Words of Resilience- Poetry for Navigating Fertility Struggles

The Fertility Podcast

In this heartfelt episode, Natalie is speaking with Stacy, a listener who reached out to share a series of powerful, deeply personal poems written throughout her fertility experience. What began as a simple message turned into a beautiful collaboration and the start of a special three-part poetry mini-series as Natalie asked Stacy if she could record her poems and the pair talk them through - which is what you're going to hear across two episodes.

Stacy opens up about the emotional weight of infertility, the isolation she felt while navigating treatment, and how writing helped her process what words often couldn’t express. We explore the tension between staying silent and speaking out, and how she found her own balance between vulnerability and protection.

We also discuss:

• How her first poem, The Waiting Room, was born out of shared silence and communal pain and how seemingly simple questions like “How are you?” can become painfully complex
• The emotional symptoms of fertility trauma, and why it's okay to be both open and guarded
• The healing value of putting pen to paper and the power of being seen and heard
• Why poetry can provide a safe space for reflection, release, and connection
• The overwhelming pressure to "do things right" in the beginning from switching soaps to trying acupuncture and tea and the illusion of control many experience before receiving a diagnosis.
• The complexity of receiving a male factor infertility diagnosis, the emotional balancing act it requires in a relationship, and the importance of staying united as a couple.
• The lack of adequate support for male partners and the growing awareness around this gap.
• The realization: This is now my story.
• Moments of empowerment and collapse from filming herself doing shots, to sobbing on the floor after work, to injecting herself at a wedding or even in a clinic exam chair.
• The most absurd injection stories from toilets at awards shows to wedding receptions. It’s a reminder of the humor, resilience, and community in this often isolating process.

Stacy’s poems are now available in a self-published collection on Amazon here

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Thanks for listening 💜