Topics Include:

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Wading through the Grief of Miscarriage and Infertility, Dr. Nichole Barker

In this session, Dr. Barker will be reviewing the evaluation and treatment options for recurrent pregnancy loss.  She will also highlight the unique challenges associated with this diagnosis and ways to address them in order to provide the best support for patients physically and emotionally.

Navigating the IVF Journey: How Do I Know What Choices to Make?, Dr. Serena Chen

Should I consider PGT? What is the best IVF stimulation? Should I be taking this supplement or that supplement? Should I transfer one or two embryos? IVF can be confusing and often feel overwhelming. In this session, "Navigating the IVF Journey: How Do I Know What Choices to Make?," Dr. Serena Chen will walk you through some of the big decisions that often accompany IVF. Dr. Chen's passion for educating her patients and encouraging them to be an advocate of their own health makes her the perfect expert for this topic. 

Getting to the Bottom of It: Infertility Diagnosis and Testing, Dr. Roohi Jeelani

Let’s start with the female...
First of all, fertility for women relies on the ovaries releasing healthy eggs.
Then, the reproductive system must be functioning enough to allow an egg to pass into the fallopian tubes and join with sperm for fertilization... yes, this happens in the tube!

Then the fertilized egg must be able to travel to the uterus and implant in the lining, while it’s still continuing to divide and grow as it travels into the uterus.

So what does this all mean? And how do you test and determine a diagnosis? In this session, Dr. Jeelani will walk you through infertility testing and diagnosis with compassion and education.

Totally Toxic: The Impact of Toxins on Fertility, Dr. Lora Shahine

Dr. Lora Shahine will be discussing the impact of toxins on fertility. Overwhelming evidence shows that exposure to toxins like BPA and phthalates found in everyday house hold products can harm egg quality, sperm quality, success with IVF, and increase risk of miscarriage. Dr. Shahine will review the evidence and educate on how to decrease exposure to common toxins in order to improve reproductive outcomes and overall health and wellbeing.

How the Decision to Use Donor Eggs Changed My Life Forever, Victoria Nino from Expecting Anything

A personal story about the decision to use donor eggs and how it has changed my life forever.

Paving a Path for Patient Advocacy, Tia Gendusa and Lindsay Fischer from Infertile AF

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by choice when reproductive medical advancements and technology continue to change. But, beyond that, an infertility diagnosis can simply lead to confusion and frustration that makes any decision making difficult. Yet, it’s still the responsibility of the infertile person to educate themselves, ask questions and demand care, process results, and seek out the perfect team to complete their journey, however it unfolds.

The InfertileAF co-founders are teaming up to once again take a delicate subject and destigmatize advocacy from the patient perspective. We’ll provide several actionable steps and talk about the mindset practices that will help you move through advocating for yourself while trying to conceive (and beyond). Our goal is to help you feel comfortable using your voice to ensure you receive the treatment and care you deserve.

World Fertility Day, Tracey Bambrough and Sara Marshall-Page from IVF Babble

World Fertility Day is about highlighting the importance of breaking the silence that has existed for too long, to realise that we are not alone, to stop living in isolation, to break barriers across cultures, to empower people with fertility knowledge and to enable informed decisions to be made en route to parenthood.

Support Groups and Insurance Coverage, Rebecca Flick from RESOLVE

Secondary Infertility: Coping with the Trauma of Infertility During Parenthood, Ashley Kimble from Fertility Bridge

Infertility can leave a path of trauma and a lot of scars, even after a child. Navigating the emotional turmoil of infertility during parenthood can be confusing and imposter syndrome can rear its ugly head before you even realize what’s happening. Ashley will discuss her infertility story and how she’s handling parenthood while continuing to build her family.