As promised your hosts have gotten together to talk through Amy's birth story of the gorgeous little Aubrey Love.  Like everything in Amy's TTC journey this birth did not come easy to her, but she absolutely smashed every hurdle that came her way and boy was it all worth it! She feels unbelievably grateful to have her little miracle in her arms now and hopes she can be a beacon of hope for all the families out there still on this rollercoaster of a journey.  If you have any questions about Amy's birth please direct message us on instagram and she will get back to when she has some down time.  Our instagram page is called infertilityandbeyond_  Lots of love x

In episode 30 our final episode of Season 2, we answer all your questions amongst some bestie banter.  This episode is super chilled and laid back and gives you a glimpse into our life as best friends and how we support each other whilst also going into detail on things we have done personally to get through.  We hope you enjoy this ep & if you have any other questions please shoot us through a DM on instagram and we will be so happy to help.  Show Comments:  Useful episodes referenced: - Episode 28 - Tia Miers (Natropath) - Episode 25 - Melissa Kupsch (Homeopath) - Episode 19 - Emma Morris (Nutritionist) Cleaner alternatives referenced: - Koala Eco (clean household products) - https://koala.eco - The Dirt Company (Clean laundry detergent) - https://thedirtcompany.com.au/collections/starter-packs - Sabbia (Clean skincare) - https://sabbiaco.com/collections/all - No Pong (Natural deodorant) - https://www.nopong.com.au If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 29 we talk to Rebecca Smith. Bec started her trying to conceive journey in January 2021 and has sadly already experienced more heart ache in the last 14 months then some do throughout their whole conceiving journey. It all started only weeks after removing her contraceptive mirena when she found out she was pregnant and her and her partner were absolutely blown away how quickly it happened. Not expecting it to happen so soon they were still so overjoyed at the news and already started planning her due date and picturing what life will be like with a little bubba. A few weeks later after a hesitant call from her doctor and seeing what every pregnant woman’s fear most, Bec started having her first miscarriage. They decided to jump straight back into trying and whilst this next try was also successful, they were faced with another miscarriage shortly after seeing the positive pregnancy test. This second time really hit them hard and they decided that they wanted to have a break and change their model of care as they weren’t getting the support they had hoped for. Fast forward to September, Bec was now under the care of a fertility specialist who was following her cycle closely to ensure that her hormones, ovulation and egg quality were all on track, unfortunately even with the guidance of a specialist and going through ovulation induction assistance they experienced another 3 failed months. Thankfully after Bec’s fourth month with her specialist they finally had some amazing news and they were finally pregnant, just in time to end the year on a high note. It pains me to say but this resulted in a missed miscarriage at 13 weeks and they were later re-diagnosed with the pregnancy being a partial molar pregnancy. She explains what an absolute whirlwind of emotions this has been and goes into detail of what a partial molar pregnancy is and the potential after affects that can happen. This is extremely raw for Bec and her partner and she has been so brave throughout this whole episode. She only hopes to spread awareness about her battles and help anyone else on a similar journey. If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 28 we talk to Sacha's amazing Natropath, Tia Miers. Tia is a fully qualified naturopath and a proud member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association. Tia Miers Naturopathy was born out of her love for helping those around her achieve optimum health.  As a practitioner, her focus is on reconnecting her patients with their bodies.  She does this by utilising up-to-date research, lab testing and evidence based naturopathic medicine, including individualised herbal tonics and compounds. As someone who has been on her own rollercoaster of a health journey and suffered from endometriosis, she knows what it means to connect deeply, to be held with empathy and to find transformative answers. This has led her to be very passionate about woman’s health and the role hormones play in the female anatomy. Being based on the Gold Coast her physical reach is quite small, so she started developing products that address many of the common ailments she see’s presenting in women that visit her in her clinics, these products are packed with so many key herbs that play a vital role in balancing hormones and the central nervous system.  