I remember the first time I felt what I would later discover was endometriosis. I was fifteen, and I had recurrent stabbing pain in the lower left side of my abdomen. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. I was literally sweating. My mom took me to my pediatrician, an older man who had been my doctor since I was born.  “It’s just cramps,” he told us. “The only other thing I can think of is if her appendix were on the wrong side, but we would have known that by now.” There...

Sponsored by Organon.  Photo not of a real patient. Angeline N. Beltsos, MD, is the CEO, Clinical at Kindbody and is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Beltsos has received numerous awards and is a popular speaker nationally and internationally, as well as a frequent media resource on the topic of infertility. This article is written from the point of view of Dr. Beltsos based on her more than two decades of extensive experience working with patients facing infertility. If you and your partner are struggling to have a...

There’s no sugarcoating it: receiving the heartbreaking news that the IVF cycle you’ve just gone through has failed is absolutely devastating. This experience can leave you feeling not only shattered, but exhausted: physically, emotionally, and often, financially.  It may be difficult to immediately shift your focus to “next steps” following such a distressing loss, and that’s okay. It’s important to give yourself space and time to grieve, process, and heal following an unsuccessful IVF cycle. In the aftermath of loss, it’s vital to keep in mind that a “failed” cycle in no way constitutes “failure”...

Endometriosis affects 2 to 10 percent of American women — and for those of us in this percentage, we know its symptoms can be debilitating. Furthermore, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, endometriosis can be found in 24 to 50 percent of women who experience infertility. Not only can endometriosis cause heavy, painful periods, but it can be difficult to treat — especially if you are trying to conceive.  The good news is there are treatment options for you to consider — from natural remedies to hormonal birth control; and some, like excision surgery,...

Unexplained infertility can be incredibly frustrating because it suggests an underlying diagnosis has not been identified for your unsuccessful attempts at getting pregnant and having a baby. Whether you have been trying to conceive for a while without success, have experienced recurrent implantation failure during IVF, or have grieved multiple miscarriages, it can be devastating not to know the reason behind your inability to get – or stay – pregnant. Typically, the underlying problem involves either the embryo or the endometrium. Most IVF centers offer PGT-A testing to ensure the selection of a normal, or euploid,...

Staring down the long road of infertility is massively intimidating for many reasons. First of all, there’s the whole you-have-no-control-over-your-life-and-everything-you-thought-you’d-have-and-would-come-easily-is-nowhere-to-be-found thing. Second of all, there’s basic TTC (Trying to Conceive) vocabulary, which is basically a bunch of random acronyms someone created to make things even more confusing. In many ways, infertility is its own language, and becoming fluent can take a while. As an IVF veteran, I am still in the dark when it comes to some fertility-related phrases and medical terms. Aside from an intense amount of biological and physiological information that is assumed...