Lea’s Journey: “I hadn't felt like I had belonged in the infertility community before.”

AllPaths Podcast

Today’s episode features AllPaths volunteer Lea, a Boston-based biotech professional and leader of our Trying for Another Peer Support Group. After months of trying to conceive, Lea was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, which cast doubt on her ability to have biological children. She recounts navigating her options, including IVF and adoption, and her experiences with the adoption process, IUI, IVF, and an ectopic pregnancy. Lea also discusses the emotional toll those experiences took on her relationships and mental health and the feelings of guilt and anger that arose, especially after she went back to fertility treatments when her first child was six-months old, trying to balance her existing responsibilities with her desire to grow her family. Leah's story highlights the importance of community and support, and how she found her people at AllPaths.

Join Lea for AllPaths' Trying for Another Group: https://allpathsfb.org/support/

CONNECT WITH ALLPATHS FAMILY BUILDING: https://allpathsfb.org

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Want to share your story or ask a question? Get in touch at [email protected]!

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility, secondary infertility, fertility treatment, low AMH, diminished ovarian reserve, IUI, IVF, ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy loss, grief, anger, sibling age gap, pregnancy announcements, peer support, community support, support groups, family building support, infertility journey, IVF experiences, trying for another group, peer support for parents, emotional challenges of parenting, family expansion, navigating fertility treatments, low AMH awareness, coping with fertility struggles, community for parents, fertility podcast, managing family planning, resources for infertility, mental health in family building, support for growing families, coping with pregnancy loss, navigating relationships during infertility, understanding reproductive health