Unless you’ve been a part of the TTC community for a while, you may not have heard of one of the less obvious causes of infertility: a genetic condition called a balanced translocation (also referred to as reciprocal translocation). Balanced Translocation affects approximately 1 in 500 people. However, in those with recurrent pregnancy loss, it has been shown to be substantially higher at 3 – 7%. When either partner has a translocation, the risk of miscarriage increases from 20% to approximately 40%. The frustrating part is that the majority of people with a balanced translocation have...
One of the biggest questions women often have with regard to pregnancy and work is “How to tell your boss you’re pregnant,” but what about when getting pregnant becomes more difficult than you imagined? For those of us who need fertility treatments to grow our families, there comes a time during our journey when we need understanding and support from our colleagues, but it can be difficult to bridge those kinds of conversations at work. So how (and who) should you tell at work that you’re trying to conceive or going through fertility treatments? The question...
Fertility treatments are expensive and stressful, and for many of us, we only have a window of a few cycles to get it right. That makes every single step of the process incredibly important, which only adds to the overall anxiety. Sigh. For those who are new to the world of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), some IVF and IUI protocols require you to inject yourself with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at a very specific time during your ovulation cycle. Also known as the "trigger shot," this can be a lot of added pressure for someone without a...
Since the first baby was conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, there have been more than 8 million people born via IVF. The success rates have drastically improved over the last few decades, largely due to technological advancements in medicine, but still only about one-third of patients have successful live births through IVF. Surprising, we know. The truth is, there are many decisions that go into improving one’s chance at IVF success, and a lot can vary from patient to patient. When it comes to ovarian stimulation during IVF, there are a few common...
It’s no secret that kids are expensive. From providing for their basic needs to the exorbitant cost of childcare, they tend to soak up monetary resources quicker than expected. But for many, these expenses start even before baby arrives. This is particularly true for those utilizing Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) like IUI and IVF in the hopes of building their dream families. Amidst the financial stress of fertility treatments, it’s important to find silver linings where we can. One of these is finding out that some fertility and pregnancy expenses are actually tax deductible! So, what...
Most people who have experienced fertility challenges have probably heard someone say “Well, you should just use a surrogate!” as though surrogacy is a simple, straightforward process that works and is accessible for every intended parent (spoiler alert: It’s not). Aside from the complex legal, medical, financial, and interpersonal facets of pursuing parenthood via surrogacy, there’s also the emotional toll it can take. When intended mothers picture their path to parenthood, that image often involves carrying a pregnancy…and letting go of that image can be painful. Sometimes, it continues to be painful even after your baby...
If you’re experiencing difficulties in growing your family, making the decision to enter the world of fertility treatments can be, to put it mildly, overwhelming. This vulnerable and emotional position is filled with difficult decisions and a rollercoaster of emotions to go along with it. At a time in your life where you feel as though you can go from laughing to crying and back again, sometimes within a matter of minutes, it’s easy and entirely normal to feel a tad scatter-brained throughout the process. 10 Questions To Ask at Your First Fertility Appointment That being said, if you’re anticipating your first fertility consultation,...
We’ve all been there, whether we’d like to admit it or not: finding yourself frantically Googling “how soon can I get a positive pregnancy test?”, looking for any ounce of encouragement to go ahead and test sooner rather than later. Suddenly, you are knee-deep and hours into scouring “POAS” (pee-on-a-stick) message boards looking for the people who posted joyfully that they got a positive test (albeit a squinty, is-it-or-isn’t-it positive) 3-days post embryo transfer. You head to the bathroom to take yet another test, while your partner is telling you that you’d agreed to wait. “That...
You may have heard the saying that a “cold uterus” can cause infertility. This dates all the way back to Traditional Chinese Medicine and is grounded in the idea that a thin uterine lining does not respond appropriately to hormones. In her book, The Infertility Cure, Dr. Randine Lewis, a licensed acupuncturist holding a Ph.D in alternative medicine, describes the second half of the menstrual cycle (when we are praying for that successful implantation!) as the Yang phase, and notes that “[l]ike fuel for the body’s incubator, progesterone is warming and therefore Yang in nature.” Progesterone...
In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the worry surrounding state anti-abortion laws — and their potential impact on IVF — has taken center stage. If state ‘personhood laws’ define life as beginning at fertilization — and embryos as ‘unborn human beings’ — what will that mean for the future of fertility treatments, from the PGT testing of embryos during IVF to the disposal of surplus genetic material? For those of us who need Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) like IVF to grow our families, it’s anxiety-provoking to think about. Although IVF...
