Going through any fertility struggle is traumatic. The process affects mental health in many ways, impacting a person’s sense of identity and self-worth. Many of my clients come into therapy seeking emotional support without realizing that infertility also leads to a form of trauma. While most people associate trauma with soldiers returning from war, infertility’s ups and downs also trigger similar responses. Infertility can involve surviving repeated traumatic experiences such as infertility diagnosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, reproductive injury, and fertility treatment. A person’s trauma can be exacerbated by repeatedly being let down every month with negative...

When you’re trying to get pregnant, the dynamic between you and your partner when it comes to intercourse often changes. From the exact timing of ovulation to the type of lubricant you use, the details matter, and you can feel the pressure.  When the stakes are this high, it can be super helpful to know which fertility-friendly lubes are actually worth buying. Now let’s take a look at why sperm-friendly lubricants are so important to your fertility journey and how finding the right product can make all the difference!   Why sperm-friendly lubricant for fertility? Why are...

Bethany C. Meyers always imagined she’d get pregnant immediately.  “I was very much like ‘we’re going to do it once and we’re going to be pregnant. And that’s it,” says Meyers, who is the founder of the be.come project, an inclusive, body-neutral fitness platform.  But Meyers and their partner, actor Nico Tortorella, were shocked when it didn’t unfold that way. “We tried for about two years to get pregnant before we conceived. It was definitely a very unexpected thing for both my partner and [me],” says Meyers. “We’d dreamt about having children, we’ve known each...

Infertility — it's a tough journey: physically, emotionally, and financially. But did you know that you may be able to deduct some of the costs of fertility treatments, like in-vitro fertilization (IVF), from your taxes? You heard that right — the IRS recognizes the financial burden that infertility can place on families, and some tax deductions and credits are available to help ease some of the stress.  Before we get into the nitty-gritty and start throwing words at you like "adjusted gross income," "itemized deductions," and other terms that will make your head spin, let's begin...

Elite athletes have spoken out about how training at the highest level of a sport can affect a person’s mental health and lifestyle in some really damaging ways. We’re aware that many athletes are robbed of their childhood and teen years —  instead of going to prom and homecoming and hanging out by their lockers with friends, they’re training around the clock and carrying enormous pressure on their shoulders.  But there’s one aspect of the athlete experience people may not be aware of: The way athletes often face barriers when building their families due to the...

If you’ve ever been diagnosed with unexplained infertility, you know how frustrating that lack of clarity is. Not having a concrete example for why your body isn’t doing the one thing you want it to do can feel so defeating — and in some ways, when there’s no medical cause that experts can point to, it puts even more pressure on the patient to fix the problem.  Speaking of vague, tough-to-understand medical issues: Enter inflammation. Inflammation has become something of a buzzword, both on social media and in real life. But despite how often it...

No matter how far along you are in your pregnancy, miscarriages are heartbreaking. They take an immeasurable toll on your physical and emotional health, and for those pursuing Assisted Reproductive Technology like IVF, there is a financial burden on top of it.  A miscarriage, generally classified as spontaneous pregnancy loss before 20 weeks, is hard enough to cope with, let alone experience multiple times. Now let’s explore some of the possible reasons for recurrent pregnancy loss, as well as some diagnostic tests and treatment options that are in your control.  What is Recurrent Pregnancy Loss?...

Ten years ago, miscarriages were largely suffered in silence. People carried on in the wake of heartbreaking losses, often not sharing their stories — which led to a vicious cycle that left so many people feeling alone after miscarrying. The good news? We’ve come a long way where normalizing pregnancy loss is concerned. Much of that has to do with public figures stepping up to share their stories. By speaking out about their miscarriages, celebrities are creating space for others to do the same — and they’re helping people understand that they’re not alone in...

Being able to have a baby via IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is based on so many factors — enough to make your head spin. However, as it relates to the female side of the equation, two factors that have the biggest impact on whether or not IVF will be successful for you come down to your eggs — specifically, the number of eggs retrieved and the quality of those eggs. How Does the Number of Eggs Retrieved Impact IVF Success? The success rate of IVF is based on your chances of having a baby after...

Whether you’re new to fertility treatments or an IVF veteran, chances are good that you’re familiar with Preimplantation Genetic Testing, more commonly known as PGT. PGT is a genetic screening test that can be performed on embryos created through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Its purpose is to analyze the genetic material of the embryos to determine whether or not they have an incorrect number of chromosomes or aneuploidy.  In addition to standard PGT for aneuploidy (PGT-A), there are enhanced offerings that IVF patients can now consider. But are these additional options right for your family? And...