The science of making babies started back in the 1930s, and the first reproductive endocrinology practice was founded in 1939 at Johns Hopkins. While the field continues to advance, many individuals find themselves without answers or new technologies to help them conceive.  When I first started working in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility back in 2013, PGS testing was relatively new, and not many patients went with this option when pursuing IVF. By the time I left the clinic in 2016, ERA cycles were coming out. Since then, PGS, ERA cycles, mini IVF and...

When I met my husband Tristan in 2019, it was one of those I've-found-the-one moments. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it was. From the get-go, marriage and children were 100% in the cards for us. I think I even told him my favorite boy's name within the first few weeks of dating. And when he didn't flinch, that was that. I had been diagnosed with Endometriosis the year before in June of 2018, but at that point, I still didn't know the magnitude of the damage it had done to my reproductive organs. In...

Catherine (Cath) Lee and Lauren (Lar) Lee-Crane, here! We’re identical twin sisters that both suffer from endometriosis. We live in Atlanta, Georgia, and recently started a supplement company called Semaine Health in hopes of creating and sharing a more natural and healthy way of dealing with period pain.   Our Endometriosis Stories Lar: When we were kids, our mom was diagnosed with endometriosis after having a cesarean section. She explained it as causing really painful periods. Growing up, we never questioned if there was a treatment for it because we thought monthly pain was just part of being a woman. I remember...

Like so many of you, my road to motherhood was not an easy one. My fertility journey started 13 years ago when I came to the United States after marrying my husband in my country, Colombia. We met on match.com. He is Israeli and was living in the United States, and I am Colombian and was living in Bogota.  After we got married, I wanted to get pregnant right away. I assumed I would get pregnant right away. I come from a very “fertile” family. On my mother’s side, I have 9 aunts and 9 uncles; all 18...

Before I delve into the inevitable, let me take you back in time—way, way back. I spent my childhood believing that magic was real, not potions, spells, or bewitchery (though I did try out a love spell on a boy named David in grade 5, that's another story). My version of magic was believing that I could achieve anything, even sports until a few broken bones proved otherwise. My parents created a beautiful and colorful world for my brother and me, filled with laughter, kindness, and endless support. Personalized mixtapes, late-night dancing, movie/pizza night, birthday themes...

Endometriosis is a condition that affects one in ten women of childbearing age. Endometriosis occurs when tissue that normally lines the uterus appears in other areas of the reproductive tract or pelvic region causing symptoms such as painful periods, cramping or pelvic pain throughout the menstrual cycle, digestion issues, pain with sex, and infertility. Symptoms vary widely and oddly enough, the severity of symptoms does not appear to correspond with the severity of the condition. Unfortunately, it is a very common and painful condition that we still don’t know a ton about! Endometriosis and Infertility Research...

The thought never crossed my mind. In all my years working in the fertility field, I never guessed I might receive an infertility diagnosis. It’s an odd thing how the mind plays tricks on you, or maybe it simply prevents you from living out a trauma before it happens.  In December of 2019, my husband and I finally decided to pull the trigger on trying to get pregnant. Growing our family and becoming a mom is a lifelong dream of mine. Full of excitement that this was finally my turn to get pregnant, we did not...

It’s no secret that many couples struggle to conceive. While this used to be a topic barely anyone discussed, thanks to the incredible community of women and healthcare professionals the world of fertility is becoming much more open and transparent. It is estimated that 1 in 8 couples in the U.S. struggles to get pregnant or sustain a pregnancy. As an OB-GYN, my office is usually one of the first stops for a woman when she thinks something may not be going according to plan and she begins to face fertility problems.  Often times, when...

Bilateral Tubal Blockage with Hydrosalpinx: the words that would bring my journey to motherhood to a screeching halt. After a year of believing that our hopes were within reach—believing that there must just be a minor issue of why we weren’t getting pregnant—we received our official diagnosis. It stopped everything. It robbed us of the art of surprise. I would never get to surprise my husband with a positive pregnancy test. It stole our hope from us. We would never get to hope that a miracle would “just happen.” Despite lots of unsolicited advice from...

I never thought I would be writing out my infertility story or that I would even be in this place. Our journey started in 2015. I had been with my husband for only a few months. We were dating and getting to know each other. We met in Las Vegas through some mutual friends, and let me tell you, he swept me off my feet!  After dating for a while, we started to notice that I was in a lot of pain during intercourse. One night, I was in so much pain that I couldn't bear...