Infertility And Me: Stories of Infertility Survivors, IVF, & TTC

Have you noticed a change in the way you view yourself since your fertility struggles began? After being diagnosed with infertility, we second guess who we are. Things we were once passionate about don't seem to bring joy any longer. In this episode, Monique shares tools and tactics she used to help rebuild low self-worth, after being diagnosed with infertility.

**Please be advised that Monique is NOT a mental health professional. All commentary is life experience based**

00:00:00-Intro

00:01:52-Topic intro and recommended episodes mentioning BMI discrimination from reproductive endocrinologists.

1.) Denise-3/26/21-Trying to conceive when you're a single woman

2.) Ashley-8/21/20-I'm still in here: PCOS, fibromyalgia, and lupus survivor

00:04:22-Self-esteem and Infertility

• 00:08:07-After the diagnosis.
• 00:09:46-Assess whether you had feelings of low self-esteem before pregnancy loss and infertility.
• 00:12:43-Healthy ways of coping that won't create more toxicity.

1. Keep up with meditation/praying if you can.
2. Continue exercising, keeping in mind your Dr's recommendations. Otherwise, low-impact exercise such as walking can have the same physical and mental effects.
3. Indulge in hobbies and passions.
4. 00:16:40-Have honest discussions with your spouse about how you're feeling about your self-imagery.
5. 00:19:46-Increase intimate moments with your spouse if it applies, that is nonsexual.
6. The way you speak to yourself matters subconsciously.
7. 00:22:26-Remember, you are worthy of self-love. Infertility and loss does not make you less of a woman or man.

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Do you often feel shame around your infertility, miscarriage, or loss? If you answered yes, then you will want to tune-in to today's episode with Emily Ginn. The dictionary defines shame as: the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another. susceptibility to this feeling. disgrace; ignominy. Infertility is not your fault, nor does it bring disgrace upon your loved ones. Yet we cannot seem to heal entirely from shame. Too often, we allow outside forces to influence the thoughts and emotions concerning our circumstances. Within this episode, Monique and Emily discuss how we can heal and be fully empowered again while on our journeys.

Emily states: Shame is a non productive emotion and compassion is the antidote. Emily Ginn is a Certified Life Coach, Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW), grief and crisis expert, IVF survivor, wife, and mom. She offers a proven framework, deeply rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to help you process your emotions about your journey and create a different experience around your fertility treatments.

In this episode, we discuss: Emily's infertility journey Root causes of shame How to trade shame for positive vulnerability How to recognize of be mindful of when shame arises Why healing from shame is critical for emotional wellbeing How shame affects intimacy with our spouses Emily's three biggest tips to healing.

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Have you been diagnosed with POR (poor ovarian reserve) or DOR (diminished ovarian reserve)? Females are typically born with two million eggs. At puberty, four hundred thousand, and by her late 30's, just a mere 27,000 on average. Unfortunately, there are no medical interventions to slow-down ovarian aging. (data found here) In today's episode, you will learn the importance of lowering cortisol levels for fertility through the mind body approach. Reproductive hormones that aid in conceiving are more effective when cortisol is decreased. Coach Monika will also share her diagnosis of POR and being told she had the egg reserve of a 44-year-old woman. Monika was determined to beat the odds, so she began her quest to develop a holistic approach to fertility. Monika's program focuses on mindset, lifestyle, and fertility tactics. It was evident to Monika that Western Medicine would not be enough and incorporated Eastern Medicine as well.

Make no mistake, Monika does not push or preach to her clients that you should "just relax." instead, she emphasizes lowering cortisol levels through mind-body practices such as walking outdoors, yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. Monique and Monika also discuss the importance of not expecting your reproductive fertility assistance to help you get pregnant quickly.

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Today's episode was recorded outside, so I apologize if the sound is not as crisp as other episodes. Amanda Osowski discusses how her path to motherhood inspired the idea to create Heartfelt Beginnings. Amanda realized that her experience as a patient advocate and Masters in Public Health could greatly serve families struggling to conceive.

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When I was very much in the thick of TTC and struggling through the shit-show that is infertility—I yearned for community, but never quite found one that I felt “safe” in. Which is why I created Infertility And Me—to be the support to you that I needed. 

 Infertility And Me sheds light on the struggles of infertility in a safe space. The ultimate goal of the show is to create community, infertility awareness, advocacy, and to learn from one another’s experiences.

IAM Podcast began November 22, 2019 as a passion project, which quickly turned into SO much more. It has been my vision from the beginning, to share diverse stories of (in)fertility, be a voice to silent-sufferers, and a face for Black women and men. Through the platform, thousands have found hope, validation, and community.

WHY Patreon?

For almost 2 1/2 years, I have been creating episodes and passing the mic to other friends in the community to share their stories with you;) Needless to say, it requires a lot of time and hard work. With your patronage, I will be able to hire help for the production of audio and visual episodes. It will also enable more marketing for the shows exposure and possible meet-ups. Don’t worry though, episodes will still be FREE on streaming platforms!🙌🏾😌None of this is possible without you!

• Private community away from social media
• Live zoom chats/check-ins
• Local meet-ups
• You would be supporting the work and efforts that go into creating audio and visual episodes.

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