali's, Ashely Hingston, aka @rage_against_infertilty. Ashley tells Ali all about having PCOS symptoms as a young woman and going on birth control, how certain doctors don't want to work with someone over a certain BMI; and going through letrozole rage. She talks about meeting her husband, Rob, doing medicated cycles and discovering male factor infertility, and recovering from an eating disorder. She talks about joining Fertility Rally; finally finding a clinic and medical team that would work with her, enduring many cycles that ended in failed implantation, and -- SPOILER ALERT...
2024-03-271h 20Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTElizabeth Carr's Infertility Story: The First Baby Born in the U.S. via IVFIt's our Fifth Anniversary Episode! Ali's very special guest today is Elizabeth Carr, the first person born in the U.S. — in 1981 — via in vitro fertilization. "My birth was so widely publicized that my first press conference was at three days old," Elizabeth says. "I didn't get here like everybody else." Elizabeth shares what it's been like to live under media scrutiny since the moment she was born (check out the NOVA documentary about her life). She also explains why her parents did IVF in the first place, what the IVF landscape was like back then, how the actual procedure worked...
2024-03-2146 min
Stork'dS6 Ep 12 - Supported AF: Building Community Through Infertility and Grief With Alison PratoAlison Prato, an acclaimed journalist, has become one of the go - to voices in the fertility world sharing her infertility story and supporting others in their fertility journey. Ali’s experience with secondary infertility included undergoing procedures like IUIs and IVF, and grappling with depression, grief, and relationship challenges. Her message is clear: you are not alone. This message became especially important to Ali when she lost her mother this year. Julia and Ali discuss how families evolve even beyond IF and family building and how to navigate grief and change. In...
2024-03-1948 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTLeah McKendrick's Infertility Story: Egg freezing in your 30sMy guest today, Leah McKendrick, is the writer, director and star of the new movie about egg freezing and fertility in your 30s, called "Scrambled." The movie is amazing -- it even got a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so go check it out on demand and show the Hollywood system that we want even more movies and content around egg freezing, fertility, infertility and more. Today, Leah tells us about her own egg freezing journey, which was the impetus behind the movie. She also talks about the fertility landscape in Hollywood, sex education or lack thereof, periods, family building through AR...
2024-03-1440 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTJulie Cohen's Infertility Story: Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR)My guest today, Julie Cohen, is an infertility warrior and advocate, and today, she tells Ali all about her roller coaster of a family building journey, including having her three boys, who are earthside with us today, and also her devastating experience with termination for medical reasons (TFMR), due to an extremely rare condition called Limb Body Wall Complex. Julie is amazing, and she's also the city manager of the Jewish Fertility in Birmingham. One caveat: We recorded this before the ruling in Alabama, so we don’t get into that specifically, but we do touch on women’s rights and he...
2024-03-081h 10Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTCaryn Johnson's Infertility Story: Being Autoimmune InfertileCaryn Johnson is the Co-Founder and CEO of BOND, an innovative line of supplements reimagining hormone and reproductive health, inspired by her experience with infertility. In 2017, when trying to start a family, Caryn learned she was autoimmune infertile. Today, Ali and Caryn unpack all of it, including exactly what "autoimmune infertile" means, how she was "pregnant for a few hours;" navigating pregnancy loss; cancelled IVF cycles; taking infusions; and the treatment she got for her immune system. She also talks about choosing joy; transferring two embryos and miscarrying one of them: visiting a psychic; pivoting to a surrogacy journey and f...
2024-02-2440 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTKristin Dillensnyder's Infertility Story: Being an Infertility CoachKristin Dillensnyder is a certified life coach who specializes in working with women who are consumed by their infertility to help them find their strength and joy again. And she should know--because she's gone through her own infertility journey too. On this episode, Kristin talks to Ali about male factor infertility, IUIs, going through IVF, fresh transfers, frozen transfers, getting pregnant after infertility, having her daughter, and doing a sibling cycle that unfortunately was not successful. She also drops some expert knowledge about navigating infertility, no matter where you are.
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
IUI; male factor infertility; fresh transf...
