In this episode of the AllPaths podcast, we welcome Jacqueline Fitzpatrick, who offers the rare perspective of being both a seasoned IVF nurse with over 15 years of experience and a former IVF patient. Jacqueline shares the candid details of her family building journey, which was complicated by a pituitary gland cyst that prevented her from ovulating. She discusses the clinical challenges she faced, including failing the Clomid challenge and struggling as a “terrible patient” whose hormones were nearly impossible to regulate during IVF cycles.
Our conversation highlights the importance of self-advocacy and listening to one’s body, especially when clinical data and personal experience don’t align. Jacqueline details her unconventional decision to pivot from IVF back to IUI, a move her doctors hadn’t seen before, which eventually led to the birth of her two sons. She humorously recalls the “small victories” along the way, including the time she successfully administered a trigger shot in a bar bathroom in Newport while finally allowing herself to relax and “live her life”. This episode also sheds light on contrasting experiences within families; despite sharing the same DNA, Jacqueline and her sister had “completely different experiences with fertility treatments,” reinforcing that there is no “cookie-cutter” path to parenthood.
Finally, Jacqueline discusses her passion project, Chasing Babies, a coaching service she founded to provide fertility coaching and postpartum guidance that clinical settings often lack. She provides insights into current fertility research and explains the medical basis behind popular rituals, such as eating McDonald’s french fries after an egg retrieval to help prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Whether discussing the depths of postpartum depression or the “superstitions” that provide hope, Jacqueline’s story serves as a reminder that while the journey may have twists and turns, every unique track is valid.
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