When faced with fertility struggles, people rarely feel empowered or effective. Infertility challenges everyone. Regardless of who you are and how you are trying to build your family, if it’s not happening easily, it’s frustrating and difficult! So how can you communicate your preferences, concerns and questions more effectively to your Care Team and feel like you're being heard and understood? Let's explore some ideas together. Note: In any conversation, communication needs to go both ways! In the third part in this series, our fertility care team (including doctors) reveal their thoughts about fertility patient do's and don't and ways to be an effective patient. You may be surprised by their responses!

Dealing with infertility is a challenge, to say the least. Once you come to terms with the fact that the path to your end goal (a baby) is going to be more complex, you’re faced with another challenge – absorbing lots of new information and working with a full team of people to help make your dream come true.

In the aftermath of the United States' Supreme Court ruling on June 24, 2022, many questions have been raised about reproductive rights and the impact of this decision on fertility treatment. As a fertility doctor, I echo my patients' concerns and want to offer some clarity. Let's talk about what we do (and don't) know regarding the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its implications for fertility and family-building care like IVF.

After receiving some shocking news on their fertility journey, Alyson and her husband were advised to move straight to IVF treatment - something they never expected to hear. This is the story of what happened next and everything they learned on the way to meeting their baby girl, Emmy.

We often see the heartwarming pictures: a tiny baby in a onesie that says, “Made with love and a little bit of science.” We love those photos for so many reasons! Healthy babies are our goal. Love is invaluable. And science is powerful. But what are your real chances of success with fertility treatment?

People often use the terms “reproductive endocrinologist” and “fertility specialist” interchangeably, and it makes sense why many use the latter term so frequently – “fertility specialist” is much easier to rattle off in a conversation than “reproductive endocrinologist.” Unfortunately, though, these two terms are not one and the same and carry major differences that you should be aware of.

We all experience stress. Even as we begin to see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, anxiety and stress still seem to be at an all-time high. If you're dealing with the emotional roller coaster of infertility on top of all of that...well, it can sometimes feel downright overwhelming.

Discovering you need the help of a fertility specialist to successfully conceive can be overwhelming to anyone - but throw in a global pandemic and the experience becomes even more stressful. Illume Fertility patient Alicia shares her and her husband's journey through four IUI cycles while navigating some unexpected challenges.