2024-02-2043 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTStacy Since's Infertility Story: On being sperm donor conceived and also navigating her own infertility journeyStacy Since found out she was conceived via donor sperm at the age of 41, and today, she's talking all about her experience, including why her mom and dad chose to keep it a secret; how Stacy found out she was donor conceived; and what happened when she met up IRL with her bio-dad. She also talks about her own infertility journey, which started with IUI and went on to include 10 egg retrievals. Stacy eventually ended up transferring two embryos, neither of which were deemed "normal or healthy" -- and she shares what happened during that transfer, including how she became...
2024-02-0953 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTJulia Karol's Infertility Story: Solo mom by choiceToday, Ali is talking to solo mom by choice Julia Karol, Stork'd podcast host, about everything from when she decided to embark on the solo parenting route to where she is today. Julia talks about freezing her eggs, why she prefers the term "solo parent by choice" to "single parent by choice;" the complex, interesting process of choosing a sperm donor; going through IUIs; and what happened when Covid hit and the clinics shut down (think at-home insemination). She also talks about the financial side of assisted reproductive technology and using a sperm donor, the legal documents one needs as a s...
2024-02-0151 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTKhaled Kteily's Infertility Story: The Road to Founding Legacy and Claiming the Title of "Sperm King"Khaled Kteily is the Founder and CEO of Legacy, the largest male fertility clinic in North America. Founded at Harvard, Legacy has raised $45M from some of the world’s best investors: Justin Bieber, DJ Khaled, The Weeknd, and Orlando Bloom, to name a few. Today, Ali is talking to Khaled about his own family building journey, and how an accident with a scalding hot cup of tea in his lap from Starbucks ultimately led him to create Legacy, which aims to change outdated views of fertility as a "women's issue." Legacy helps you test and freeze your sperm through a ma...
2024-01-2637 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTDr. Marcy Crouch's Infertility Story: Being "The Down There Doc"Dr. Marcy Crouch is a pelvic floor physical therapist, so she helps women prepare for delivery, get through their pregnancies with less pain, and much more. So you can imagine how difficult it was to go through infertility while working with pregnant women. Today on the show, Marcy tells Ali about her own journey, including going through IUIs, moving to the "big guns" of IVF, and her first heartbreaking miscarriage at 11 weeks. She also talks about being "a complete wreck," the "constant anxiety," and what happened when they moved to a new clinic. She also talks about getting pregnant through...
2024-01-2332 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertility Warrior Dr. Marcy Crouch, aka "The Down There Doc"Dr. Marcy Crouch is a pelvic floor physical therapist, so she helps women prepare for delivery, get through their pregnancies with less pain, and much more. So you can imagine how difficult it was to go through infertility while working with pregnant women. Today on the show, Marcy tells Ali about her own journey, including going through IUIs, moving to the "big guns" of IVF, and her first heartbreaking miscarriage at 11 weeks. She also talks about being "a complete wreck," the "constant anxiety," and what happened when they moved to a new clinic. She also talks about getting pregnant...
2024-01-1832 min
Ask the Doulas PodcastInfertility Support With Alison PratoSend us a textKristin Revere chats with Alison Prato Infertile AF Founder and author of “Work of ART” a children’s book about IVF and ART.Please leave a review on our podcast if you enjoyed this episode, so we can reach more listeners like you!Subscribe to our newsletter, check out Kristin’s birth and baby book, and see more about our Doula services & online courses below:https://linktr.ee/goldcoastdoulasEpisode Keywords: Infertility Support | Alison Prato | Infertile AF | IVF Supp...
2024-01-1028 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTBachelor alum and infertility warrior Sarah HerronThis is such a great episode. It's hard not to fall in love with Bachelor alum Sarah Herron, who has such a huge heart, and who opens up to Ali about her fertility journey, from what she knew (and didn't know) about sex education to where they are today. Sarah talks about meeting her husband and deciding they wanted to build a family together; why she had a feeling she would have fertility issues; being diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve; being told they needed to do IVF; getting pregnant, and the devastating loss of their baby son, Oliver. Sarah...
2024-01-0940 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTFertility Rally Member and New IVF Mama Kristin Thompson @financialfertilizationToday, Ali talks to her Fertility Rally member and friend Kristin, who recently had a baby girl through IVF. But it was a long road to get to this point, and Kristin shares it all, including what she knew (and didn't know) about fertility as a younger woman; "pulling the goalie;" going through infertility during Covid lockdown; how life became a "hormonal shitshow;" when her husband had male "performance anxiety;" relationship issues; depression and not wanting to get out of bed; seeing a therapist; moving onto IUI; and finally, how they had their baby. Fo...
