Bacterial Vaginosis, or "BV", is a common vaginal infection caused by an overgrowth of bacteria. While it is usually not a serious condition, it can lead to a range of uncomfortable symptoms including itching, burning, and discharge. BV can also have an impact on fertility. Recent research has shown that BV can disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria in the reproductive tract, leading to a range of complications that can make it more difficult to become pregnant. But don't panic just yet — in this article, we'll explore the link between Bacterial Vaginosis and fertility...

Michelle Meyer • Mar 18, 2023

If you're considering surrogacy as a way to grow your family, then you know you have a lot of big decisions ahead. One of the toughest decisions you'll face is whether to work with a surrogacy agency or embark on an independent journey. Both options — using an agency or exploring an independent journey — have their pros and cons; ultimately, the choice comes down to what's best for you and your situation. Knowing the differences between using a surrogacy agency and pursuing surrogacy on your own will help you make a choice that best...

Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo • Mar 18, 2023

If you’re at all familiar with the world of fertility treatments, chances are good that you’ve heard of IUI and IVF. While they are both treatment options to help increase a patient’s chance of getting pregnant, they are quite different in the procedures involved to costs and success rates.  So, what are the differences between IUI and IVF? To help us break it all down, we spoke with reproductive endocrinologist and geneticist Dr. Jonah Bardos, medical director and founding physician at CCRM Fertility in Miami. Keep reading to learn more about IUI and IVF and which option...

Brighid Flynn • Mar 16, 2023

If you’re considering undergoing IVF or egg freezing, you’re likely nervous about so many aspects of the process. The financial toll, the time commitment, the injections, the hormonal shifts, the emotional upheaval…and that’s not an even exhaustive list. But there’s one complication people may incur when undergoing fertility treatments, and it’s something not many people discuss. The good news? Thanks to advances in the field of reproductive endocrinology, this complication in question is rare. We’re talking about ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which, according to Mayo Clinic, is an exaggerated response to excess hormones. “It is...

Kristyn Hodgdon • Mar 15, 2023

Infertility brings anyone struggling to become a parent into a single club. We’re all different, with different stories and circumstances, but somehow, also all the same.  I am certainly no different. I wanted to be a parent for as long as I can remember. We struggled for years through multiple rounds of timed intercourse, IUIs, and IVF, until I had run out of options. None of the 14 embryos my husband and I created made it to blastocyst. None made it past day three, indicating the problem in development was with my eggs.  It was...

Kristin Diversi • Mar 15, 2023

If you’ve been through fertility treatments, you know that the sheer amount of information that’s thrown your way is enough to make your head spin. There are also countless questions that must be answered and decisions that must be made and pieces of research that must be explored. For many people, the mental gymnastics of infertility is already wildly overwhelming before they’ve even set foot into a fertility clinic. Actually finding the right fertility clinic can be a massive challenge, for one thing. Newsweek recently released a list of the top fertility clinics in the...

Zara Hanawalt • Mar 14, 2023

As you probably know by now, the journey to conception is a whole-body event. While your ovaries and fallopian tubes are responsible for a lot of the work, so much more goes into getting pregnant. It’s imperative that your entire body is functioning at its highest potential. In order to do this, you may need to change your supplements at different stages while TTC, and then again throughout your pregnancy.  “30% of people don’t eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and the way that we lead our lives in the 21st century doesn’t...

Brighid Flynn • Mar 13, 2023

Infertility isn’t limited to a person’s first pregnancy. About 14% of individuals struggle with getting pregnant or bringing a pregnancy to full term after already having had one pregnancy or birth, according to the CDC.  For couples who have a more difficult time trying to get pregnant the second time around, secondary infertility carries some equally difficult — but different — emotions to primary infertility (infertility associated with a first-time pregnancy). The Emotional Toll of Secondary Infertility  Feelings like guilt and loneliness can make the struggle to have another baby its own sort of challenge. Often,...

Erin McDaniel • Mar 12, 2023

Going through any fertility struggle is traumatic. The process affects mental health in many ways, impacting a person’s sense of identity and self-worth. Many of my clients come into therapy seeking emotional support without realizing that infertility also leads to a form of trauma. While most people associate trauma with soldiers returning from war, infertility’s ups and downs also trigger similar responses. Infertility can involve surviving repeated traumatic experiences such as infertility diagnosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, reproductive injury, and fertility treatment. A person’s trauma can be exacerbated by repeatedly being let down every month with negative...

Joanna Rosenblatt • Mar 10, 2023

When you’re trying to get pregnant, the dynamic between you and your partner when it comes to intercourse often changes. From the exact timing of ovulation to the type of lubricant you use, the details matter, and you can feel the pressure.  When the stakes are this high, it can be super helpful to know which fertility-friendly lubes are actually worth buying. Now let’s take a look at why sperm-friendly lubricants are so important to your fertility journey and how finding the right product can make all the difference!   Why sperm-friendly lubricant for fertility? Why are...

Brighid Flynn • Mar 7, 2023