Infertile AF
In this unfiltered podcast about infertility, Brooklyn-based journalist and mom-of-two Ali Prato, who went through IVF herself, talks to women—and some men—about the messy, frustrating, painful, heartbreaking, absurd and sometimes hilarious journey to have a baby. Or in some cases, to not have a baby. Each episode tells a different story, getting real about miscarriages, egg freezing, sperm donors, adoption, infertility depression, secondary infertility, surrogacy, endometriosis, IUIs, acupuncture, nutrition, relationship drama, embryonic genetic testing, money issues, that crazy jealousy you feel when you see someone else with a baby bump, and so much more. We’ll cover the happy endings, the soul-crushingly sad ones, and the ones still in limbo.
info_outline
Amy
04/29/2020
Amy
You might know journalist Amy Klein from Fertility Diary, the column she wrote in the New York Times about her infertility journey. Today, Ali is talking to Amy about everything she went through—including nine rounds of IVF, four miscarriages, two rabbis and one reproductive immunologist—before finally having her daughter in 2015. Amy also talks about finding (and affording) a clinic, baby envy, and when it's time to move on.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/14190332
info_outline
Whitney
04/22/2020
Whitney
A lot has happened to Whitney Port since you first met her on MTV's The Hills and The City. She married Timmy, the love of her life, became an entrepreneur, started a podcast, With Whit, and had a son named Sonny. Today, she talks to Ali about the miscarriage that "rocked her world"—and how it brought up feelings of guilt, confusion, heartbreak and even selfishness. She also talks about not being sure if they're going to have another kid — and if she'll ever let Sonny watch her live out her 20s on reality TV. This episode is sponsored by Peanut, a social network for women. Peanut provides a community for women (who are trying to conceive) to build friendships, find support and learn from one another. Download Peanut for free in the app store or click .
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/14090930
info_outline
Ali x Blair
04/20/2020
Ali x Blair
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Ali and her Fertility Rally co-founder, Blair Nelson of Fab Fertility, talk about how they met and bonded right away, why this infertility community means so much to them, and what—and who—everyone can expect at the very first Fertility Rally, happening October 23-25 in Brooklyn. Make sure to follow for updates, and sign up for the newsletter at .
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/14054096
info_outline
Lia
04/16/2020
Lia
Today, Lia tells Ali all about her long and difficult journey to motherhood, including a pregnancy that ended tragically after her uterus ruptured at 31 weeks. She also talks about the two different and amazing surrogates who came into their lives, and how tragedy struck again, heartbreakingly, before they had their healthy baby girl. Lia also explains why she started Fly Bravely, a NYC consultancy dedicating to de-stigmatizing infertility and raising awareness for pregnancy and infant loss. On today's episode, we're partnering with Circle Surrogacy, which is celebrating 25 years of making parenthood possible for heterosexual and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Circle partners with their surrogates, intended parents and egg donors until they achieve success together. Learn more at or by emailing [email protected]
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/14008475
info_outline
Janna
04/08/2020
Janna
Today, Ali talks to her friend Janna about going through infertility for six excruciating years. Her story includes full-blown IVF, mini IVF, IUI, lots of heartbreak, a devastating miscarriage and D&C and ultimately, the adoption of her now-almost one year old son, Zeke. She also describes that brutal moment when the nurse is looking at your ultrasound, gets quiet and says, 'I need to talk to the doctor...'" Today we are partnering with Extend Fertility, , the largest egg freezing practice in the nation. Extend has now expanded to offer a full range of infertility services—including IVF—in a small practice environment that is more personal, data driven, and higher quality.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13896701
info_outline
Maddy
04/01/2020
Maddy
Maddy Gutierrez describes herself as a "body positive Manhattan mom, Fashion Lover and Beauty Junkie," and today, she talks to Ali about all of those things, as well as her struggle with secondary infertility, which she's in the middle of right now. Maddy gets into the details of her journey, including having her now five-year-old son with no issues, going through multiple IUIs, how Covid-19 has affected her next steps, and the poor treatment she gets from doctors because she is a plus size woman. This episode, we're partnering with Gennev, an online clinic dedicated exclusively to women. Gennev is all about women’s health, and right now, as COVID 19 cases are filling up our medical facilities, Gennev, is expanding their offerings to include primary care. Access their doctors through their telemedicine services for safe, convenient, at-home consultations at .
