Infertility and Beyond

As promised your hosts have gotten together to talk through Amy's birth story of the gorgeous little Aubrey Love. 

Like everything in Amy's TTC journey this birth did not come easy to her, but she absolutely smashed every hurdle that came her way and boy was it all worth it!

She feels unbelievably grateful to have her little miracle in her arms now and hopes she can be a beacon of hope for all the families out there still on this rollercoaster of a journey. 

If you have any questions about Amy's birth please direct message us on instagram and she will get back to when she has some down time. 

Our instagram page is called infertilityandbeyond_ 

Lots of love x

In episode 30 our final episode of Season 2, we answer all your questions amongst some bestie banter. 

This episode is super chilled and laid back and gives you a glimpse into our life as best friends and how we support each other whilst also going into detail on things we have done personally to get through. 

We hope you enjoy this ep & if you have any other questions please shoot us through a DM on instagram and we will be so happy to help. 

Show Comments: 

Useful episodes referenced:

- Episode 28 - Tia Miers (Natropath)

- Episode 25 - Melissa Kupsch (Homeopath)

- Episode 19 - Emma Morris (Nutritionist)

Cleaner alternatives referenced:

- Koala Eco (clean household products) - https://koala.eco

- The Dirt Company (Clean laundry detergent) - https://thedirtcompany.com.au/collections/starter-packs

- Sabbia (Clean skincare) - https://sabbiaco.com/collections/all

- No Pong (Natural deodorant) - https://www.nopong.com.au

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 29 we talk to Rebecca Smith.

Bec started her trying to conceive journey in January 2021 and has sadly already experienced more heart ache in the last 14 months then some do throughout their whole conceiving journey.

It all started only weeks after removing her contraceptive mirena when she found out she was pregnant and her and her partner were absolutely blown away how quickly it happened. Not expecting it to happen so soon they were still so overjoyed at the news and already started planning her due date and picturing what life will be like with a little bubba. A few weeks later after a hesitant call from her doctor and seeing what every pregnant woman’s fear most, Bec started having her first miscarriage.

They decided to jump straight back into trying and whilst this next try was also successful, they were faced with another miscarriage shortly after seeing the positive pregnancy test. This second time really hit them hard and they decided that they wanted to have a break and change their model of care as they weren’t getting the support they had hoped for.

Fast forward to September, Bec was now under the care of a fertility specialist who was following her cycle closely to ensure that her hormones, ovulation and egg quality were all on track, unfortunately even with the guidance of a specialist and going through ovulation induction assistance they experienced another 3 failed months.

Thankfully after Bec’s fourth month with her specialist they finally had some amazing news and they were finally pregnant, just in time to end the year on a high note. It pains me to say but this resulted in a missed miscarriage at 13 weeks and they were later re-diagnosed with the pregnancy being a partial molar pregnancy. She explains what an absolute whirlwind of emotions this has been and goes into detail of what a partial molar pregnancy is and the potential after affects that can happen.

This is extremely raw for Bec and her partner and she has been so brave throughout this whole episode. She only hopes to spread awareness about her battles and help anyone else on a similar journey.

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In 2016 Chloe was suffering from irregular periods and acne which led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome. She was told to start thinking about pregnancy and having a baby if she wanted a family, however she was only 19 years old and this came as a huge shock. Instead, she tried fixing her issues with contraceptive pills which proved to be absolutely useless, so she decided to stop taking the pill all together.

Fast forward a few years later and still thinking that she would struggle to conceive naturally, Chloe, who was not at all trying to have a baby at this time, found out she was pregnant for the first time through the most heart-breaking way. She was at her best friend’s wedding and she started bleeding uncontrollably and experienced a pain like no other, thinking that it was just a heavy period she quickly realised something was seriously wrong when she ended up in emergency surgery as it was not in fact her period, it was an ectopic pregnancy and her right fallopian tube had completely ruptured.

After Chloe’s miscarriage they realised just how much a baby would mean to them and they dove right back into trying after she recovered from her surgery.