2024-01-0657 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTSpecial Encore Presentation: Ali's husband, Vinny Prato (100th Episode)It’s the 100th Episode! Today Ali interviews her husband, Vince, about his version of their infertility story. Over some Coors and White Claws, they start with how the met and fell in love in high school, what happened when they moved to New York in 2003, and how their lives changed when they decided to have kids. They also discuss how, after Ever was born with no problem in 2009, their world was rocked when they found themselves going through unexpected secondary infertility, two failed IUIs and four miscarriages. Their marriage, they admit, almost didn’t last. They wrap it up wit...
2023-12-291h 13Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTChildfree Not By Choice Advocate and Life After Infertility Coach Charlie DiceThis week's guest, Charlie Dice, is a 36-year old, married, childless-turned-childfree woman who has been through 8 years of infertility struggles, including three miscarriages and one failed round of IVF. A year and a half ago, Charlie and her husband made the difficult decision to stop trying to have a baby, and to move forward from infertility. "Honestly, it was one of the best decisions we ever made," Charlie says. "It saved our marriage, our friendships, our finances and our mental health." Hear the whole convo, including how Charlie is now helping others navigate this "after infertility" space.
2023-12-2252 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertility warrior, endurance athlete and "Secrets of Giants" author Alyssa AgesToday, Ali is talking to Alyssa Ages, a Toronto-based, New York-born author and freelance writer. Alyssa is a mom of two, a strongman competitor, an endurance athlete, a rock climber, and a CrossFitter -- and today, she shares her family building and infertility journey. Alyssa talks about miscarriage and chemical pregnancy, what she knew about her fertility growing up, and why she is on a "soapbox" now to encourage women to talk and learn about their own fertility, and to advocate for themselves. Alyssa shares how it felt to get pregnant after loss, and she also talks about her b...
2023-12-1752 min
Brave & Curious with Dr Lora ShahineEp 33 Alison Prato on Secondary InfertilityWhen you have a child and are ready to have another, secondary infertility can be confusing and devastating. Baby or Bust host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Alison Prato, a journalist, podcaster, and co-founder of Fertility Rally, to discuss the misconceptions and experiences of secondary infertility. Alison got pregnant with her first child at 34 without reproductive assistance, and she never expected to have struggles getting pregnant with her second. After experiencing multiple pregnancy losses, she was diagnosed with secondary infertility, which changed her life forever. This episode explores the pressure of creating a sibling...
2023-04-1023 minBrave & Curious with Dr Lora ShahineEp 33 Alison Prato on Secondary InfertilityWhen you have a child and are ready to have another, secondary infertility can be confusing and devastating. Baby or Bust host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Alison Prato, a journalist, podcaster, and co-founder of Fertility Rally, to discuss the misconceptions and experiences of secondary infertility. Alison got pregnant with her first child at 34 without reproductive assistance, and she never expected to have struggles getting pregnant with her second. After experiencing multiple pregnancy losses, she was diagnosed with secondary infertility, which changed her life forever. This episode explores the pressure of creating a sibling...
2023-04-1023 min
Friends With FertilityThe Worst Club With the Best Members ft. Alison PratoIn today’s episode we are joined by Alison Prato, a mother of two, journalist, creator of Infertile AF the podcast, and co-founder of Fertility Rally. Alison had her first child at 35 with no complications. When she and her husband began trying for a second child at 38, she had no idea that her age would make things more complicated. She experienced recurrent pregnancy loss and had four miscarriages before she was able to have her second child through IVF. The loss and struggle to stay pregnant put pressure on her marriage and m...
2021-09-1629 minInfertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTVinny Prato (Ali's Husband!)It’s the 100th Episode! Today Ali interviews her husband, Vince, about his version of their infertility story. Over some Coors and White Claws, they start with how the met and fell in love in high school, what happened when they moved to New York in 2003, and how their lives changed when they decided to have kids. They also discuss how, after Ever was born with no problem in 2009, their world was rocked when they found themselves going through unexpected secondary infertility, two failed IUIs and four miscarriages. Their marriage, they admit, almost didn’t last. They wrap it up w...