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13792469
info_outline
Liz
03/25/2020
Liz
Today, Ali talks to Dr. Liz Kane, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Natalist, where she develops pregnancy tests, ovulation kits and more to help people who are trying to conceive. Liz, who ran a research lab at Harvard, talks about the challenges of leaving academia to start a family, how her chronic migraines affected her fertility journey, the postpartum hemorrhage that threatened her life, feeling "betrayed by her body" and how she ended up using a surrogate for her second child, who is due very soon. This episode is brought to you by The Oh Hell No Podcast, a show for young people transitioning into adult life or adults who are looking for motivation in getting to their next level. To subscribe and listen, go here:
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13689434
info_outline
Nathalie
03/18/2020
Nathalie
Today, Ali talks to Nathalie, an infertility warrior, mama of one and the founder of Fertilust, a fertility-inspired wellness and nutrition hub. Self-described as "a recovering workaholic and type A down to the blood type," Nathalie shares her story of unexplained infertility, silent endometriosis, several IVF cycles, pity parties, how changing her nutrition changed everything, and why this community is so important to her. Nathalie's story is not over yet: After a recent transfer that unfortunately didn't end with a pregnancy, she's not sure what's going to happen next… Today we are partnering with Extend Fertility, , the largest egg freezing practice in the nation. Extend has now expanded to offer a full range of infertility services—including IVF—in a small practice environment that is more personal, data driven, and higher quality.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13589186
info_outline
Cynara
03/11/2020
Cynara
Today, Ali talks to Cynara, who she met when they were both in Albany lobbying to make gestational surrogacy legal in New York. Cynara used a surrogate to have her daughter, Pearl, and today she chronicles her entire journey, including unexplained infertility, having eight miscarriages in 10 years, feeling broken, and having suicidal thoughts. As she says, "It was like, 'There's something wrong with me. I'm defective.' I was so hard on myself." Today we are partnering with ConceiveAbilities, a leading surrogacy and egg donation agency that has been around for 24 years, with thousands of babies born. If surrogacy or egg donation is part of your journey, make sure to check out conceiveabilities.com. And make sure to tell them Infertile AF sent you! We are also partnering with Extend Fertility, , the largest egg freezing practice in the nation. Extend has now expanded to offer a full range of infertility services—including IVF—in a small practice environment that is more personal, data driven, and higher quality.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13501592
info_outline
Samantha
03/04/2020
Samantha
Today, Ali talks to Samantha Busch, wife of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch, star of Racing Wives, and Infertility Advocate. Samantha gets real about having their first baby through IVF, how infertility has affected her marriage, going through it all in the public eye, her devastating recent miscarriage, and how they're considering using a surrogate for their next child. Samantha also talks about her upcoming infertility memoir and her nonprofit, Bundle of Joy Fund, which has awarded 54 grants to couples going through IVF, with 25 babies born and 5 more on the way. On today's episode, we're partnering with Circle Surrogacy, which is celebrating 25 years of making parenthood possible for heterosexual and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Circle partners with their surrogates, intended parents and egg donors until they achieve success together. Learn more at or by emailing [email protected]
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13402289
info_outline
Elyse
02/26/2020
Elyse
Elyse Ash is an infertility warrior and the founder of Fruitful, a fertility mentor service that pairs mentees who are going through infertility with mentors who have come out the other side. Fruitful is "committed to making infertility suck less." Today, Elyse talks to Ali about everything she went through before finally having her baby, including endometriosis with no symptoms, ovarian cysts, and scrolling through Instagram and being "so jealous and heartbroken and wondering what it would look like when it was my turn." Today we are partnering with ConceiveAbilities, a leading surrogacy and egg donation agency that has been around for 24 years, with thousands of babies born. If surrogacy or egg donation is part of your journey, make sure to check out . And make sure to tell them Infertile AF sent you! We are also partnering with Extend Fertility, , the largest egg freezing practice in the nation. Extend has now expanded to offer a full range of infertility services—including IVF—in a small practice environment that is more personal, data driven, and higher quality.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13289756
info_outline
Maggie
02/19/2020
Maggie
Maggie, aka @bean.and.biscuit, has two baby sons who were born one month apart. Today, she tells Ali the incredible story of how this happened, starting with several failed rounds of IVF, including one round that ended in a miscarriage. Maggie and her husband then turned to surrogacy, and the surrogate got pregnant with one of their healthy male embryos. And then, soon after—in a miraculous turn of events—Maggie got pregnant with a boy, too. Today we are partnering with Proov, the first 5 minute, at-home progesterone test to confirm ovulation. Go to , enter the code INFERTILEAF20, and you’ll get 20% off your first order. We are also partnering with Extend Fertility, , the largest egg freezing practice in the nation. Extend has now expanded to offer a full range of infertility services—including IVF—in a small practice environment that is more personal, data driven, and higher quality.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13209839
info_outline
Michael F.
