Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building
520 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 448 ratingsIn this unfiltered podcast about infertility, journalist and mom-of-two Ali Prato, who went through secondary infertility and IVF herself, talks to women—and some men—about the messy, frustrating, painful, heartbreaking, absurd and sometimes humorous journey to have a baby. Or in some cases, to not have a baby. Each episode tells a different story about family building, getting real about miscarriages, egg freezing, sperm and egg donation, IUIs, endometriosis, male factor infertility, adoption, surrogacy, genetic testing, single parenting by choice, LGBTQ+ fertility, living childless not by choice, depression, relationship issues, money issues, jealousy, PTSD, and so much more. Ali covers all of the outcomes in this safe, non-judgement zone: the happy endings, the soul-crushingly sad ones, and the ones still in limbo.
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Episodes
Paula
May 13, 2020 09:00 - 48 minutesPaula Rallis is an amazing woman who flips houses, flies planes, interior decorates and runs a chic lifestyle blog (www.paularallis.com) and IG account, @paularallis. In this episode, she tells Ali all about how, after a year of trying to have a baby and being unsuccessful, she found out she was born with a very rare medical condition in which she has only half of her reproductive system. After going through IVF and even more heartbreak, Paula explains how she and her husband found a surrogat...
Amy D.
May 07, 2020 09:00 - 43 minutesToday, Ali is talking to Amy, who, after 18 months of trying and more than 540 ovulation tests (yes, she counted!), finally had her son. Amy explains how a misdiagnosis of PCOS lasted for six years before she realized she didn't have it after all, the pressures she felt to have kids as an Indian woman, and why she and her husband didn't want to do anything invasive. She also tells us about inventing OOVA, a groundbreaking ovulation test for women that's now on the market. BetterHelp Exclusi...
Amy
April 29, 2020 09:00 - 38 minutesYou might know journalist Amy Klein from Fertility Diary, the column she wrote in the New York Times about her infertility journey. Today, Ali is talking to Amy about everything she went through—including nine rounds of IVF, four miscarriages, two rabbis and one reproductive immunologist—before finally having her daughter in 2015. Amy also talks about finding (and affording) a clinic, baby envy, and when it's time to move on. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donat...
Whitney Port
April 22, 2020 09:00 - 35 minutesA lot has happened to Whitney Port since you first met her on MTV's The Hills and The City. She married Timmy, the love of her life, became an entrepreneur, started a podcast, With Whit, and had a son named Sonny. Today, she talks to Ali about the miscarriage that "rocked her world"—and how it brought up feelings of guilt, confusion, heartbreak and even selfishness. She also talks about not being sure if they're going to have another kid — and if she'll ever let Sonny watch her live out her 2...
Whitney
April 22, 2020 09:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBA lot has happened to Whitney Port since you first met her on MTV's The Hills and The City. She married Timmy, the love of her life, became an entrepreneur, started a podcast, With Whit, and had a son named Sonny. Today, she talks to Ali about the miscarriage that "rocked her world"—and how it brought up feelings of guilt, confusion, heartbreak and even selfishness. She also talks about not being sure if they're going to have another kid — and if she'll ever let Sonny watch her live out her ...
Ali and Blair's Infertility Story: Launching the first Fertility Rally
April 20, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutesIn honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Ali and her Fertility Rally co-founder, Blair Nelson of Fab Fertility, talk about how they met and bonded right away, why this infertility community means so much to them, and what—and who—everyone can expect at the very first Fertility Rally, happening October 23-25 in Brooklyn. Make sure to follow @fertilityrally for updates, and sign up for the newsletter at www.fertilityrally.com. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-a...
Ali x Blair
April 20, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutesIn honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Ali and her Fertility Rally co-founder, Blair Nelson of Fab Fertility, talk about how they met and bonded right away, why this infertility community means so much to them, and what—and who—everyone can expect at the very first Fertility Rally, happening October 23-25 in Brooklyn. Make sure to follow @fertilityrally for updates, and sign up for the newsletter at www.fertilityrally.com. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af...