Sadly, an ecptopic pregnancy and ruptured fallopian tube was only the beginning of a long list of bad news delivered to Chloe and her partner. She has now been diagnosed with endometriosis, been told her AMH levels are that of a 40 year old, had 2 miscarriages and gone through ovulation induction medication.

Her mental health has suffered significantly as you can imagine but she is not giving up hope on her dream to become a mother. Thank you for opening up your heart and wounds to our listeners and sharing your story Chloe, you are not alone in this.

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 25 we talk with Melissa Kupsch who is a Homeopath.

So what is homeopathy you may ask? Well it’s an energetic system of medicine based off the principles that like cures like. It is almost like liquid acupuncture in the sense that it stimulates the energy of the body. Homeopaths typically do a full case taking, they find out every single thing they can about their patient, their current health status, their medical history, family medical history, they examine their physical, mental and emotional health, knowing that these are all related. They really want to know everything! Then they match what they find to the best remedy profile and when done correctly, a healing response is triggered and the body starts to shift.

For fertility Mel predominantly uses the Liz Lalor fertility protocol. These are remedies that really target hormones, and detoxing from past pharmaceuticals or toxins. She sees clients with PCOS, endometriosis, women with a history of recurrent miscarriage, unexplained infertility and more, and homeopathy is able to assist in so many of these cases.

She doesn’t just see women though, men are equally as important and she has a range of remedies that can help with men’s sperm production as well as inability in the bedroom because let’s be honest… trying to conceive is stressful!

Mel truly does practice what she preaches, and she has three beautiful young boys that she conceived by following her own guidance and remedies. She is a wealth of knowledge, and we are so excited to bring you such an informative and educational episode.

LINKS:

Melissa's Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/thathomeopath/

Melissa's Website - https://www.melissakupsch.com

Maia Mother's Collective - https://www.maiamothers.com.au

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 24 we chat with one of our listeners Ashleigh Johnson, who has been brave enough to share her story with our community.

Ashleigh and her partner started their journey 5 years ago shortly after their wedding. She had come off the pill and still hadn’t received a bleed which started to become concerning. Unfortunately, after seeing a fertility specialist, she was diagnosed with PCOS and was told to start ovulation induction medication.

The medication was doing it’s job and Ashleigh went through the process of doing 2 IUI’s, however sadly these did not result in a pregnancy.  Wanting to know more Ashleigh underwent surgery for ovarian drilling where they discovered endometriosis.

This was then the start of a number of fresh IVF cycles, failed transfers, a case of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome, a miscarriage but also the conception of her son and beautiful rainbow baby.

Ashleigh is now working on baby number 2, however it’s sadly already been a rocky start and Ashleigh opens up about how she is navigating this the second time round.

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 23 we talk with one of our lovely listener's Sally.

After being on their trying to conceive journey for 10 months, Sally suffered through her first miscarriage and just a few short months later, another one after that. Wanting some answers Sally started exploring the route of IVF and underwent a hysteroscopy procedure where her surgeon discovered some unexplained scar tissue on her womb called asherman’s syndrome.

Fast forward another miscarriage, a laparoscopic surgery and the discovery of stage 3 endo Sally was feeling more than defeated. Sadly, her first 3 IVF rounds did not end in a single transfer and they felt like they were not receiving the best model of care from her ever so pricey fertility specialist.

After changing clinics Sally and her partner finally had some successful results and they now have 2 beautiful girls that keep them on their toes. Sally’s key take away from her very long and hard journey has been that just because one doctor thinks a certain way, doesn’t mean that way is the right way.

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 22 we talk to the beautiful Abby Mckibben about her long and very trying journey with infertility.

Abby always knew she might have some trouble conceiving as she had suffered from endometriosis from a very young age. Over 8 years Abby went through countless laparoscopic surgeries and had a Myomectomy which is major surgery to remove a fibroid growing in her uterus. The recovery for a surgery like this is similar to a caesarean which put a huge holt on her IVF cycles.

After taking some time and letting her body fully recover, Abby dove back into IVF with a new fertility specialist.

Unfortunately, this round involved higher doses of medication and Abby’s body did not handle this well as it led to a severe case of Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS). This got so bad to the point that one of her lungs nearly collapsed from having so much fluid trapped.