02/12/2020
Michael F.
Today's guest is Michael Frank, a brilliant author whose novel, "What is Missing," takes on infertility as one of its central subjects. The reason Michael knows so much about infertility is that he went through it with his wife, and as he tells Ali, "I found it personally to be one of the hardest things I ever lived through." Find out about their three miscarriages, how he dealt with feeling "powerless and quite lonely," and the Buddhist refrain that changed his perspective. Today's episode is brought to you by Beli Vitality for Men, which provides men with the right nutrients for optimal reproductive and sperm health. Use code InfertileAF to receive 25% off your first bottle at http://bit.ly/Belibaby
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13118753
info_outline
Nicole
02/06/2020
Nicole
Ali's guest today is Nicole Lawson, who went through years of infertility, including three devastating miscarriages, before choosing to go the surrogacy route. Today, she has two healthy daughters via surrogacy--and she tells Ali all about the entire process, including some of the fears and reservations she had. Nicole was so moved by the surrogacy process that she started her own agency, called Abundant Beginnings, in L.A. On this episode, we're partnering with Mom Culture, an online lifestyle brand created to spread positive vibes and to highlight both the salty and the sweet sides of parenthood—and the road to parenthood. Their Rainbow Mama tee and Rainbow Babe tee were created in collaboration with Dr. Zucker of the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign. Check them out at and use code: INFERTILEAF for 20% off your entire purchase through February 29th.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/13039427
info_outline
Katy
01/29/2020
Katy
Not all of these stories end with babies. Today, Ali talks to Katy, who went through four years of infertility, including a failed IVF cycle and depression and anxiety, which left her feeling "stripped down" to her core. "I never thought the ending would be that i didn't have a kid," Katy says. But after a hysterectomy and some deep soul searching, Katy decided to stop trying, and now she is focusing on crafting a beautiful, childfree life, including her blog, chasingcreation.org.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12928250
info_outline
Sarah
01/22/2020
Sarah
Today, Ali talks to Sarah Larson Levey, the founder and CEO of Y7 Studio. After talking about how Y7 yoga was a huge part of Ali's infertility story, they talk about Sarah's two devastating miscarriages, "being a complete hysterical fucking mess," the toll it took on her relationship, and how she managed this heavy emotional and physical stuff while building one of America's fastest-growing companies. Also: Sarah talks about how, even though she's five months pregnant now, it's still hard to fully relax.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12840203
info_outline
Kristyn
01/15/2020
Kristyn
Kristyn is the founder of The Fertility Tribe, an incredible online community based on "redefining fertility together." Today, Kristyn tells Ali about how "nothing on the road to motherhood was easy" for her, from the "Clomid crazies" to her first failed frozen embryo transfer. Now a mother of toddler twins, she also talks about the 25 nights she spent pregnant in the hospital, her "traumatic" birth situation, and the things she wishes she knew before starting infertility treatments.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12742784
info_outline
Keeley
01/09/2020
Keeley
In this Season Two kickoff, Ali talks to Keeley, a producer in London, about her unexplained infertility journey, resulting in eight rounds of IVF in England, Spain, and finally, Russia. Keeley talks about her "total shitshow" of a second transfer, undergoing one traumatic "pregnancy in an unknown location," making the difficult decision to use donor eggs, and how her husband has been a "total legend" through it all.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12670376
info_outline
Karen
12/23/2019
Karen
Karen describes herself as part teacher, part mom, fully inappropriate and forever infertile. She is the creator of Hilariously Infertile, a brand that includes an Instagram with more than 66,000 followers, stand-up comedy gigs, and a book (see hilariouslyinfertile.com for more). Today, she talks to Ali about IUIs, Clomid, the dangers of Google searching, discovering leggings, and why when going through IVF, you should "set the bar low."