2021-02-031h 10
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTVictoriaVictoria Nino, aka @expectinganything, talks to Ali about her long path to mamahood, beginning with a diagnosis of Stage 3 endometriosis. After medicated IUIs that didn't work, they turned to IVF, but her low egg quality led her to research donor eggs. As she and her husband went down the donor egg path, she explains how they "grieved their genetics," why at one point they maxed out their credit cards to travel around the world, ("YOLO!"), the spiritual experience she had in Thailand, why going through the donor profiles was so intense, how she feels about epigenetics, and her baby d...
2020-09-1048 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTChloe MelasChloe Melas is an entertainment reporter for CNN, and today, she is getting realAF with Ali about her years-long infertility journey. They cover it all, including IUIs that didn’t take, the shock and heartbreak of IVF, a pregnancy “in an unknown location,” getting phone calls from doctors while on double dates, how it all affected her marriage (and her sex life!), and SO MUCH MORE.Today’s ep is sponsored by FERTILITY RALLY—Community, Content and Curated Events at www.fertilityrally.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af-infertility-and-modern-family-building-through-art/donations
2020-09-0240 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTWesWes, aka Detour to Dad, who's been very vocal about the difficult journey that he and his wife, Amanda have traveled to have a baby—including a diagnosis of "extremely low sperm count" that made him feel "emasculated" and like he'd been punched in the face." Today, Wes tells his story, from when he and Amanda met playing softball, to making the decision to use donor sperm and how he came to terms with that—and what's happening with them now. EPISODE SPONSORFertility RallyFertility Rally is th...
2020-08-2746 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTJasmineToday, Ali is talking to artist Jasmine Katatikarn, a fertility warrior who struggled to have a child for six years. After multiple IUIs and her 2nd IVF, she was told that she had a less than 1% chance of having a baby and to stop trying. However, Jasmine didn’t give up. Jasmine tells Ali about the devastation she went through, how she and her husband had a hard time talking about what they were both going through, why finding community is so important, and how she applied her artist's mindset to take control of her fertility journey. ...
2020-08-1940 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMina Starsiak Hawk of HGTVToday, Ali is talking to HGTV Good Bones star and all-around badass Mina Starsiak Hawk about her fertility struggles, including why she skipped IUI and went straight to IVF, how she deals with comments from judgy (and handsy) women, and how she and her husband decided to show everything, including the messy parts, on their TV show. We also get a surprise guest cameo by her husband Steve, who jumps on the call to talk about how infertility affected their relationship. EPISODE SPONSORS: Fertility RallyFertility Rally is...
2020-08-1237 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMoniqueMonique Farook is a an infertility survivor, a former NICU Mom, a wife, and host of the podcast, "Infertility and Me." She and her husband began their journey to parenthood in 2012 when she was 29, and today, she tells Ali all about their long and bumpy road, from her unsuccessful IUI and uterine and cervical polyps to how she experienced prejudice at the fertility clinic. Monique also talks about why, when she started looking for people in the infertility community who looked like her, she couldn't find anyone—and how she felt when she finally had her son, who spent 129 days...
2020-08-0544 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEmilyToday, Ali is talking to Emily about the ups and downs of her years-long infertility journey, including 7 IUIs (all unsuccessful), "always ending up on the wrong end of the statistics," "a dreadful sex life full of stress and dashed expectations," her five pregnancies, a string of miscarriages, and the night she went to the hospital and her doctor told her, 'You have to abort this tonight unless you wanna die." It's a dramatic tale, but it ends with Hope—in more ways than one. Episode Sponsor:Fertility RallyF...
2020-07-2942 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAshleyToday, Ali is talking to Ashley, a single mom by choice, who wanted to share her story to inspire others and shatter any stigmas about choosing to have and raise a child on one's own. Ashley, a successful executive who is raising her now 10-year-old son in Los Angeles, talks about how she felt like a "unicorn" at the fertility clinic, the unique process of of choosing a sperm donor (and why she asked her friends at one point, "Why wouldn't I choose the hot one?") and what happened when she tried for a second child. It's yet another e...
2020-07-2242 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMichelle ButeauMichelle Buteau is a brilliant and real AF comedian, actress and host best known for appearing on Netflix's "The Circle" and in the movies "Isn't it Romantic" and "Always be My Maybe." She's also a fierce infertility and surrogacy advocate, who Ali first met in early 2020 when they were both in Albany, NY for Surrogacy Lobby Day. Today, Michelle tells Ali all about the long road to having her twins, Hazel and Otis, including IUIs, several rounds of IVF, four devastating miscarriages, prolactinoma (a noncancerous tumor of the pituitary gland) and why exploring international adoption didn't go how they'd pl...