Devastatingly, Abby’s specialist did not want her to undergo another IVF cycle due to the severity of how her body handled the last round, this meant that Abby was left with one chance to conceive her rainbow baby.

At this point Abby and her partner felt that their dreams were near impossible, and they were coming to terms with the fact that they may not ever be able have a baby. The universe had other plans for Abby though, as it new she was destined to be a mother and she was finally blessed with her little rainbow baby, a true miracle for their family. Abby was thrown every hurdle possible on her trying to conceive journey but she did not give up, she is the definition of a super woman and now super mum!

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In today’s episode we are talking to a beautiful young lady named Jayde.

Jayde is 34 years old and already has a 12-year-old son, however she had her worries around trying for baby number 2 given she is a little older and what specialists would say as approaching that “geriatric pregnancy age”.

Much to her surprise last year she was fortunate enough to fall pregnant quite quickly and the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy were absolutely bliss!

Unfortunately, this blissful feeling was short lived as Jayde received some unfathomable news after completing the NIPT test, and their greatest fears were then confirmed through a CVS test where they were told their little girl had Edwards Syndrome and was incompatible with life.

Jayde was referred to an abortion clinic and talks about how traumatic her termination for medical reason truly was. She felt extremely unsupported and unheard and feels like there is a big gap in the health care system for families going through this.

Thank you for being so brave and sharing such a raw and vulnerable story.

LINKS: 

Instagram Support pages: 

@thetfmrdoula

@timetotalktfmr

@tfmrmamas

Facebook : TFMR Pink Elephants

Web :  Children by choice - Sands.org.au

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 20 we chat to Candy Farmer about her experience battling through secondary infertility. 

Candy who has had a really rough ride trying to fall pregnant in later years was fortunate enough to have her first child when she was 17, where she did it tough as a single mum until she met her amazing partner Joel and started on her next TTC journey at age 31

They were trying without trying for 3 years, fell pregnant and then has a miscarriage around 7 weeks. They have spent a total of 7 years TTC all up and when they were blessed with their second miracle they were told the devastating news that she had a molar pregnancy (we will explain more in this episode) and as if loosing your baby wasn’t enough – Candy would also have to be closely monitored for cancer and almost needed to do chemo!

Fortunately Candy is now 7 months pregnant with a healthy bubba and in this episode She explains how raw and emotional the rollercoaster is- pregnancy after loss and that some days it doesn’t even feel like its real- which im sure most of our listeners will agree! Thank you Candy for sharing your story, I know I really learnt a lot!

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Monique’s journey started a little differently about 10 years ago when she completely lost her period. Little did she know that at the time, her adrenals were working in overdrive and her body was constantly running on fight or flight, she was over exercising and under eating. But this was just the beginning to Monique’s 9 year long journey with no menstrual cycle, which led her down the path of finding out she had leaky gut, SIBO and was an undiagnosed celiac.

Monique tells us how she holistically healed her gut, re-balanced her hormones, got her period back and went on to fall pregnant naturally and give birth to her beautiful baby boy.

Monique is passionate about leading a lo tox and has developed the ultimate natural beauty and Wellness guide for thriving skin and happy hormones. The ebook is a curation of hormone friendly beauty products and wellness tips. It features everything from natural makeup must haves, high performing (and hormone friendly) skincare for your unique skin type and a whole bonus section on home and wellness. It’s truly jam packed with incredible info to help women on all stages of their journey.

Monique has just recently opened up a clinic called Maia Mother’s Collective, which offers support to woman through their pre-conception, pregnancy and motherhood journeys.

Services include; Nutrition & Naturopathy, Counselling, Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, Massage, Skin & Beauty consults and Maia Mother meetups. No matter what stage you are at on your journey this clinic has something for you! Go and check them out.

SHOW LINKS:

Maia Mother’s Collective website https://www.maiamothers.com.au

Maia Mother’s Collective Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maiamothers.collective/?hl=en

The Beauty Journal Instagram page (talking all things natural beauty) https://www.instagram.com/moniquepeters___/?hl=en

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 12 we sit down and unpack all your questions.