Lia
April 16, 2020 09:00 - 56 minutesToday, Lia tells Ali all about her long and difficult journey to motherhood, including a pregnancy that ended tragically after her uterus ruptured at 31 weeks. She also talks about the two different and amazing surrogates who came into their lives, and how tragedy struck again, heartbreakingly, before they had their healthy baby girl. Lia also explains why she started Fly Bravely, a NYC consultancy dedicating to de-stigmatizing infertility and raising awareness for pregnancy and infant loss. ...
Janna
April 08, 2020 09:00 - 44 minutesToday, Ali talks to her friend Janna about going through infertility for six excruciating years. Her story includes full-blown IVF, mini IVF, IUI, lots of heartbreak, a devastating miscarriage and D&C and ultimately, the adoption of her now-almost one year old son, Zeke. She also describes that brutal moment when the nurse is looking at your ultrasound, gets quiet and says, 'I need to talk to the doctor...'" Today we are partnering with Extend Fertility, https://extendfertility.com/, th...
Maddy
April 01, 2020 09:00 - 47 minutesMaddy Gutierrez describes herself as a "body positive Manhattan mom, Fashion Lover and Beauty Junkie," and today, she talks to Ali about all of those things, as well as her struggle with secondary infertility, which she's in the middle of right now. Maddy gets into the details of her journey, including having her now five-year-old son with no issues, going through multiple IUIs, how Covid-19 has affected her next steps, and the poor treatment she gets from doctors because she is a plus size w...
Liz
March 25, 2020 09:00 - 36 minutesToday, Ali talks to Dr. Liz Kane, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Natalist, where she develops pregnancy tests, ovulation kits and more to help people who are trying to conceive. Liz, who ran a research lab at Harvard, talks about the challenges of leaving academia to start a family, how her chronic migraines affected her fertility journey, the postpartum hemorrhage that threatened her life, feeling "betrayed by her body" and how she ended up using a surrogate for her second child,...
Nathalie
March 18, 2020 09:00 - 53 minutesToday, Ali talks to Nathalie, an infertility warrior, mama of one and the founder of Fertilust, a fertility-inspired wellness and nutrition hub. Self-described as "a recovering workaholic and type A down to the blood type," Nathalie shares her story of unexplained infertility, silent endometriosis, several IVF cycles, pity parties, how changing her nutrition changed everything, and why this community is so important to her. Nathalie's story is not over yet: After a recent transfer that unfort...
Cynara
March 11, 2020 09:00 - 50 minutesToday, Ali talks to Cynara, who she met when they were both in Albany lobbying to make gestational surrogacy legal in New York. Cynara used a surrogate to have her daughter, Pearl, and today she chronicles her entire journey, including unexplained infertility, having eight miscarriages in 10 years, feeling broken, and having suicidal thoughts. As she says, "It was like, 'There's something wrong with me. I'm defective.' I was so hard on myself." Today we are partnering with ConceiveAbili...
Samantha
March 04, 2020 10:00 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBToday, Ali talks to Samantha Busch, wife of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch, star of Racing Wives, and Infertility Advocate. Samantha gets real about having their first baby through IVF, how infertility has affected her marriage, going through it all in the public eye, her devastating recent miscarriage, and how they're considering using a surrogate for their next child. Samantha also talks about her upcoming infertility memoir and her nonprofit, Bundle of Joy Fund, which has awarded 54 grants t...
Samantha Busch
March 04, 2020 10:00 - 1 hourToday, Ali talks to Samantha Busch, wife of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch, star of Racing Wives, and Infertility Advocate. Samantha gets real about having their first baby through IVF, how infertility has affected her marriage, going through it all in the public eye, her devastating recent miscarriage, and how they're considering using a surrogate for their next child. Samantha also talks about her upcoming infertility memoir and her nonprofit, Bundle of Joy Fund, which has awarded 54 grants to ...
Elyse
February 26, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutesElyse Ash is an infertility warrior and the founder of Fruitful, a fertility mentor service that pairs mentees who are going through infertility with mentors who have come out the other side. Fruitful is "committed to making infertility suck less." Today, Elyse talks to Ali about everything she went through before finally having her baby, including endometriosis with no symptoms, ovarian cysts, and scrolling through Instagram and being "so jealous and heartbroken and wondering what it would l...