For anyone that would like to purchase these blends please see the I&B discount code below that can be applied at the checkout. SHOW LINKS: Tia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiamiers/?hl=en Whole Health Studio: https://www.tiamiers.com.au/shop Infertility & Beyond 15% discount code (enter at check out) : I&B15 Whole Health Studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholehealthstudio/?hl=en If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Tel and her husband had a long and tough two and a half years of trying for their little miracle. Tel was told she has PCOS so they went on to do 7 medicated cycles, unfortunately all with no success. After trying that they also did 2 IUI's but again unsuccessful. with IVF being a little out of their budget at the time they did some research into a bulk billing IVF clinic where she did 4 transfers but unfortunately again all 4 failed! Feeling super defeated Tel did some of her own research and found Dr Matthias in Sydney. He is a Reproductive Immunology specialist and was highly spoken about in the IVF community.Through his findings Tel was told she was ANA positive which means she has an active immune system so basically, it's attacking anything and everything. She also has the MTHFR Gene mutation so her body doesn't absorb folic acid properly and had a T cell imbalance. She was pleased that they had found something in their investigations so Alongside the Next stim cycle and retrieval she was advised to add Steroid injections, Antibiotics, Clexane and pessaries to better her chances of falling pregnant and having success there after. Im sure Tel is grateful to have found Dr Matthias, he is one of the very few Reproductive Immunology specialist in Australia, most IVF clinics don’t offer the services he does.After all that Tel and her husband have been through- I can now say with a huge smile on my face that they are now pregnant and expecting the arrival of their little miracle later on this year. LINKS: DR MATTHIAS- REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY SPECIALIST - https://www.reproductiveimmunology.com.au/ BULK BILLING IVF CLINIC- Adora Fertility in Taringa with DR Heymann https://www.adorafertility.com.au/ If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In 2016 Chloe was suffering from irregular periods and acne which led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome. She was told to start thinking about pregnancy and having a baby if she wanted a family, however she was only 19 years old and this came as a huge shock. Instead, she tried fixing her issues with contraceptive pills which proved to be absolutely useless, so she decided to stop taking the pill all together. Fast forward a few years later and still thinking that she would struggle to conceive naturally, Chloe, who was not at all trying to have a baby at this time, found out she was pregnant for the first time through the most heart-breaking way. She was at her best friend’s wedding and she started bleeding uncontrollably and experienced a pain like no other, thinking that it was just a heavy period she quickly realised something was seriously wrong when she ended up in emergency surgery as it was not in fact her period, it was an ectopic pregnancy and her right fallopian tube had completely ruptured. After Chloe’s miscarriage they realised just how much a baby would mean to them and they dove right back into trying after she recovered from her surgery. Sadly, an ecptopic pregnancy and ruptured fallopian tube was only the beginning of a long list of bad news delivered to Chloe and her partner. She has now been diagnosed with endometriosis, been told her AMH levels are that of a 40 year old, had 2 miscarriages and gone through ovulation induction medication. Her mental health has suffered significantly as you can imagine but she is not giving up hope on her dream to become a mother. Thank you for opening up your heart and wounds to our listeners and sharing your story Chloe, you are not alone in this. If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 25 we talk with Melissa Kupsch who is a Homeopath. So what is homeopathy you may ask? Well it’s an energetic system of medicine based off the principles that like cures like. It is almost like liquid acupuncture in the sense that it stimulates the energy of the body. Homeopaths typically do a full case taking, they find out every single thing they can about their patient, their current health status, their medical history, family medical history, they examine their physical, mental and emotional health, knowing that these are all related. They really want to know everything! Then they match what they find to the best remedy profile and when done correctly, a healing response is triggered and the body starts to shift. For fertility Mel predominantly uses the Liz Lalor fertility protocol. These are remedies that really target hormones, and detoxing from past pharmaceuticals or toxins. She sees clients with PCOS, endometriosis, women with a history of recurrent miscarriage, unexplained infertility and more, and homeopathy is able to assist in so many of these cases. She doesn’t just see women though, men are equally as important and she has a range of remedies that can help with men’s sperm production as well as inability in the bedroom because let’s be honest… trying to conceive is stressful! Mel truly does practice what she preaches, and she has three beautiful young boys that she conceived by following her own guidance and remedies. She is a wealth of knowledge, and we are so excited to bring you such an informative and educational episode. LINKS: Melissa's Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/thathomeopath/ Melissa's Website - https://www.melissakupsch.com Maia Mother's Collective - https://www.maiamothers.com.au If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 24 we chat with one of our listeners Ashleigh Johnson, who has been brave enough to share her story with our community. Ashleigh and her partner started their journey 5 years ago shortly after their wedding. She had come off the pill and still hadn’t received a bleed which started to become concerning. Unfortunately, after seeing a fertility specialist, she was diagnosed with PCOS and was told to start ovulation induction medication. The medication was doing it’s job and Ashleigh went through the process of doing 2 IUI’s, however sadly these did not result in a pregnancy.  