You can bet there is a lot of banter and laughs throughout this session, but the specific topics you can expect to hear include:

• Post transfer tips & tricks
• What it’s like to get your fallopian tubes flushed
• The side effects of ovulation induction medication
• How to stay positive when you don’t have a diagnosis
• Juggling IVF & work
• What does bulk billing IVF actually cost?
• How to pass time in the first few weeks of pregnancy
• How a TTC friend copes around a newly announced pregnant one
• What we do to balance our hormones
• Body images and the physical changes when you are TTC

PLUS SO MUCH MORE! This is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Please reach out to us via DM on our I&B Instagram if you want us to clarify anything we have discussed in this episode.

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 10 we bring you a story from our dear friend Sharni.

Sharni has not struggled with infertility, but she sure has had more than her fair share of struggles. Her little girl was born with Polymicrogyria, Arthrogryposis, and she had an Omphalocele present at the 12-week scan. The Arthrogryposis was picked up after 20 weeks, but the Polymicrogyria was not diagnosed until an MRI after birth. Further to this, she was also born with 2 holes in her heart. A few years later Sharni then suffered from 2 recurring miscarriages.

Today Sharni shares the reality of being told that her little girl would be born with a disability, and how no one was able to tell her exactly what that would look like! She also shares what an emotional roller coaster it was being told scan after scan that her baby would not survive, however she has defied all odds! Little Harlow is a little fighter and is now three years old and progressing further then her doctors ever expected!

Here at I&B we think it’s important to not only talk about the struggles of when trying to fall pregnant but even once women are pregnant, the scary and uncertain challenges that come with motherhood such as abnormalities around scans, confronting appointments and the ongoing responsibilities that we can face for the rest of our lives.

No one should ever feel alone at such a difficult time so we know that this episode will pull on a lot of your heart strings and be very close to home for some.

And if you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Welcome back to another episode of the infertility and beyond podcast. Today we are joined by our special guest Sarah Matene.

Sarah is 28 years old and her first child was a little surprise blessing when she was just 18 years young. 2 years later she decided she wanted to give her son a sibling and fell pregnant quite quickly which felt like another blessing. Sadly Sarah’s second pregnancy resulted in a still birth in her third trimester. Sarah takes us through that heart breaking time and how she navigating through grief while also caring for a toddler.

Unfortunately Sarah is now experiencing secondary infertility and she opens up about how hard that has been to process after falling pregnant so quickly with her first 2 pregnancies.

We thank you for sharing your story Sarah, I know you will help so many others!

If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 8 we talk with the amazing Olivia. Oliva has suffered from PCOS and endometriosis since she was a teenager, which has led her to needing 6 laparoscopic surgeries all before the age of 28. She conceived her first baby naturally which was much to her surprise, she then went on to experience secondary infertility and go down the path of IVF.

Olivia’s journey includes in the ups and downs of IVF, loss, failed implantation, feeling unsupported from her clinic and then having to go into artificial menopause to try and help her embryos have the best chance of implantation.

Olivia’s journey has been a long 5 years but she is not giving up yet, she has shown us that when you put your mind to anything (even putting yourself into a form of menopause) anything is possible!

You are nothing short of an inspiration Olivia, thank you for sharing your story!

And if you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Its not easy going through infertility, but its also really difficult knowing how to navigate your friend/family members feelings and emotions in such uncertain times. We hope this episode can give you an insight to how they might be feeling, what words/ comments could be triggering and how you can better support them going forward! If you're listening to this episode for a friend shout out to you for being amazing!

Don't forget to let us know what you thought of this episode!

Welcome to infertility and beyond, join your hosts Sacha and Amy as they give you an introduction on how they met, a brief overview of their lives and why they wanted to start a podcast!

We’re so excited to share our fertility experiences with you and hopefully provide you with some useful guidance as you navigate the battlefield of infertility and beyond!

Jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

For us it has not been easy trying to conceive, come join us as we talk all things infertility, share our stories and the stories of others, bring you informations surrounding infertility treatments, grief and everything in between.