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12492284
info_outline
Jasmin
12/17/2019
Jasmin
Jasmin is an editor and writer whose New York Times essay about egg freezing, "Great Eggspectations," caught Ali's attention this spring. Today, she talks to Ali about how, since most of her friends were doing it, she jumped at the chance to freeze her eggs at 36 (but what she wishes she knew then). Also discussed: her possible endometriosis, the fortune teller who changed her life path, getting leftover IVF drugs from her friends, and how every six months, she pays money to keep her eggs on ice.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12428315
info_outline
Dorette
12/12/2019
Dorette
Today, Ali talks to Dr. Dorette Noorhasan, the Medical Director at CCRM Dallas-Fort Worth, about being an infertility specialist while going through her own infertility journey. Dorette discusses working with a surrogate as a single woman, the devastation when those two transfers didn't work out, needing a mental break, and how, after marrying her husband, they tried again with a surrogate. Dorette's memoir, "Miracle Baby: A Fertility Doctor's Fight for Motherhood," is out now.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12376190
info_outline
Michelle
12/05/2019
Michelle
On today's episode, Ali talks to her childhood best friend, Michelle, about her years-long quest to have a baby. Included: Why she hates IUIs, getting a surprise diagnosis of PCOS, how to advocate when it comes to insurance, and how one night on a business trip in Hong Kong, her world came crashing down when she checked her medical portal. Michelle also details her six IVF cycles, how meditation finally helped her turn a corner, and why they named their frozen embryos Dwayne and Rerun.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12290573
info_outline
Angela
11/27/2019
Angela
Today, Ali talks to L.A.-based former nanny Angela, whose infertility journey started at 39 and includes two "missed" miscarriages, a stimulated follicle that turned into a cyst, and three IVF cycles with varying results. Angela says that at times, she felt like such a failure that she apologized to her husband, saying, "Why did you marry me? I'm broken." She also explains why she thinks it's important for everyone to get their embryos tested, regardless of risk factors, age and history.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12191402
info_outline
Ali x Joshua
11/21/2019
Ali x Joshua
Joshua U. Klein is the Chief Clinical Officer at Extend Fertility, and he’s also Ali’s doctor, who worked with Ali and Vince on their one and only round of IVF—which brought them baby Sonny in Dec 2015. Four years later, Ali reunites with the Harvard Med School grad to unpack what they went through together, from Ali walking into his office as a "broken woman" to the emails she sent him at all hours of the day to what he’s doing now to make the fertility journey “less miserable."
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12122555
info_outline
Debbie
11/14/2019
Debbie
On today's episode, Ali talks to Debbie about her unexpected pregnancy at the age of 36, how she dealt with the heartbreak of losing that baby in the third trimester, starting to have kids again at the age of 39, and the eight rounds of IVF--and 450 shots--that lead to where she is today. "When I put my hands on my hips, I can still feel the soreness of those 21-gauge needles," she says, years later.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/12035027
info_outline
Sam
11/07/2019
Sam
Ali goes deep with her friend Sam, who was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure three years ago, at age 25. Faced with the fact that if she wants to have a biological children, she’ll have to do IVF, Sam discusses how she's dealing with the challenges of her diagnosis, including how hormone replacement therapy has put her into pre-menopause, how she tells (or doesn't tell) guys she dates about her situation, and the very special family member who has offered to donate her eggs to Sam.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/11945591
info_outline
America
10/31/2019
America
America is an actress, singer and mama who has gone through hell—and back again—to finally have her beautiful baby daughter. Today, she talks to Ali about her years-long struggle to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery, including multiple miscarriages, multiple stillbirths, and what happened when they decided to pursue surrogacy in India. America talks about going through a very dark time—at one point even contemplating suicide—and how she and her husband, Christian, came out the other side.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/11845259
info_outline
Holly
10/24/2019
Holly
Today, Ali talks to Holly about her unexplained infertility, including IUIs that didn't work, IVFs that didn't take, and an adoption that ultimately fell through. Holly, who's one of the strongest mamas Ali has ever met, discusses how she finally had her son--and how he was born with a very rare medical condition that has already required several surgeries and countless hospital visits. She explains that she wants to share her story because, after years of anguish, she promised she would pay it forward.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/11762825
info_outline
Meg
10/17/2019
Meg
Meg is the author of, “The Waiting Line: What to Do (and Not Do) When Someone You Love Is Struggling with Infertility.” Today, she talks to Ali about getting pregnant at age 37, back-to-back blighted ovums, the MTHFR gene, Hashimoto's disease, and finally having her son. Now in the midst of secondary infertility, Meg also reveals how she got ghosted by her doctor and the best and worst things to say to women who are struggling to have a baby. (Hint: "Have you thought about adoption?" is not okay.)
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/11672726
info_outline
Rebekah
10/10/2019
Rebekah
Rebekah is a fellow NYC mama and infertility warrior who struggled to get pregnant in her mid-30s before going through "mini IVF." Today, the mom of three is focusing on supporting other women as a fertility coach, a doula and the creator of the website, https://its-conceivable.com/. Today, she talks to Ali about not wanting children when she was growing up, egg quality vs. egg quantity, why women need to advocate for themselves and the importance of going to Phish concerts.
/episode/index/show/infertileaf/id/11582741