Wanting to know more Ashleigh underwent surgery for ovarian drilling where they discovered endometriosis. This was then the start of a number of fresh IVF cycles, failed transfers, a case of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome, a miscarriage but also the conception of her son and beautiful rainbow baby. Ashleigh is now working on baby number 2, however it’s sadly already been a rocky start and Ashleigh opens up about how she is navigating this the second time round. If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In Episode 23 we talk with one of our lovely listener's Sally. After being on their trying to conceive journey for 10 months, Sally suffered through her first miscarriage and just a few short months later, another one after that. Wanting some answers Sally started exploring the route of IVF and underwent a hysteroscopy procedure where her surgeon discovered some unexplained scar tissue on her womb called asherman’s syndrome. Fast forward another miscarriage, a laparoscopic surgery and the discovery of stage 3 endo Sally was feeling more than defeated. Sadly, her first 3 IVF rounds did not end in a single transfer and they felt like they were not receiving the best model of care from her ever so pricey fertility specialist. After changing clinics Sally and her partner finally had some successful results and they now have 2 beautiful girls that keep them on their toes. Sally’s key take away from her very long and hard journey has been that just because one doctor thinks a certain way, doesn’t mean that way is the right way. If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 22 we talk to the beautiful Abby Mckibben about her long and very trying journey with infertility. Abby always knew she might have some trouble conceiving as she had suffered from endometriosis from a very young age. Over 8 years Abby went through countless laparoscopic surgeries and had a Myomectomy which is major surgery to remove a fibroid growing in her uterus. The recovery for a surgery like this is similar to a caesarean which put a huge holt on her IVF cycles. After taking some time and letting her body fully recover, Abby dove back into IVF with a new fertility specialist. Unfortunately, this round involved higher doses of medication and Abby’s body did not handle this well as it led to a severe case of Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS). This got so bad to the point that one of her lungs nearly collapsed from having so much fluid trapped. Devastatingly, Abby’s specialist did not want her to undergo another IVF cycle due to the severity of how her body handled the last round, this meant that Abby was left with one chance to conceive her rainbow baby. At this point Abby and her partner felt that their dreams were near impossible, and they were coming to terms with the fact that they may not ever be able have a baby. The universe had other plans for Abby though, as it new she was destined to be a mother and she was finally blessed with her little rainbow baby, a true miracle for their family. Abby was thrown every hurdle possible on her trying to conceive journey but she did not give up, she is the definition of a super woman and now super mum! If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In today’s episode we are talking to a beautiful young lady named Jayde. Jayde is 34 years old and already has a 12-year-old son, however she had her worries around trying for baby number 2 given she is a little older and what specialists would say as approaching that “geriatric pregnancy age”. Much to her surprise last year she was fortunate enough to fall pregnant quite quickly and the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy were absolutely bliss! Unfortunately, this blissful feeling was short lived as Jayde received some unfathomable news after completing the NIPT test, and their greatest fears were then confirmed through a CVS test where they were told their little girl had Edwards Syndrome and was incompatible with life. Jayde was referred to an abortion clinic and talks about how traumatic her termination for medical reason truly was. She felt extremely unsupported and unheard and feels like there is a big gap in the health care system for families going through this. Thank you for being so brave and sharing such a raw and vulnerable story. LINKS:  Instagram Support pages:  @thetfmrdoula @timetotalktfmr @tfmrmamas Facebook : TFMR Pink Elephants Web :  Children by choice - Sands.org.au If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 20 we chat to Candy Farmer about her experience battling through secondary infertility.  