Inspired by a listener q, I'm diving into what happens during a preconception check up, what tests you'll take and when your doctor will recommend you take them. But more importantly, I'm talking about why you might want to push for preconception testing and why you might not. Is it important to know what's going on ahead of time or better to wait and see? Reference: Episode 54: How can I prep for TTC? Want to share your pregnancy or TTC journey? Have feedback for the podcast? Have...

After 2+ years of tests, medications and appointments, my husband and I are finally embarking on the next stage of our TTC journey: intrauterine insemination aka IUI. In this episode, I'll walk you through the first steps of the IUI, what I've had to do and how I'm feeling about the whole thing. Whether assisted fertility procedures are part of your journey or not, I hope this episode answers some questions and lets you know you're not alone. Want to share your pregnancy or TTC...

Inspired by a listener question, what do you do if you're ready to start TTC and get going on your fertility journey but your partner isn't there yet? It's hard to be patient when you feel that you're ready to get pregnant and become a parent. Listen in as I share my advice and reframe the question to make it about when we will be ready, rather than when they will be ready. Want to share your pregnancy or TTC journey? Have feedback for the podcast? Have an episode idea? ⁠Leave your...

If you're in the thick of your fertility journey, working on TTC, it can often feel like you're falling behind on some invisible race as everyone arounds you announces pregnancies and takes baby photos. So what do you do when you can't get out of the race mindset? Want to share your pregnancy or TTC journey? Have feedback for the podcast? Have an episode idea?⁠ Leave your feedback in this form:⁠ https://forms.gle/XyBgaf9JwgvcfH5p8 Disclosure: I'm in no way, shape or form an expert...

It's one thing to process your own reactions to TTC. But how do you handle it when the people in your life don't react the way you want them to or thought they would? While many individuals and couples decide to keep their TTC journey and fertility struggles to themselves, many more decide to share the news with some close loved ones (or even share their journey publicly). But that opens you up to reactions, opinions and the constant pressure to provide updates. In today's episode, I'm...

One of the biggest certainties when it comes to TTC (trying to conceive) and any fertility journey is that nothing is certain! The whole thing is a roller coaster and constantly trying to deal with an uncertain future. As someone who loves to plan ahead, this has been one of my biggest struggles. So today on the pregnancy podcast I'm talking through how I deal with the uncertainty of TTC, little things I've done to find some certainty in my life, and our big (but very tentative) plans for...

After teasing it for weeks (months?) I am so excited to share my TTC interview with my husband with you! It was really interesting to hear the non-birthing/carrying partner's perspective, chat with him about some tough topics and answer some of your questions. Thank you again for your support of me and for this episode. It was a lot of fun! Please excuse any mic issues (it actually wasn't as bad audio as I thought it might be). And if you have any feedback or ideas for future episodes,...

Welcome back to Any Questions and episode #75! In this episode I'm talking all about what happens when you and your partner have different approaches to your TTC and fertility journey. If one of you is in a rush, wanting to get things done right away, stressing and willing to spend lots of money while the other is dragging their feet, what do you do? PS: Next episode will (hopefully!) be the Q&A with my husband. If you have any questions for him or for me/us, feel free to leave it...

Happy new year and welcome back to Any Questions! Kicking off a new year of fertility and conception podcasting by discussing how we can make TTC (trying to conceive) feel less like a chore, which can be hard when everything feels so scheduled and burdensome. Plus, I'm sharing updates from our fertility clinic and IUI process. PS: I've heard your feedback and I will have my husband on the pod to answer questions and give his take on the partner/male side of the fertility and pregnancy...

It's my final episode of 2023! The end of 2023 also marks two years of trying to conceive (TTC) for me and my husband. In this episode I'm looking back on all of the highs and lows of this year (TW for pregnancy loss), what lessons and realizations I've learned from our fertility journey, and my plans for growing our family and this podcast in 2024! Thank you so much for listening to Any Questions this year and for all of your support. I started this podcast as an outlet for myself and...

TW: mention of pregnancy loss/miscarriage throughout If you've been on your TTC (trying to conceive) journey for a while, if you've suffered loss or if you've had bad test results, how do you get excited again? How do you get over the fact that you'll never be the same innocent optimistic person you were when you first started on this fertility journey? How do you not let the fear of another loss or bad result ruin the next one? Join me as I talk through some of my thoughts on this -...

TW: This mini-sode deals with pregnancy loss, miscarriage and chemical pregnancy. If those topics aren't for you, feel free to skip this one! I had to record a bonus mini episode because I was just so blown away by all of the recent comments I received. THANK YOU all so much for your support, feedback, kind words, recommendations, stories and episode ideas. It means so much to me. I can't tell you how supported I feel and how much I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to reach...

