From the minute you find out you’re going to be a parent, your life changes. Whether due to hormonal fluctuations, lack of support, sleep deprivation, or the overall shift in life circumstances, symptoms of anxiety or depression can arise for parents during pregnancy as well as in the months following the baby’s arrival.  1 in 5 new or expecting mothers suffer from a mental health condition during or after pregnancy, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Over the past few decades, there have been significant efforts to make new parents aware of the signs and...

In the months before and after giving birth, it is completely normal and even expected to feel more on edge than you usually do. After all, you are now responsible for growing and nurturing a new life. It’s when that edginess begins to impact your day-to-day responsibilities that it becomes an issue. This is typical for women who suffer from postpartum anxiety.  As someone previously diagnosed with general anxiety disorder (GAD), I was aware postpartum anxiety could be something that might affect me after having my baby. I’ve been on Lexapro for a number of years...

You’re finally heading out for a much-needed coffee run with your newborn in tow. But wait a sec, where are your keys? And did you brush your teeth this morning? You can’t remember! If this sounds familiar, you could be dealing with postpartum brain fog — it’s something many new moms experience. The good news is this “mommy brain” typically gets better as you get used to your new routine.  What is postpartum brain fog? Our bodies undergo many changes during pregnancy, and they don’t end once we get home from the hospital. Hello, sleep deprivation!...

Three days after my D&C from a missed miscarriage, I walked the beach with my mom.  It was a sunny May morning, the kind of day that tells you summer’s on the way — but all I could see were dark, heavy clouds looming overhead.  We were wading in the water and collecting shells when I found a dime with my birth year. I had no doubt it was a sign from someone or something much bigger than me… a reminder to have hope, even at my lowest point.  I’d been through a miscarriage before, and...

If you struggle with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you have probably tried everything imaginable to help manage your symptoms. But what if an effective treatment for PCOS was already widely available, without any major side effects? It turns out that a decades-old diabetes medication has quietly emerged as a promising treatment for women with PCOS and other "off-label" conditions.  So, what is metformin, exactly, and is it truly a miracle treatment option for PCOS? Let’s discuss.  What is metformin? Metformin is no new kid on the block: it has been used as a first-line treatment for...

If you’ve experienced any form of pregnancy loss, the first thing to do is to give yourself grace. It’s crucial during this devastating time to embrace as many resources as you need, for both your physical and mental healing. You’re allowed to grieve, rest, and nourish your body, for as much time as it takes to feel better. Accept support from loved ones, and know that you’re not alone (about 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage).  But when you’re ready to try to conceive once more, it can be challenging to know when...

Trying to understand recurrent pregnancy loss is often taxing. There are a lot of questions but very few answers. You are overwhelmed with curiosity about what may happen next while also navigating the grief of the loss you’ve just experienced. It’s a lot. The load can get heavy pretty quickly if you’re one of the women who have navigated two or more miscarriages in a row.  “It is always important for couples to recognize the level of grief and anxiety that occurs with each pregnancy loss,”  explains Dr. Sandy Goodman, a board-certified OB/GYN and fertility specialist at...

If you’re like me (read: a millennial who grew up primarily in the ‘90s), you can probably relate to the confusing, overwhelming, and flat-out embarrassing experience of puberty. It was all just so hush-hush and isolating, to the point that it all felt really shameful. I would have benefitted so much from a more open culture around the realities of puberty, from the changes in the way my body began to look, to the incredibly scary experience of starting periods. There was definitely a culture of shame and stigma firmly in place when I was growing...

These days, no matter where you are in your fertility journey, trying to conceive can be stressful. Even if you’re going for it the old-fashioned way (read: sexual intercourse; no medical assistance), it feels like baby-making requires more planning than buying a home: You need to track your menstrual cycle, make sure you have sex on specific days, etc. Put it this way: You’re likely exhausted before you’ve even gotten to the jumping-into-bed part! While it’s true that women are at their most fertile only on certain days, numerous myths about the TTC process have snuck...

I’ve spent the past decade covering reproductive health, and here’s what I’ve noticed during that time: Celebrities have been a real force in the normalization and de-stigmatization of fertility issues.  Every time a star opens up about a miscarriage or tells their fertility story, it moves the mission of removing the shame from these issues forward. And that’s powerful. It’s also complicated. Because while speaking out about reproductive issues and sharing personal stories does so much for the greater good — especially when a person with a big platform does it — no one needs to...