Candy who has had a really rough ride trying to fall pregnant in later years was fortunate enough to have her first child when she was 17, where she did it tough as a single mum until she met her amazing partner Joel and started on her next TTC journey at age 31 They were trying without trying for 3 years, fell pregnant and then has a miscarriage around 7 weeks. They have spent a total of 7 years TTC all up and when they were blessed with their second miracle they were told the devastating news that she had a molar pregnancy (we will explain more in this episode) and as if loosing your baby wasn’t enough – Candy would also have to be closely monitored for cancer and almost needed to do chemo! Fortunately Candy is now 7 months pregnant with a healthy bubba and in this episode She explains how raw and emotional the rollercoaster is- pregnancy after loss and that some days it doesn’t even feel like its real- which im sure most of our listeners will agree! Thank you Candy for sharing your story, I know I really learnt a lot! If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Today we talk to the Co-owner of the Brisbane based Maia Mother’s Clinic, Emma Morris. She is a nutritionist who is passionate about women’s health and supporting mother’s through their preconception, conception and post-partum journeys. Emma has her own fertility journey which started back in 2019. The start to this journey came to a quick holt when she fell unwell and learned she was suffering from breast implant illness. Her breast implants were removed, and she felt like a new woman however she wanted to give her body the recovery it needed and held off trying to conceive until February 2020. Emma has PCOS and was suffering from very irregular cycles therefore she tested her hormones through the DUTCH hormone test and tailored a supplement, herb and lifestyle protocol to help her adrenals as this was where her body was struggling the most. As the next few months went by, her cycle began to get more regular and she conceived her beautiful baby girl in June 2020. Together with the knowledge of nutrition, supplements and herbs alongside healthy habits, Emma was able to heal her reproductive system and avoid Fertility intervention all together. LINKS: Trimester Zero Course https://www.maiamothers.com.au/your-trimester-zero Nutritionist Consultation with Emma https://www.maiamothers.com.au/nut-nat-services Maia Mother’s Collective Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maiamothers.collective/?hl=en If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In todays episode we are speaking to one of our good friends Lucinda who is also the Co-owner of Core Crystal Co. Lucinda’s trying to conceive journey felt like it started with a bang when her and her partner fell pregnant quite quickly, which was an absolute blessing. Unfortunately this pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage early on and left the pair devastated. Going through the grief of a miscarriage as well as going through the disappointment of month after month not falling pregnant again, was the start of a passion and business venture for her. That business being Core Crystal Co, where you can learn all things Crystals, Manifestation, Self-care and Spirituality. After recovering from her loss Lucinda’s cycle had not returned so she started working with a Homeopath. After many months this led her to get her cycle back and fall pregnant with her rainbow baby Indy. Indy’s start to life was a grand entrance 7 weeks premature which was a rollercoaster within itself. Fast forward and Lucinda is pregnant with her second baby girl which was conceived when she was putting her own manifestation guidance to practice. Her second conception was so different from the first and Lucinda talks us through what she did different and gives us tips on how you can positively position your mind you are trying to conceive after trauma. Instagram: @corecrystal.co www.corecrystalco.com.au with discount code I&B15

Welcome back darlings!! We are so excited to be back with our I&B Community for Season 2 of the poddy, which is going to be filled with so many amazing eps just you wait! The first cab off the rank, we have your hosts catching up on all thing’s life updates, we discuss all the last-minute changes that 2021 through our way and Sacha talks about her struggles with pregnancy after loss. THEN we touch on some of Season 2’s episode details and reveal some of our amazing guests that you can expect to hear from. Sacha also talks about her naturopath’s amazing hormone balance blend, which has worked wonders for women’s health specifically in terms of dealing with PCOS, helping to balance hormones, reducing PMS and supports clear glowing skin. AMAZING! Shop and read about this product here: https://www.tiamiers.com.au/shop If you haven’t already, please head over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ to show us some love & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

Monique’s journey started a little differently about 10 years ago when she completely lost her period. Little did she know that at the time, her adrenals were working in overdrive and her body was constantly running on fight or flight, she was over exercising and under eating. But this was just the beginning to Monique’s 9 year long journey with no menstrual cycle, which led her down the path of finding out she had leaky gut, SIBO and was an undiagnosed celiac. Monique tells us how she holistically healed her gut, re-balanced her hormones, got her period back and went on to fall pregnant naturally and give birth to her beautiful baby boy. Monique is passionate about leading a lo tox and has developed the ultimate natural beauty and Wellness guide for thriving skin and happy hormones. The ebook is a curation of hormone friendly beauty products and wellness tips. It features everything from natural makeup must haves, high performing (and hormone