Maggie
February 19, 2020 10:00 - 57 minutesMaggie, aka @bean.and.biscuit, has two baby sons who were born one month apart. Today, she tells Ali the incredible story of how this happened, starting with several failed rounds of IVF, including one round that ended in a miscarriage. Maggie and her husband then turned to surrogacy, and the surrogate got pregnant with one of their healthy male embryos. And then, soon after—in a miraculous turn of events—Maggie got pregnant with a boy, too. Today we are partnering with Proov, the first...
Michael F.
February 12, 2020 10:00 - 40 minutesToday's guest is Michael Frank, a brilliant author whose novel, "What is Missing," takes on infertility as one of its central subjects. The reason Michael knows so much about infertility is that he went through it with his wife, and as he tells Ali, "I found it personally to be one of the hardest things I ever lived through." Find out about their three miscarriages, how he dealt with feeling "powerless and quite lonely," and the Buddhist refrain that changed his perspective. Today's episo...
Nicole
February 06, 2020 10:00 - 50 minutesAli's guest today is Nicole Lawson, who went through years of infertility, including three devastating miscarriages, before choosing to go the surrogacy route. Today, she has two healthy daughters via surrogacy--and she tells Ali all about the entire process, including some of the fears and reservations she had. Nicole was so moved by the surrogacy process that she started her own agency, called Abundant Beginnings, in L.A. On this episode, we're partnering with Mom Culture, an online li...
Katy
January 29, 2020 10:00 - 46 minutesNot all of these stories end with babies. Today, Ali talks to Katy, who went through four years of infertility, including a failed IVF cycle and depression and anxiety, which left her feeling "stripped down" to her core. "I never thought the ending would be that i didn't have a kid," Katy says. But after a hysterectomy and some deep soul searching, Katy decided to stop trying, and now she is focusing on crafting a beautiful, childfree life, including her blog, chasingcreation.org. Support thi...
Sarah
January 22, 2020 10:00 - 58 minutesToday, Ali talks to Sarah Larson Levey, the founder and CEO of Y7 Studio. After talking about how Y7 yoga was a huge part of Ali's infertility story, they talk about Sarah's two devastating miscarriages, "being a complete hysterical fucking mess," the toll it took on her relationship, and how she managed this heavy emotional and physical stuff while building one of America's fastest-growing companies. Also: Sarah talks about how, even though she's five months pregnant now, it's still hard to ...
Kristyn
January 15, 2020 10:00 - 42 minutesKristyn is the founder of The Fertility Tribe, an incredible online community based on "redefining fertility together." Today, Kristyn tells Ali about how "nothing on the road to motherhood was easy" for her, from the "Clomid crazies" to her first failed frozen embryo transfer. Now a mother of toddler twins, she also talks about the 25 nights she spent pregnant in the hospital, her "traumatic" birth situation, and the things she wishes she knew before starting infertility treatments. Support ...
Keeley
January 09, 2020 10:00 - 1 hourIn this Season Two kickoff, Ali talks to Keeley, a producer in London, about her unexplained infertility journey, resulting in eight rounds of IVF in England, Spain, and finally, Russia. Keeley talks about her "total shitshow" of a second transfer, undergoing one traumatic "pregnancy in an unknown location," making the difficult decision to use donor eggs, and how her husband has been a "total legend" through it all. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/donationsAdver...
Karen
December 23, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutesKaren describes herself as part teacher, part mom, fully inappropriate and forever infertile. She is the creator of Hilariously Infertile, a brand that includes an Instagram with more than 66,000 followers, stand-up comedy gigs, and a book (see hilariouslyinfertile.com for more). Today, she talks to Ali about IUIs, Clomid, the dangers of Google searching, discovering leggings, and why when going through IVF, you should "set the bar low." Today's episode is sponsored by Extend Fertility,...
