Episode 10 – Cancer, Surrogacy, and South Asian Infertility Stigma with Anupriya

Episode 15 - Secondary Infertility and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss — A Physician’s Perspective

In this episode, Hafsa sits down with Priyanka, a physician and mother of two, to talk about her experience with secondary infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and the emotional whiplash of getting pregnant easily once, then struggling the next time. Priyanka shares what it was like going into her second pregnancy with confidence, only to face a devastating 10-week miscarriage that completely shifted her understanding of fertility. She opens up about the fear of a possible molar pregnancy, miscarrying at home on Christmas Eve, and experiencing multiple chemical pregnancies in the months that followed. Together, Hafsa and Priyanka discuss: * Why secondary infertility carries a unique and often misunderstood grief * The emotional toll of imagining a future that suddenly disappears * How being dismissed by doctors can delay answers and deepen trauma * The role progesterone played in helping Priyanka sustain a pregnancy * How partners grieve differently and why they are often overlooked * Breaking cultural silence around miscarriage and fertility struggles This conversation is honest, nuanced, and deeply validating for anyone who has been told “at least you already have one,” yet still feels the ache of loss, uncertainty, and unanswered questions. Trigger warning: miscarriage, pregnancy loss

pisode 14 - Endometriosis, PCOS, Letting Go & the Positive Test You Don’t Expect (with Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda, Author of Jefa in Training)

In this episode of Before the BFP, I’m joined by Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda, author of Jefa in Training, consultant, and first-gen eldest daughter, who shares her deeply honest fertility journey after years of endometriosis, suspected PCOS, and not ovulating. Ashley opens up about the mental toll of tracking everything, medicated cycles with letrozole, intense side effects, and being told a cycle didn’t work, only to later find out she was pregnant. We talk about comparison, guilt, family pressure, cultural expectations, and the anxiety that doesn’t magically disappear once you finally see a positive test. This episode covers: * Endometriosis and suspected PCOS * Ovulation issues and medicated cycles with letrozole * Being told “it didn’t work” and the emotional crash that followed * Getting a positive pregnancy test when it was least expected * Letting go after years of control and tracking * Infertility anxiety carrying into pregnancy * Preparing mentally for postpartum after a long TTC journey If you’re in the middle of trying to conceive, struggling with failed cycles, or trying to protect your mental health while holding onto hope, this episode will resonate deeply. Needed High-quality prenatal and postpartum supplements made with research-backed, thoughtfully sourced ingredients. 🔗 Shop Needed: https://thisisneeded.com [https://thisisneeded.com] 💛 Code: BFP20 for 20% off At-home insemination kits designed to reduce stress while trying to conceive. Includes three applicators, a specimen cup, and instructions. 🔗 Shop 2Plus Fertility: https://www.2plusfertility.com 💛 Code: BFP15 for 15% off

Episode 13 - She Tried to Conceive for Years and Turned to Art to Survive the Waiting

✨ Use code BFP20 for 20% off your first order at https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o [https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o] ✨ Want to share your own story? https://bit.ly/shareyourbfpstory [https://bit.ly/shareyourbfpstory] In Episode 13 of Before the BFP, Hafsa is joined by Megan Cavato, who shares her personal journey through infertility and years of trying to conceive. Megan opens up about what it was really like to live in the in-between for so long. The waiting. The cycles that did not work. The emotional exhaustion of planning life around TTC while watching others move on. She talks honestly about the pressure, the grief that is easy to dismiss, and how infertility slowly takes over your thoughts, your body, and your sense of self. This episode is not about quick fixes or advice. It is about what it feels like to keep going when nothing is happening, and how Megan eventually found a way to process everything she was carrying when words no longer felt enough. * What years of trying to conceive actually felt like day to day * How infertility changed her emotionally and mentally * The quiet grief that comes with long TTC journeys * Feeling stuck while life continues around you * How she found an outlet when everything felt overwhelming As a way to support others going through TTC and infertility, Megan created a free reflective art journal for listeners of Before the BFP. It includes thoughtful prompts meant to help you process the emotions that come with waiting, disappointment, and uncertainty. 👉 Download the free art journal: You can connect with Megan and follow more of her journey here: 👉 Megan on Instagram: @fertilitynesttherapy

Episode 12: Four IVF Retrievals. One Embryo. And Everything in Between with Cait

Cait’s fertility journey is long, layered, and deeply honest. In this episode of Before the BFP, Cait shares what it was like to spend nearly a decade trying to grow her family. After years of irregular cycles, medicated rounds, and a devastating false positive pregnancy test, Cait and her husband moved into IVF. What followed was four retrievals in one year, repeated disappointment, genetic testing that changed everything, endometriosis surgery, hormone suppression, and the emotional weight of being told again and again that no embryos had made it. Cait opens up about the mental, physical, and financial toll of infertility, including spending nearly $100,000 out of pocket, navigating strained family relationships, and choosing to share her journey publicly when silence felt heavier than honesty. She also talks candidly about pregnancy after infertility, postpartum anxiety and depression, and the reality that becoming a mother does not automatically erase the trauma of everything it took to get there. After years of heartbreak, Cait and her husband transferred the single viable embryo they had left. That embryo became their son, Zion. This conversation is for anyone who has felt broken by fertility treatment, overwhelmed by repeated loss, or unsure who they are becoming on the other side of infertility. ✨ Use code BFP20 for 20% off your first order at https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o [https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o] ✨ Want to share your own story? https://bit.ly/shareyourbfpstory [https://bit.ly/shareyourbfpstory]

Episode 10 – Cancer, Surrogacy, and South Asian Infertility Stigma with Anupriya

✨ Use code BFP20 for 20% off your first order at https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o [https://needed.sjv.io/aOmr1o] ✨ Share your own story: https://bit.ly/shareyourbfpstory Anupriya shares her journey from leukemia and a bone marrow transplant to surrogacy, using a donor egg, and navigating stigma in the South Asian community In this episode of Before the BFP, Hafsa talks with Anupriya, a family medicine physician, cancer survivor, and mom, about her remarkable journey to parenthood through surrogacy. Anupriya opens up about: * Being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in her 20s * How cancer treatment and a bone marrow transplant ended her ability to carry a pregnancy * Facing the emotional grief of losing fertility options * Choosing surrogacy and working with an agency during the pandemic * The high financial, legal, and emotional costs of surrogacy * Using a donor egg, and the lack of South Asian donors * Starting the South Asian Women Infertility Warriors group on Facebook (now 300+ members) * Navigating stigma, secrecy, and cultural shame around infertility and donor conception * How her surrogate’s gift brought her son into the world, and the mixed emotions of goodbye * The importance of therapy, compassion, and presence in healing Resources & Mentions: * Resolve – infertility support and advocacy * American Cancer Society – cancer resources and patient support * Facebook group: South Asian Women Infertility Warriors (founded by Anupriya)