What happens when trying to conceive becomes years of loss, medical intervention, and shame?

In this episode, we explore the emotional and physical reality of infertility — from heavy periods as a teenager to miscarriage, five rounds of IVF, donor conception, and ultimately, pregnancy after loss.

In a culture that tells women to stay positive, be patient, and trust the process, fertility struggles are often hidden behind shame and isolation. For many, particularly within South Asian communities, infertility is not just medical, but deeply tied to identity, family expectations, and stigma.

We talk about the toll of repeated miscarriage, the unpredictability of IVF, and the pressure to remain hopeful when hope feels fragile. We unpack toxic positivity, the myth of control in fertility journeys, and what it means to advocate for yourself in a system that can feel overwhelming.

This conversation challenges the idea that resilience means silence, and instead asks: what if sharing our stories is where strength actually begins?

🩸 The emotional reality of miscarriage (and why we don’t talk about it enough)

🩸 What five rounds of IVF really look like

🩸 Cancelled cycles, donor conception, and when treatments don’t work

🩸 Fertility stigma in South Asian communities

🩸 Toxic positivity and the pressure to “just relax”

🩸 Pregnancy after loss — and why joy and fear can coexist

🩸 Conceiving naturally after IVF

🩸 Turning grief into advocacy

Whether you’re navigating fertility challenges, supporting someone who is, or simply want to better understand the emotional landscape of IVF, this episode offers honesty, nuance, and solidarity.

Find Seetal on:

• Instagram,
• LinkedIn and
• Facebook

Subscribe and follow to not miss an episode 🩸

To learn more, visit www.understandyourcycle.com

Sign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when training harder starts to cost you your menstrual cycle?

In this episode, we explore the complex, and often overlooked, relationship between athletic performance, hormones, and menstrual health.

In a culture that glorifies pushing through pain, ignoring fatigue, and constantly chasing the next goal, many athletes lose touch with one of their most important health signals: their cycle. From irregular or missing periods to low energy availability, bone density loss, and fertility concerns, the impact of sport on menstrual health is real — and too often normalised.

We talk about the Female Athlete Triad, cycle syncing for athletes, and the delicate balance between training, nutrition, and recovery. We also unpack how contraception (including the copper IUD) can mask changes in your cycle, and why lighter or absent periods shouldn’t automatically be dismissed as “normal for athletes.”

This conversation challenges the idea that losing your period is a badge of honour, and asks a more important question: where do you draw the line between discipline and harm?

We cover:

🩸 What athletes should watch for in their menstrual cycle

🩸 The Female Athlete Triad: low energy availability, bone density loss, and irregular periods

🩸 How exercise can both disrupt and support cycle regulation

🩸 Cycle syncing for athletes — and how contraception fits into the picture

🩸 Whether lighter periods (or none at all) can be a hidden red flag

🩸 Why electrolytes and nutrition matter for hormonal balance

🩸 The link between menstrual health, performance, and long-term fertility

🩸 How to train sustainably in a culture that rewards overtraining

Whether you’re a recreational athlete, training competitively, or working with active women, this episode is an invitation to rethink performance — not as pushing harder, but as learning to listen better.

Find Virginia:

virginia.vasquez.rios@gmail.com

Subscribe and follow to not miss an episode 🩸

To learn more, visit www.understandyourcycle.com

Sign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you spend years trying to build a family — and decide to stop?

In this episode, we sit down with Aisha Balesaria, an advocate and coach who turned her experience of endometriosis, infertility, and loss into a life of purpose and joy without children.

After 15 years of being dismissed by doctors, Aisha was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis — only after struggling to conceive. What followed was a decade-long fertility journey: IVF cycles, miscarriages, hope, heartbreak, and eventually, the decision to stop.

Aisha shares what it took to rebuild herself after letting go of the dream of motherhood, how therapy and community transformed her healing, and why she now dedicates her work to helping others find fulfillment beyond parenthood.

We talk about the silence surrounding infertility, the cultural pressure to become a mother, and what it really means to find peace in a world that often measures women by whether they have children.

This is a story of resilience, grief, and ultimately, freedom.

We cover:

🩸 What it feels like to be medically gaslit for over a decade before diagnosis

🩸 The physical, emotional, and financial toll of IVF; and knowing when to stop

🩸 How therapy and community can help reframe life after infertility

🩸 The intersection of culture, womanhood, and the expectation to have children

🩸 Why “childless” and “childfree” don’t always fit, and what language gets wrong

🩸 How Aisha built a life of advocacy, joy, and meaning beyond motherhood

Whether you’ve experienced fertility struggles yourself, know someone who has, or simply want to better understand the nuances of womanhood, loss, and identity, this conversation is deeply moving, honest, and healing.

Find Aisha:

Instagram: @mindbodyrevival_coach

Website: www.mindbodyrevivalcoach.com

Subscribe and follow to not miss an episode! 🩸

To learn more, go to www.understandyourcycle.com

Sign up for our FREE cycle-synced newsletter here: Learn Your Menstrual Cycle

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.