After everything - the miscarriages, the rare ectopic pregnancy, the uterus damage, three rounds of IVF - surrogacy became our path forward. We chose Ukraine. My dad's side of the family is Ukrainian, and international surrogacy there meant our surrogate would actually be compensated well for the incredible gift she was giving us. We found Marina, and the second she told me she'd hold our baby "like a glass ball," I knew she was the one.

Marina got pregnant with our twins in 2021. And then, in early 2022, the war started. Our surrogate and babies were in Ukraine, and we made the decision to fly toward the war, not away from it.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Marina, and why we knew instantly she was our person
• Getting married in five days to make the Ukraine surrogacy process work
• Racing to get embryos and sperm across borders before COVID shutdowns hit
• Watching the news and realizing the country carrying our babies was about to be at war
• Flying into Warsaw, taking a bus across the border, and the moment armed guards pulled us off it
• Air raid sirens, a hospital bomb shelter, and meeting Marina in person for the first time
• Babies born at 36 weeks, days after the invasion began
• Getting Maverick and Savannah - and Marina - out of an active war zone
• What it actually took to get our family home

This is the story I've never told publicly, and honestly, some of it still doesn't feel real to me even now. But it's also the reason this podcast exists - because if I can find a way through all of this, I want every one of you to know there's a way through your version of it too.

We're just getting started. This show is going to be full of real stories, real experts, and a whole community that gets it - because nobody should go through this feeling alone.

Subscribe or follow wherever you're listening so you don't miss what's coming next - new episodes, expert guests, and stories from the Fertility Fight Club community.

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Helpful Timestamps

• 00:00 Twins via Surrogacy
• 04:56 Choosing Ukraine
• 07:13 COVID Wedding Rush
• 10:49 Transfer And Twins
• 15:08 War Fears Escalate
• 23:05 Refugees in Warsaw
• 26:11 Crossing the Border to Ukraine by Bus
• 29:48 Meeting Marina at Hospital
• 33:36 Bunker Birth Day Chaos
• 37:27 NICU Bomb Threats and Car Seats
• 39:23 Escape Plan and Passports
• 42:37 Project Dynamo Rescue
• 45:56 Podcast Mission and Series

This episode is Part 1 of my fertility story, and it's a big one. I'm talking chemical pregnancies I didn't even understand at the time, an ectopic pregnancy so rare (1 in 65,000!) that it grew on my ovary instead of my tube, a procedure that ended up damaging my uterus without me knowing for years, and three rounds of IVF where I kept getting blamed - for my age, my eggs, my "stress" - while nobody tested the one thing that turned out to actually matter.

I share this not because I want sympathy, but because I know so many of you are living some version of this right now. The rabbit holes. The clinics that don't call you back. The doctors who look at you like a number instead of a person. The moment you ask "when can we try again" five minutes after finding out you lost a pregnancy - and feeling guilty for asking it (by the way - it's the most common question there is).

In this episode:

• How my "healthy" lifestyle didn't protect me from infertility - and why that surprised me
• What a chemical pregnancy actually is (nobody explained it to me either)
• The ectopic pregnancy that almost cost me my life, and the surgery that followed
• The procedure I agreed to without fully understanding what it would mean for my uterus
• Three rounds of IVF, and the thing nobody tested until a doctor in the US finally did
• Why I started questioning "the way it's always done" - and started digging for real answers

This one ends on a cliffhanger, because life did too. By the end of this episode, I'm out of options I thought I had - and about to step into something I never expected. Part 2 picks up right where this leaves off.

If any part of this is your story too - you're not alone in this. That's the whole reason this podcast exists.

Don't miss Part 2 - hit subscribe/follow wherever you're listening so it lands right in your feed the second it's live. Trust me, you won't want to wait to find out what happens next.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Fertility Coaching Programs

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 My Fertility Journey
• 06:53 Miscarriage
• 11:55 Ectopic Pregnancy Scare
• 15:20 Ovarian Ectopic and Surgery
• 20:47 Essure and IVF Begins
• 25:09 Seeking Help in US
• 36:02 Adoption Considered
• 38:54 Choosing Surrogacy Path

Each week we're covering it all - natural conception, IUI, IVF, egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy - with help from doctors, embryologists, and fertility experts who'll help you move the needle on your journey. This journey is tough, but you don't have to do it alone. Hit subscribe and let's get started.

More from The Fertility Fight Club:

FertilityBlooms.com

Join The Fertility Fight Club

Follow on Instagram: @fertilityblooms