When I was going through fertility treatments for the first time, I was 27 years young. I was newly married, recently diagnosed with PCOS, and had barely even started trying to conceive when I was thrust into the complicated world of fertility acronyms before my brain had time to catch up. TTC, IUI, WTF?
I knew I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I was aware that my menstrual cycle had always been irregular. But I had no idea what all of that actually meant when it came to trying to conceive. I’m embarrassed to even admit this, but before my diagnosis, I didn’t even know that you could only get pregnant during your ovulation window, which I very conveniently didn’t have. Needless to say, sex-ed did me wrong; and knowing what I know now, I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way.
Even after I was under the care of a fertility specialist, I still relied on Dr. Google to learn the ins and outs of infertility. For better or worse, I spent hours glued to my computer trying to learn what exactly to expect. But it was information overload, and I ultimately found out the hard way that ovulation sticks wouldn’t work for me; that IUI wasn’t a guarantee; that products and supplements weren’t one-size-fits-all; and that there was such a thing as the dreaded “IVF funnel.”
Now I’m on my second journey through IVF, and I still have outstanding questions:
“Should I be taking COQ10?”
“Which brand of pregnancy tests is the most sensitive to hCG?”
“How can I predict and confirm my ovulation with PCOS?”
If your head is spinning already, did you know that a simple Amazon search for prenatal vitamins yields over 730 results? For those of us who are trying to conceive, it’s not only a question of which prenatal we should be taking while trying to get pregnant. With such a plethora of conflicting information at our fingertips, it’s also a question of which prenatal–out of the 730+ options on Amazon–will actually help us bring home a baby.
Unless you’re a medical professional or own your own supplement company, it can be nearly impossible to know what products you need while trying to conceive, not to mention what products you want and what products you didn’t even know you needed or wanted. Oh, and male fertility products? That’s a whole different ball game.
As former (and current) fertility patients, my Co-Founder Abby and I have both experienced this problem firsthand. As entrepreneurs in the fertility space, we thought to ourselves, “Why isn’t there an easier, more tech-enabled way to help guide people through the fertility shopping experience?” We’ve already given the infertility and pregnancy loss community access to so many of the tools and resources we wished we had on our own fertility journeys, from community to pharmacy. Why not provide this, too?
The Best TTC Products
Enter the Rescripted Marketplace, the world’s largest marketplace built specifically for people trying to grow their families. A place where anyone trying to conceive can find the best, most innovative products in the fertility and women’s health industry without the added hassle, from ovulation trackers to male fertility supplements. And it’s available now.
Not only that, many of the brands we chose for the marketplace are founded by female entrepreneurs who have directly experienced infertility or pregnancy loss and have a deep and profound understanding of this community. From kegg and Needed to Proov and Semaine, it was extremely important to us to share these women’s products and stories while helping people build their families.
Now, whether you’re just starting out or in the thick of IVF, you can shop our site according to what stage of the journey you’re in. We even have content to educate and empower you before pressing purchase, because we know how confusing it can all be.
In search of the right prenatal vitamins for you? We’ve got the blog posts you need to learn about your options. Grieving a miscarriage? We have the resources to help you cope and nourish your body during this time. In need of a really sensitive pregnancy test for the two-week wait? Well, now we’ve got those, too.
Trying to conceive is stressful enough without being stuck down a Google rabbit hole all day. Check out Rescripted’s Product Marketplace here, and use the code LAUNCH15 to get 15% off your first order. It’s everything I wish I had on my first journey through IVF, and everything I still need now that I’m going through all of it again.