Jasmin
December 17, 2019 09:00 - 28 minutesJasmin is an entertainment editor and writer whose New York Times essay about egg freezing, "Great Eggspectations," caught Ali's attention this spring. Today, she talks to Ali about how, since most of her friends were doing it, she jumped at the chance to freeze her eggs at 36 (but what she wishes she knew then). Also discussed: her possible endometriosis, the fortune teller who changed her life path, getting leftover IVF drugs from her friends, and how every six months, she pays money to kee...
Dorette
December 12, 2019 12:47 - 30 minutesToday, Ali talks to Dr. Dorette Noorhasan, the Medical Director and Co-Founder of CCRM Dallas-Fort Worth, about being an infertility specialist while going through her own infertility journey. Dorette discusses working with a surrogate as a single woman, the devastation when those two transfers didn't work out, needing a mental break, and how, after marrying her husband, they tried again with a surrogate. Dorette's memoir, "Miracle Baby: A Fertility Doctor's Fight for Motherhood," is out now....
Michelle
December 05, 2019 12:14 - 48 minutesOn today's episode, Ali talks to her childhood best friend, Michelle, about her years-long quest to have a baby. Included: Why she hates IUIs, getting a surprise diagnosis of PCOS, how to advocate when it comes to insurance, and how one night on a business trip in Hong Kong, her world came crashing down when she checked her medical portal. Michelle also details her six IVF cycles, how meditation finally helped her turn a corner, and why they named their frozen embryos Dwayne and Rerun. To...
Angela
November 27, 2019 10:00 - 59 minutesToday, Ali talks to L.A.-based former nanny Angela, whose infertility journey started at 39 and includes two "missed" miscarriages, a stimulated follicle that turned into a cyst, and three IVF cycles with varying results. Angela says that at times, she felt like such a failure that she apologized to her husband, saying, "Why did you marry me? I'm broken." She also explains why she thinks it's important for everyone to get their embryos tested, regardless of risk factors, age and history. ...
Ali x Joshua
November 21, 2019 12:10 - 45 minutesJoshua U. Klein is the Chief Clinical Officer at Extend Fertility, and he’s also Ali’s doctor, who worked with Ali and Vince on their one and only round of IVF—which brought them baby Sonny in Dec 2015. Four years later, Ali reunites with the Harvard Med School grad to unpack what they went through together, from Ali walking into his office as a "broken woman" to the emails she sent him at all hours of the day to what he’s doing now to make the fertility journey “less miserable." Support thi...
Debbie
November 14, 2019 13:10 - 54 minutesOn today's episode, Ali talks to Debbie about her unexpected pregnancy at the age of 36, how she dealt with the heartbreak of losing that baby in the third trimester, starting to have kids again at the age of 39, and the eight rounds of IVF--and 450 shots--that lead to where she is today. "When I put my hands on my hips, I can still feel the soreness of those 21-gauge needles," she says, years later. This episode is sponsored by Binto, personalized supplements made for women by women, and ...
Sam
November 07, 2019 13:43 - 40 minutesAli goes deep with her friend Sam, who was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure three years ago, at age 25. Faced with the fact that if she wants to have a biological children, she’ll have to do IVF, Sam discusses how she's dealing with the challenges of her diagnosis, including how hormone replacement therapy has put her into pre-menopause, how she tells (or doesn't tell) guys she dates about her situation, and the very special family member who has offered to donate her eggs to Sam. Sup...
America
October 31, 2019 08:00 - 1 hourAmerica is an actress, singer and mama who has gone through hell—and back again—to finally have her beautiful baby daughter. Today, she talks to Ali about her years-long struggle to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery, including multiple miscarriages, multiple stillbirths, and what happened when they decided to pursue surrogacy in India. America talks about going through a very dark time—at one point even contemplating suicide—and how she and her husband, Christian, came out the other side....
Holly
October 24, 2019 09:00 - 46 minutesToday, Ali talks to Holly about her unexplained infertility, including IUIs that didn't work, IVFs that didn't take, and an adoption that ultimately fell through. Holly, who's one of the strongest mamas Ali has ever met, discusses how she finally had her son--and how he was born with a very rare medical condition that has already required several surgeries and countless hospital visits. She explains that she wants to share her story because, after years of anguish, she promised she would pay ...