2020-07-1557 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTFloraFlora Sinha is a Board Certified Internist practicing in Southern California, and today she's talking to Ali about going through secondary infertility. Although she didn't have trouble having her first child, she tried for six months to have her second child before realizing IVF was in her future. Then, after undergoing multiple rounds, she and her husband made the difficult decision to stop pursuing parenthood any further. Find out all about what she went through, how she ultimately made that decision, and what she tells her 4 1/2 year old daughter now about why she doesn't have any siblings.
2020-07-0939 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTEmiliaEmilia Bechrakis is a lawyer, a Manhattan mom and a television personality you probably recognize from the Bravo reality show, “ Million Dollar Listing New York, ” where she appears alongside her husband, real estate mogul Ryan Serhant. Today, she talks to Ali about falling in love with Ryan and getting married, and how when they started to try to have a baby, things didn’t exactly work out as planned. She also talks about her children’s book, “To the Moon and Back for You,” written after their daughter, Zena, was born via IVF. Fertility Rally is the...
2020-07-0144 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAmy B.Amy Beckley, who has a PhD in pharmacology and an expertise in hormone signaling, had trouble conceiving for more than three years before turning to IVF to have her son. But when she decided she didn't know if she could handle the physical and emotional challenges of another round of IVF, she began tracking her own hormone levels, suspecting she had a problem with ovulation—causing her to lose pregnancy after pregnancy. Today, she talks to Ali about creating a game-changing fertility product called Proov in her basement, how she finally had another child, and why IVF is not th...
2020-06-2434 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAndreaAndrea Syrtash is a dating and relationship expert, a published author, a television host and an on-air personality. She's also the founder of Pregnantish, an online magazine that helps people navigate the realities of infertility and fertility treatments. Today, she tells Ali all about the eight years and 18 fertility treatments she went through, including getting ghosted by two potential surrogates, before her cousin stepped in and offered to be her gestational carrier--resulting in her healthy baby girl. Fertility Rally is the all-inclusive community for anyone who has gone through infertility, is going through infertility, or w...
2020-06-1737 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTMathildeMathilde Froustey is a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and one of the best dancers in the world. Born in Bordeaux, France, Mathilde started dancing at the age of 9 and trained at the Marselle National School of Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Today, even though she says, "In the dance world, infertility is a taboo subject," she comes out to Ali about her personal struggles with infertility and more, including battling an eating disorder, being body shamed while going through IVF, and life in general in the highly competitive world of professional dance. “No one ta...
2020-06-101h 02
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTNichelleToday, Ali talks to Nichelle Sublett, Mrs. North Carolina 2018, about the five painful years of infertility she endured—and why she chose to spread awareness about infertility after winning the pageant. Nichelle is finally pregnant with a baby boy, due at the end of August, and here she recalls her "horrible" path, including PCOS, five miscarriages, IVF, considering a surrogate, marital strain, and why, in the African-American community, infertility and pregnancy loss "just aren't talked about."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af-infertility-and-modern-family-building-through-art/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt...
2020-06-0443 min
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTAlisonIn this episode, Ali talks to Alison, an absolutely magnetic NYC-based doula, who went though years of infertility before making a career out of helping other women before, during and after pregnancy and delivery. Before answering listeners' questions about being a doula, Alison tells her own incredible story, touching on everything from miscarriages to abortion to infertility anger to IUIs and IVF. To find out more about her, go to http://www.doulaalison.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af-infertility-and-modern-family-building-through-art/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://re...
2019-04-171h 00
Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ARTInfertile AF Host Ali Prato Shares her Secondary Fertility StoryIn this debut episode, InfertileAF host Ali Prato - a Brooklyn-based journalist and mom-of-two - talks about the four years of infertility hell she went through to have her second child, Sonny. Ali’s goal with this podcast is to create a community and a safe space for women to tell their stories, and here, she gets more personal than ever about her own journey. With a trademark mix of honesty and humor, Ali talks about her four miscarriages, her struggle with infertility depression, and the countless tear-drenched fights with her husband, Vince. She talks about how therapy and Sou...
2019-03-2537 min