List of the most popular hashtags for theme #TTCWARRIOR

"No, this isn’t a pregnancy announcement. It WAS a pregnancy announcement, the first of two from last year. I’ve never shared this photo because this particular pregnancy ended so quickly. I had a pit in my stomach as we took these photos because my beta was so much lower than it was with Georgia (77 compared to 967) nevertheless I scheduled photos and fell in love with how awesome they turned out. I was so proud to see Georgia in front of her “big sis” balloons. It hurts my heart so so badly to look at the pictures we had taken for our announcements (we did this twice actually) and have nothing to show. I cannot stress enough to you all (infertile or not) how real and painful secondary infertility is, and is it even called secondary infertility when you also suffered with primary infertility?! It’s maddening and frustrating and soul crushing to dwell in this place for too long so I try not to too much, I try to stay in the present as much as possible because what has happened in the past puts fear into the future for me too so I don’t dare go there too often either. I’ll be speaking more about this on Saturday at the @infertileafsummit - my hope with this topic is to raise awareness about how common it is to continue to struggle even after being on the other side. Regardless of the heartbreak, I am so hopeful that Georgia will get to be a big sister some day to one of her three frozen siblings who are waiting on ice for her." @lenaridley #miscarriage #secondaryinfertility

"1048 days of infertility. That’s how long I’ve actively been trying to become a mother. That’s how long I’ve failed at becoming one. And that’s how long I’ve had to look into my husband’s sad, yet hopeful eyes on ever becoming a father. . . I chose to use a random number because every day of infertility hurts. Every day is a struggle. Day 1 may not hurt as much as day 1048, but it still matters. Every day of infertility is one less day without my baby in my arms. . . On day 349, my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. On day 371, I attended my friend’s baby shower. On day 380, I had a miscarriage. On day 405, my husband had his last radiation treatment. On day 639, we took a road trip to Nashville. On day 750, I attended another baby shower. On day 783, my younger sister gave birth to my nephew. On day 850, I quit my job. On day 864, I started my new one. On day 984, we had our first consultation with a fertility specialist. And on day 1021, I was diagnosed with PCOS. . . Every day of infertility is painful. Every day can be emotional. Every day can be a struggle. Some days you may be a wreck, but other days you may be grateful. Day 200 may be the most agonizing day of your life, but day 231 could be the happiest. Keep fighting!" @while_we.wait

To the men struggling with infertility on Father’s Day... • • I know us women tend to handle this journey differently than you. Many of you prefer not to open up about it. Many of you feel helpless watching your spouse struggle through invasive treatments or just the exhaustion of her tracking her cycles. • • There’s not enough support for women struggling with infertility, but there is close to none for you men. I know you struggle too. You aren’t heard enough, and from the bottom of my heart, i hope that changes. • • I hope that you know, that without your support, your spouse would likely be 100 times worse off. I know i would not be nearly as strong without my husband to lean on. • • I can tell you from experience, that you’re needed, you’re helpful, and you are justified in your own struggles on this journey. • • I hope and pray that all of your dreams come true and that you become a father soon. Any baby would be blessed to have a father that wants to be a dad so much! • • PS. Happy Father’s Day to my amazing “Dog Dad’s” out there! Yes, I’m counting you

What does PCOS have to do with the heart ❤️ Did you know that lean women with PCOS are more likely to have a delayed or missed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease Researchers have compared the cholesterol levels of normal-weight women with PCOS to women without PCOS. They found that the healthy-weight PCOS women were more likely to have lower levels of the “good” cholesterol (HDL) and higher levels of the “bad” cholesterol (LDL.) Unfortunately I suffer from this and have elevated bad cholesterol! . . . . . . .#ttc #ttcwarrior #ttcsisters #ttccommunity #ttcsupport #ivf #ivfjourney #fertility #fertilityjourney #fertilitypcos #fertilityclinic #fertilitydoctor #infertility #infertilitywarrior #infertilitysisters #infertilitycommunity #pcos #pcossisters

That face is me ^^ #ttcuk #ttc #ttcjourney #ttcsisters #ttcsupport #infertility #ttcpcos #ttccommunity #ttcwithpcos #pcos #infertilitysupport #infertile #ttcweightloss #ttctribe #ttcwarrior

“Fertility treatments are hard. During our process, I always tried to push my thoughts toward the future. I thought about how hopefully, someday, we would have kids. I wondered what they will look like and what they will sound like. I wondered about their personalities. I thought of family pictures we would take where everyone would look so happy. My eyes would water thinking about these things but it kept me going. I just kept telling myself, one day it will happen. There are so many options now to becoming a parent. Whatever road you choose to go down, be positive. Be there for one another. When we had a baby, it created a tighter bond between the two of us. We are now a strong team, and teamwork has become a key part to our marriage. I don’t know how it feels to be a mother who has a baby without any labs or doctors helping to make the baby, but I do know the feeling of having a baby you first saw in a dish. That feeling is the most amazing feeling. I am so grateful for the help of science and for being alive in a time that has a process such as this. Reciprocal IVF made our dreams a reality. We had such a challenging road to get to where we are today. A few years ago, I started to think the road was never-ending to have a baby. I know some of you who will read this are still on that road and have been on it for way longer than Katie and I were on it. I admire those who continue to go down this path and keep trying despite the emotional and financial turmoil it puts you through. Stay strong.” @babybaileymamadrama

Happy Monday: would you like some COFFEE with your sugar? That used to be my typical order at Starbucks, lots and lots of sugar. Even as a doctor I failed to realize that lean PCOS still suffers the metabolic profile of someone who is obese. Studies have found that lean women with PCOS have a 3 to 10 percent incidence of missed diabetes diagnosis. This is likely because doctors don’t generally expect normal weight adults to develop diabetes or insulin resistance. That said, the risk of developing diabetes in normal weight PCOS women is not as significantly increased like it is for obese women. Accordingly some studies recommend that all women with PCOS have their insulin levels checked, regardless of their weight. This was me, skinny with an abnormal insulin resistance profile. (Just another reason why I need to wake up early and workout) Side note- happy birthday to @jaanuubydrneela (here is to more boss babe women physicians) . . . . . . . . . . . .#ttc #ttcpcos #ttcwarrior #ttcchicago #ttcmembers #ttccommunity #ivf #ivfwarriors #infertility #infertilityproblems #infertilitywarrior #fertility #fertilitywarrior #pcos #pcosdiet #nutritional #diet #reproductivehealth #fertilitycommunity #fertilitydoctors #fertilitystruggles

My BFN right before mothers day is really hitting me right now.... image credit @prayhopewait

Trying so hard to be patient but really struggling to keep my mind off the #twoweekwait this cycle Tested this morning even though I'm only 8DPO and of course it was negative... just because some other women have gotten their BFP that early doesn't mean I'm any more likely to get mine early, but I can hope right? Part of my issue is my job isn't exactly very intellectual... I work in a factory and my mind can wander while I work. I need something else to try to think about! Taking suggestions for subjects to ponder and keep my mind out of TTC-land Image credit to @positivelyinfertile ❤