Meg
October 17, 2019 09:00 - 46 minutesMeg is the author of, “The Waiting Line: What to Do (and Not Do) When Someone You Love Is Struggling with Infertility.” Today, she talks to Ali about getting pregnant at age 37, back-to-back blighted ovums, the MTHFR gene, Hashimoto's disease, and finally having her son. Now in the midst of secondary infertility, Meg also reveals how she got ghosted by her doctor and the best and worst things to say to women who are struggling to have a baby. (Hint: "Have you thought about adoption?" is not o...
Rebekah
October 10, 2019 09:00 - 38 minutesRebekah is a fellow NYC mama and infertility warrior who struggled to get pregnant in her mid-30s before going through "mini IVF." Today, the mom of three is focusing on supporting other women as a fertility coach, a doula and the creator of the website, https://its-conceivable.com/. Today, she talks to Ali about not wanting children when she was growing up, egg quality vs. egg quantity, why women need to advocate for themselves and the importance of going to Phish concerts. Support this podc...
Stacy, Parts 4 and 5
October 03, 2019 13:59 - 47 minutesIf you've been following the secondary infertility story of our beloved recurring guest, Stacy, you know that she’s gone through so much: multiple miscarriages, two IVF cycles, and sadness, disappointment and frustration that isn't quantifiable. Today, in parts 4 and 5, Stacy tells us what happened with her second retrieval (hint: it includes running down the freeway with a bag full of needles), the "whole new stress" she's been feeling, and the results of her first embryo transfer. Support t...
Bridget
September 26, 2019 12:34 - 36 minutesYou might know Bridget Marquardt from the reality series "The Girls Next Door," which depicted her life as one of Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. Today, Ali—a Playboy mag editor for 10 years—talks to Bridget about freezing her eggs while living at the Mansion, being terrified of needles, the "emotional, financial and physical roller coaster" of infertility, the devastation she felt when none of her eggs survived the thaw, and where she and her fiance, Nick, are in their journey n...
Vanessa
September 19, 2019 19:44 - 39 minutesThis is the story of Vanessa, a.k.a. "Mama," and Jory, a.k.a. "Mommy," who live in California and have two adorable toddlers, Axel and Lexa. Today, Vanessa tells Ali all about how she and her wife conceived their two children via at-home insemination (and why her wife carried one and she carried the other); the dumb things people say to her at the park (ie: asking her if she's the nanny to her redheaded son); why she jokes about wanting to have a "redo" pregnancy; and the benefits of babywear...
Agnes
September 12, 2019 13:42 - 42 minutesIn 2017, Agnes Fischer wrote a book, "Eggs Unscrambled," the girlfriend's guide to everything you need to know about your reproductive organs, including freezing your eggs. Today, Agnes talks to Ali about avoiding pregnancy in her early 20s and early 30s, how women are conditioned to think they have to breed, "fertility treatment light," IUIs and IVF, her blog, "FrozenPlease.com," how her book became her "baby" and why today, she's passionate about fertility awareness. Support this podcast at...
Dara
September 05, 2019 08:00 - 46 minutesToday, Ali talks to Dara, a registered dietitian at the fertility clinic Reproductive Medicine Associates (RMA) of New York, about her own infertility struggles. Dara discusses having PCOS as well as toxic fluid in both her fallopian tubes, requiring surgery to block them off. Also covered: Feeling shameful about her chemical pregnancy, getting pregnant twice more through IVF, and the dietary advice she gives to women who are trying to have babies. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle...
Naomi
August 29, 2019 12:01 - 1 hourToday, Naomi, a 24-year-old living in England, talks to Ali about being faced with the most difficult decision of her life: Having to decide what to do when, halfway through her pregnancy, doctors discovered that her son, Bear, had a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Naomi gets real about making the decision they did and why; telling her then four-year-old son, Tristan, why his brother wouldn't be coming home with them; and how the grief of having a stillborn baby affected h...