friendly) skincare for your unique skin type and a whole bonus section on home and wellness. It’s truly jam packed with incredible info to help women on all stages of their journey. Monique has just recently opened up a clinic called Maia Mother’s Collective, which offers support to woman through their pre-conception, pregnancy and motherhood journeys. Services include; Nutrition & Naturopathy, Counselling, Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, Massage, Skin & Beauty consults and Maia Mother meetups. No matter what stage you are at on your journey this clinic has something for you! Go and check them out. SHOW LINKS: Maia Mother’s Collective website https://www.maiamothers.com.au Maia Mother’s Collective Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maiamothers.collective/?hl=en The Beauty Journal Instagram page (talking all things natural beauty) https://www.instagram.com/moniquepeters___/?hl=en If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 15 we speak with the amazingly talented Rachel Volp. Rachel is an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Practitioner who has a passion for the human mind and body.   Rachel is the proud owner of Vyne Health located in Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and her team offer acupuncture services, naturopathy as well pregnancy and fertility massage. Rachel specialises in oncology and cancer related acupuncture, fertility and pregnancy as well as stress and anxiety. Rach has taught me celebrate the small wins and to just focus on being present and putting one foot in front of the other, I am so excited that I get to share this little slice of my sanity and that you all get to experience Rach's fabulous aura of energy and her warm heart. SHOW LINKS: Vyne Health website - https://www.vynehealth.com.au Vyne Health Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vynehealth/ If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 14 we talk with our special guest Tahnee Milner. Tahnee came off the contraception pill in 2018 and at first her and her partner were not actively trying to conceive however after 6 months she still did not have a period. Tahnee sought the advice of a specialist where she was subsequently told she had PCOS, she was determined to gain her cycle back naturally and after 14 months she got her period back! Unfortunately, from there Tahnee has had to do ovulation induction, had 4 miscarriages, 2 D&C’s, gone through genetic testing on products of conception and throughout all this stress temporarily separated from her partner due to the grief of miscarriage and everything else in between. If all this wasn’t hard enough, Tahnee had to endure this all whilst living in Melbourne during the COVID-19 lockdown, known as one of the toughest lock downs in the world. Tahnee thank you for being so brave and sharing such a raw and real story with us. Please head over to Tahnee’s pregnany to loss Instagram page and show your support for this phenomenally strong woman. Page link > https://www.instagram.com/pregnancy_to_loss/ And If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!

In episode 13 we are chatting with the lovely Michaela Bradley who has an extremely unique story! When Michaela was 15 she was experiencing very heavy periods and thought she could possibly have endometriosis, however her actual diagnosis is something that she never thought was possible. After a papsmear she was diagnosed with having 2 uteruses, after finding out she felt very ashamed and uneducated about the female anatomy to the point that she didn’t even feel comfortable telling her mum. When she was having her really heavy periods it was essentially because she was experiencing two menstrual cycles and later come to realise that she even lost her virginity twice. In 2017 when 21 years old she was then told that she had 2 cervix as well! After some time of trying to conceive she started seeing a fertility specialist through the public system where she then found out she had low AMH and had an under active thyroid. This story is different to any of our special guests we have had on so far and we have learnt so much, thank you so much for sharing Michaela. LINKS Acupuncturist https://www.euneekyouhealth.com/the-euneek-story Fertility Specialist https://www.cityfertility.com.au/staff/dr-neil-astill/ Support groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/711325678980727/?ref=share https://www.facebook.com/groups/99936188865/?ref=share

In episode 12 we sit down and unpack all your questions. You can bet there is a lot of banter and laughs throughout this session, but the specific topics you can expect to hear include: Post transfer tips & tricks What it’s like to get your fallopian tubes flushed The side effects of ovulation induction medication How to stay positive when you don’t have a diagnosis Juggling IVF & work What does bulk billing IVF actually cost? How to pass time in the first few weeks of pregnancy How a TTC friend copes around a newly announced pregnant one What we do to balance our hormones Body images and the physical changes when you are TTC PLUS SO MUCH MORE! This is an episode you don’t want to miss. Please reach out to us via DM on our I&B Instagram if you want us to clarify anything we have discussed in this episode. If you haven’t already, please jump over to our Instagram page @infertilityandbeyond_ and show us some love!! & If you enjoyed this podcast don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a glowing review!