Today, Ali has a true sports icon on the show: Former pro soccer star Carli Lloyd, who won two World Cups and two Olympic Gold medals during her incredible career. Carli is currently pregnant -- and in the second trimester -- with her first baby, but it's been a long and difficult infertility journey to get here. Carli tells Ali all the details, starting from when she and her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, Brian, started to try for a baby, and what happened when it wasn't working. She talks about traveling the world playing professional soccer, why she didn't want to have kids while she was playing, and how, when she retired at 39, she found out, "It's a lot harder to get pregnant than people think." She explains being told they should do IVF, going through the retrieval process, and how her first transfer didn't work. She also talks about why they needed to take a mental break, what it felt like to do their next retrieval, and how she felt when she found out she was finally pregnant. "This journey was a humbling experience," she says. "For someone who's achieved greatness in the soccer world to have to struggle through this, it was really, really difficult. I was almost broken to a point I've never felt before." 

For more, follow IG @carlilloyd

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Unexplained infertility; IVF; egg retrievals; embryo testing; embryo transfers; zero healthy embryos; mental health; pregnancy after infertility

EPISODE SPONSORS:
WORK OF ART
Children's Book about IVF
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books

Do not miss Ali's children’s book about IVF! It's been getting rave reviews. “Work of ART” is the story of an IVF kiddo the day he learns he is a “work of ART” (born via IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technology). For young readers 4-8. Hardcover. Written by Ali Prato; Illustrated by Federico Bonifacini.

Personalized and non-personalized versions are available. Order yours now at https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books

For bulk orders of 10 or more books, go to https://www.infertileafgroup.com/bulk-order-request

FERTILITY RALLY
@fertilityrally
www.fertilityrally.com

No one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 5 to 6 support groups per week, three private Facebook groups, tons of curated IRL and virtual events, and an entire community of more than 500 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey.

Join today at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at www.fertilityrally.com/membership
SAVE $40 on an annual membership with code RALLY2024

NATALIST
www.natalist.com 

Natalist is on a mission to improve your fertility journey with evidence-backed essentials to support your needs, from vegan prenatal packets to easy-to-use, plastic-neutral ovulation tests and fertility-friendly lube. Natalist is offering my community 25% off your first order at Natalist.com with promo code INFERTILEAF. 

RECEPTIVA DX
https://receptivadx.com/

ReceptivaDx is the singular test capable of identifying endometriosis,progesterone resistance, and endometritis in one comprehensive analysis. These conditions are often the hidden culprits behind unexplained infertility, directly impacting the success rates of IVF treatments. Ask for the Receptvia DX test today, and use code INFERTILEAF24 for $75 off.
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