Anna Victoria
August 22, 2019 12:39 - 39 minutesToday, Ali talks to Anna Victoria—the fitness entrepreneur and influencer behind the hugely popular Fit Body App—about the painful infertility road she's been traveling with her husband, Luca. Anna Victoria gets into some real talk, including two failed IUIs; how not being able to work out has affected her emotional and physical health, and the frustrations of being told by doctors that things look "perfect," even though she's still not able to conceive. Today's episode is sponsored by OOVA, ...
Stacy, Part 3
August 15, 2019 09:00 - 15 minutesToday, Ali welcomes back her #ttcsister and recurring guest Stacy, who is taking us along as she straps into her secondary infertility roller coaster ride. When we last spoke to Stacy, she was in the middle of her very first IVF cycle. Now, she fills us in on how that first cycle and retrieval went, why she and Ari decided to do a second IVF cycle right away--and how she manages when things are "just totally out of our control." Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/infertile-af/don...
Nichelle
August 08, 2019 11:58 - 43 minutesToday, Ali talks to Nichelle Sublett, Mrs. North Carolina 2018, about the five painful years of infertility she endured—and why she chose to spread awareness about infertility after winning the pageant. Nichelle is finally pregnant with a baby boy, due at the end of August, and here she recalls her "horrible" path, including PCOS, five miscarriages, IVF, considering a surrogate, marital strain, and why, in the African-American community, infertility and pregnancy loss "just aren't talked abou...
Amanda
August 01, 2019 11:28 - 1 hourAmanda Rice is a self-proclaimed "cancer overachiever" who was diagnosed with—and beat—cancer three times before turning 40. She’s also the badass founder of Chick Mission, a nonprofit that gives young women who are diagnosed with cancer scholarships to freeze their eggs. Today, Amanda talks about getting brushed off by doctors, her bilateral mastectomy, "dress-up chemo,” an egg retrieval that went horribly wrong, overcoming depression and how creating Chick Mission has given her—and so many ...
Shira
July 26, 2019 11:27 - 59 minutesToday we meet Shira, a brilliant lawyer, amazing mom, and Ali's friend from SoulCycle, who opens up about her intense, emotional struggle with infertility. Shira details everything she went through, including an unexpected diagnosis of endometriosis "everywhere," getting pregnant after two years of trying, and the brutal decision she and her husband had to make when they found out that one of their twins, while in utero, had almost no amniotic fluid. Warning: This one's a tearjerker. Support ...
Mark
July 18, 2019 22:58 - 53 minutesAli’s guest today is Dr. Mark Trolice, an OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist who runs Fertility CARE in Winter Park, Florida. Marks gets real about the 10 years of infertility he and his wife experienced before adopting their five children. He calls infertility "a life crisis" and how not being able to help his wife caused him to "spiral down into an abyss of despair." Mark's book, "The Fertility Doctor's Guide to Overcoming Infertility," comes out this October. Support this podcast at —...
Elli
July 13, 2019 16:29 - 46 minutesOn today's episode, Ali talks to Elli, an American living in Paris, about how different infertility is in France versus the U.S. Case in point: The health care system in France covers fertility treatments (for free!) up to a woman's 43rd birthday. Elli talks about being on the Pill for 20 years, going down an internet rabbit hole, one very insensitive doctor she came across, being in a "really negative place," and finally, after years of trying, how she and her husband finally had a healthy b...
Stacy, Part 2
July 10, 2019 12:02 - 16 minutesToday, Ali checks in with Stacy, her first recurring guest, as she goes through her secondary infertility journey. When we left off, Stacy had suffered three miscarriages and was about to start her very first IVF cycle. Now, she's 9 days into it, and she's sharing all the details, from waking up at 5:30am to do her injections to what happened when the hormonal and emotional side of everything kicked in, taking her by surprise. "I just have to be hopeful," she says. "That's the only way I can ...
Melissa
July 03, 2019 11:17 - 36 minutesOn today’s episode, Ali talks to Melissa, a friend from high school who reached out in the hopes that her complicated infertility story would help other people. In addition to severe endometriosis and other health issues that left her in and out of the hospital for years, Melissa gets candid about her seven cycles of IVF, the devastating double miscarriage she says "should be on an episode of Grey's Anatomy" and the decision she and her husband, Matt, made about using donor eggs to finally ha...