Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Today, Ali is joined by Dr. Amanda Adeleye, the founding partner and Medical Director of CCRM Fertility of Chicago -- and an REI who isn’t afraid to tackle some of the biggest myths and misconceptions around fertility. Ali and Dr. Adeleye dig into some of her patients FAQs, from the stereotype that Black-identifying people are “hyper fertile,” to what you should tell your doctor if you have a history of substance use or abuse. They...

It's a very special minisode with three of Ali's favorite people in the fertility world: Dr. Carrie Bedient, Dr. Susan Hudson and Dr. Abby Eblen, aka Fertility Docs Uncensored. Today, we're diving into their brand-new book, The IVF Blueprint, which comes out September 23. The docs and I break down what they’ve learned from years of guiding patients through IVF—the science, the strategy, and the emotional side of treatme...

On today's episode, Ali is joined by Kati Cattaneo—Los Angeles real estate agent, influencer, storyteller, and IVF warrior—for a convo that blends heart, humor, and resilience. Kati opens up about the real and sometimes awkward parts of trying to conceive (“I kinda got crazy with my husband about timing things… and he was like, ‘What the heck—sex is supposed to be fun!’”), navigating her diagnosis of hydrosal...

Today, Ali joined by the multifaceted Erica Cobb—TV host, podcaster, and self-proclaimed “eternal optimist”—as she shares her raw and powerful journey through infertility, IVF, and surrogacy. Erica opens up about the challenges she’s faced so far, including a tumor on her pituitary gland, blocked fallopian tubes, and the emotional toll of hearing, “You’re pregnant, but not pregnant enough.” Through it all, Erica remains steeped in ...

Today, Ali sits down with a true powerhouse in the infertility community: Rebecca Flick, Chief External Affairs Officer at RESOLVE, who has spent the past 20 years advocating for fertility patients nationwide. Rebecca opens up about her own deeply personal infertility journey, including her diagnosis of premature ovarian failure (and how that language has evolved), discovering she carries the MTHFR gene (and what that really means)...

It's World IVF Day! Today, Ali is talking to her friend and former Infertile AF guest, Emily Patel, about The Hopeful Families Collection, Emily's new initiative to bring books into public and school libraries to celebrate the many ways families are created, including assisted reproductive technology (ART), adoption, surrogacy, and donor conception, while helping all children learn that every family is built with love...

On this expert minisode, Dylan Morgan of Cascade Cryobank, a sperm bank based in Washington, talks about innovations and recent happenings in the world of sperm donation. Cascade Cryobank was founded in response to the need for safe, high-quality donor sperm that has emerged in recent years. Their mission is to recruit outstanding donors and to produce frozen sperm of exceptional quality for use by families and individuals pu...

Meet Keri Croft, an infertility, child loss and surrogacy advocate who went through 16 years of infertility. On today's ep, Keri tells Ali all about her family building journey, which includes having her son, and also the devastating loss of her first girl, Angel, who was missing part of her cerebellum. "It was a horrible, horrible decision to have to make, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Keri says ...

Today, Ali is talking to Zach and Alexandra French, the founders of the nonprofit organization The Surrogacy Foundation, whose mission "isn't just to raise funds, but to propel surrogacy into the mainstream." Zach and Alexandra share their entire family building story, from how they met and got together to having their first child without Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). They talk about what happened when Alexand...

Today, Ali is talking to Dr. Nirali Jain, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at RMA, about the importance of fertility preservation for cancer patients. "I do feel like the system failed us a little bit, and I tell all my patients when they come in for their first visit, your entire life, you learned how to not get pregnant, and you never thought you'd be sitting in this office learning about timed intercourse and figurin...

On this episode, Ali talks to Julia Midwinter, a Fertility and Pregnancy Mindset Coach who supports women struggling to conceive or who are pregnant after IVF or miscarriage. Julia shares her own infertility journey, including her diagnosis of endometriosis, her five year journey to conceive her son through IVF, and her two miscarriages. She talks about ovarian cysts, fertility acupuncture, and how she felt navigating all of the ab...

Today, Ali is talking to Marea Goodman, licensed midwife, author, and founder of PregnantTogether, a virtual community supporting queer folks and solo parents from preconception through parenting. Marea co-authored the book,  Baby Making for Everybody–Fertility and Family Building for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents, and today, they share their family building story, including having an early loss via IUI, and also having their son through...

It's another Expert Minisode! Did you know that when it comes to storing your reproductive tissue—including eggs, sperm, and embryos—you have a choice? Most clinics automatically store your tissues—or hand you off to their partner. But guess what? It doesn’t have to be that way. Today, Ali is talking to Courtney Dennewitz, Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder of Generations CryoVault, which is driven by a deep passion ...

On today's episode, Ali talks to Whitney, a surrogate, and her husband, Geremi, about working with ConceiveAbilities, a leading egg donor and surrogacy agency. When people think about surrogacy, they often focus on the surrogate herself—but what about her partner? The truth is, a strong, supportive partner can make all the difference. Emotional strength, physical support, shared sacrifice—surrogacy is a team effort in eve...

Welcome back to another expert minisode! Today Ali is talking to Dr. Molly Quinn, is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist with HRC Fertility. Dr, Quinn prioritizes direct communication with patients and will always make herself available to patients for any questions, and today, she is answering ALL the things about Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, or "RPL." Ali and Dr. Quinn talk about how 

recurren...

Do not miss our celeb guest today! Ali is talking to the incredible Riki Lindome, a prolific, Emmy nominated comedian and actress from Knives Out; Wednesday; The Big Bang Theory; her musical duo, Garfunkel and Oates; and her one-woman show about her infertility journey, Dead Inside. Riki gets real with Ali about her family building journey, including how she navigated infertility, IVF, a devastating pregnancy loss, an adoption jour...

Today, Ali sits down with her dear friend and Fertility Rally member, Caitlin Trabert, for a raw and powerful conversation about her long and deeply emotional path to parenthood. Caitlin opens up about the heartbreak of multiple pregnancies and subsequent losses, her husband's balanced translocation, and the toll of IVF—physically, emotionally, and mentally. From the crushing "egg winner" high to the "zero embryos&#...

Today, Ali is talking to Lana Manikowski, a fellow Chicagoan, a certified life coach and the author of "So Now What?" -- a roadmap to help you create a life you love without the children you always dreamed about. Lana tells Ali about her years-long infertility journey, starting with an "unexplained infertility" diagnosis and 7 IUIs. Lana explains moving on to IVF, traveling to get treatment in Colorado, doing severa...

Today Ali is talking to Libby Wicks, a surrogacy mama who went through a five-plus year struggle to have her baby girl. Libby talks about her not one, but two ectopic pregnancies, her emergency tube removal, and being diagnosed (wrongly, she would find out much later) with Asherman's Syndrome. She also talks about IVF and how her infertility journey affected her mental health. "I was suffering from anxiety," she says. &...