In this week's episode of the fertility journey roller coaster, I'm thinking about what would happen if I got off the ride. What if we don't get pregnant? What if IUI doesn't work? What if we don't try IVF or adoption - or we do and it doesn't work out? Could I find happiness without a baby? Thank you to listener Gem for inspiring this episode! TRIGGER WARNING: I start the episode talking about miscarriage/pregnancy loss and thanking my listeners for their messages of support. If that...

TW: chemical pregnancy, miscarriage, pregnancy loss In today's episode we're chatting about chemical pregnancies, inspired by a listener episode suggestion. What is a chemical pregnancy? Is it actually a miscarriage or something else? If they're so common, why do we rarely hear about them? And why does it feel like we can't be sad about them? I'm unpacking all that and more - tune in! PS: Check out thermometers, supplements, fertility tests and more at ⁠Femometer⁠. Use code QUESTIONS...

As the Little Mermaid would say, "When's it my turn?" I'm channeling my inner Ariel for today's episode: When is it finally going to be my turn to get pregnant? It feels like pregnancy and motherhood is all around when you're TTC (trying to conceive), and it can be hard to not feel like you're falling behind and frustrated that your own fertility journey is taking so long. Today I dive into the emotions of this part of the journey, the helpful reminders I like to tell myself and some actions...

Inspired by a listener suggestion, this week's episode is all about how to stop TTC (trying to conceive) from taking over your life. I'm sharing secret ways TTC may be taking over and what you can do to step back, add something new and find support. Plus, for all my fellow forward-thinkers and life planners, I'm talking about how to deal when you thought you'd have a baby (or at least be pregnant!) by a certain date and then that date comes along and you're still trying to conceive. PS:...

TW: miscarriage, early pregnancy loss As a follow up to my last episode, I'm sharing more about how I'm coping with our recent loss and what this means for our TTC journey. Far from having all the answers, I want to share realistically what I'm going through, what coping strategies have been working for me, and what challenges I'm still facing. I hope this episode is comforting for anyone who has gone through a similar experience - I'm sorry you've had to deal with anything like this and...

Trigger warning: This episode deals with the results of a pregnancy test and early pregnancy loss/miscarriage. Today's episode is an update on my TTC (trying to conceive) journey and, as you can guess from the trigger warning, it's a sad one. This is a very personal and emotional episode for me, so thank you for being here and virtually supporting me from wherever you are listening. I know these are hard topics so I completely understand if you need to skip this episode and I'm sending...

I've done 60+ episodes from the perspective of someone TTC (trying to conceive) who is on their own fertility journey and struggling with infertility. But what if you're on the other side? What if you're the one who is pregnant or has a baby and a friend of yours is dealing with infertility? How can you be sensitive to their situation and support them, while still being immersed in your new role as a parent or expectant parent? In today's episode I'm flipping the script and sharing some...

Welcome to a BONUS episode! You've made it to the third and final part of my series inspired by Lucie Fink and all about the hardest parts of having a baby + the conversations you should have on these tough topics with yourself, your partner or your friends/family. We're wrapping it up by talking about me time, travel with a baby, the cost of have a baby, work-life balance and dealing with your own childhood trauma. Each one of those could be (and probably will be!) their own podcast episode!...

Following up on my previous episode I'm diving into a few more tough topics and hard parts of having a baby that you'll want to discuss with your partner/family/friends ahead of time. This week we're covering other people's opinions, routines, relationships and sleep (or lack thereof!). And because I don't want to drag out this series for another two weeks, I'm dropping part 3 today as a bonus episode - it should already be in your podcast feed! Inspired by:...

Inspired by Lucie Fink, I'm covering 13 hard parts about having a baby and the topics you will want to discuss with your partner (or family or friends!) before baby arrives. Whether you're a new parent, pregnant or TTC (trying to conceive) I think anytime is a good time to start thinking through these tough topics and discussing them with the person(s) you're growing your family with! And because these topics are just so juicy, I'll be back in two weeks to cover off the next few in part 2!...

It's one thing to have your own emotions about your fertility journey when you're TTC (trying to conceive), but how do you handle someone else's? Whether it's a partner, friend or family member, it can be difficult to let someone know you're not pregnant (again!) or making a choice about your family planning that they don't agree with. Is there anything we can do to remove this burden? Want to share your pregnancy or TTC journey? Have feedback for the podcast? Have an episode idea? Leave...

In today's episode of Any Questions we're tackling a limiting belief many of us on TTC journeys have: We believe we can't get pregnant! Why do we have this belief and how is it serving us? Could positive thinking be the answer to all of our fertility problems? (Spoiler alert: no!) Plus I'm sharing six fertility and pregnancy mantras I use to try and trick myself into positive thinking, even though I'm not convinced mantras really work. PS: I get a little emotional in this episode, so...