Infertility and IVF: You Can(t) Get Pregnant
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Good day, good people. Welcome back. It's another episode of the Imperfectly Phenomenal Woman podcast. I am Lauren. If you're new here, hey, I'm the host and the producer of this podcast. Been doing it for about seven years now, interviewing different women about limiting beliefs that hold us back from living fully and authentically.

And so this week, I'm interviewing Angela Gaston, and we're talking about the limiting belief that many women have while they're going through this tough process of trying to conceive this idea that you can't get pregnant. Now, we understand that in some situations, there are medical situations that really do prevent this for people. But for Angela, even though she went through

so much to try to conceive to get this special little baby that's within her. She kept on trying. And so in this episode, we're talking about trying to conceive when you're battling PCOS. We talk about the different symptoms that Angela experienced with PCOS. And no, we are not medical doctors. This is not any medical advice. This podcast is called Imperfectly Phenomenal Woman Heavy on the Imperfect. So go make sure you talk to a medical professional. Thank you very much.

This feeling of feeling defeated while trying to conceive or feeling like a failure as a wife. We talk about the process of trying to conceive with fertility medications, IUI, IVF, surrogacy. And we also talk about savoring the little wins throughout the process. Mindset, giving yourself grace, not comparing yourself to the same timeline as other people.

And I started by asking Angela, did she ever think about what this process of conception might look like for her? Did she ever think her process of conception might look like this? So let's get into it.

Definitely not. No? Okay. I was so naive back then. So, backstory is, I have a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome. Oh. And a lot of people know it as the abbreviated version PCOS. Oh, okay. Got it. Yeah. And so, it's when your hormones are just...

whack, right? It's a condition where you can either have very little, like unusual or extremely long periods. In my case, I was lucky if I had a period maybe four times a year. So that's once a quarter. So that's just like, your natural body would only give you four periods a year? Exactly. And this PCOS is either caused by environmental factors or genetics.

Mine, I think, were both. And so in college, you know, compared to my friends who had their periods like every month, I thought what I had was like a blessing in disguise. But I was very, very wrong. When my husband and I started trying in 2019, it was like literally the biggest nightmare. Wow. And the news that kept me up all night.

Can you tell me more about PCOS? Because it's something that I feel like I hear about often, but like even you saying the full name wouldn't have ever guessed that that was PCOS, you know? Yeah. So I can kind of just speak from my personal experience. Yeah.

And that one egg is able to make it into conception. For people with PCOS, there's so many of them. And they have 0% to 10% of success rate.

And for my case, I had so many of them, but none of them were viable for conception. I also have a lot of facial hair, which is very common. And, you know, I think PCOS is very common for women who are Asian, Asian women, black women. Yeah. Those two races are the ones that commonly have this condition, which is very interesting. Yeah. But yeah, my sister also has PCOS, but in her case, PCOS.

She has extremely long periods. She would have it for a month and a half consecutively. Wow. And then maybe there's like a week that she has a break and then she's on her period again. So really, there's no treatment to this. It's really just a lifestyle change, supposedly. Or younger girls who have this and have discovered that they have it typically go on birth control.

Got it. I just looked it up too. So it says, this is from Cleveland Clinic. It says polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, is a common condition that affects your hormones. It causes irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, and infertility. Treatment for PCOS depends on if you wish to become pregnant. People with PCOS may be at higher risk for certain health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Let me see if it lists symptoms. Symptoms, irregular periods, abnormal hair growth, acne, obesity, darkening of skin, cysts, skin tags, thinning hair, infertility. So interesting. Thank you for sharing that, Angela. Of course. And so a lot of people experience infertility. It sounds like yours was linked to PCOS. And so how did you feel during your process of trying to conceive?

I was completely defeated. You know, when I mean, it was already shocking enough that one, I'm not having a regular period. So that alone was like, such a shocking news to me. And when I went to the fertility doctor, we started out doing 10 plus cycles of fertility medications of letrozole and Clomid, which is basically meant to help balance your hormones.

And it's used in conjunction with timed intercourse. In our experience, out of those 10 plus cycles, we didn't even come close to one being successful. Yeah. So I felt like a failure as a woman and a wife to my husband because he's always dreamt of being a father, right? Yeah. I just like got to a breaking point one night and I literally couldn't

I was so depressed and I literally said, I don't think I can do it. Yeah. I don't think I can be the one to give you a child. So if you want to go our separate ways, I won't say anything or hold you back. I just don't want there to be any resentment in our relationship. And that conversation is something that like, well, I'm like, I'm literally getting goosebumps. Me too. You can take me back to that time and, and I can feel those feelings inside right now.

And, you know, as difficult as this is really to admit, I was so bitter watching my friends get pregnant, having their friends, I mean, like having their baby showers, them celebrating their first birthdays, people posting about their birth experience. I was in such a dark place that...

I would go on their social media profiles and, you know, you can opt to see like content like this less. Yeah. And it got to a point where I was like, oh my God, my bitterness was so overwhelming. Yeah. It was such a dark place in my life. Wow. How many cycles did you go through before getting to that point when you had that conversation with your husband? I think I was, I think it was maybe like eight and then...

I had that conversation with him. He was like, how about we just go to 10 and then explore different options? Yeah. And, you know, like he is such an angel because I can't imagine the patience that he had with me, let alone like, you know, all of the side effects that came with the medication. He dealt with it.

And so tell me again what that medication was supposed to do. Typically, when you go to a fertility doctor, they try to, there are three steps that they take before. Well, there are two steps they take before IVF. Okay. Versus the fertility medication. Got it. And you take this orally for, I think, about a week, a week and a half. And it's basically to help your...

hormones get to a standard level. Okay.

And you take this in conjunction with timed intercourse. You have to get all of these hormone panels screened every other day. And then they tell you, oh, I think you're close to ovulating. Go home, have intercourse tonight, back, and then we'll find out if you're pregnant or not. So we did 10 cycles of that. Got it. And the next one is IUI, which is intrauterine intercourse.

insemination. So it's basically, it's a little non-invasive compared to IVF, but the success rate of it is generally lower. And I think it's about five to 10%. And it's basically when they place the sperm directly into the uterus, but there are no fertility medications that go with it or injections that go with it.

And then after that, you go into IVF. And then you go into IVF. Okay. So then before you got to IVF and like, as you were going through this process, did you like think of any other potential options that you would do? Like, did you ever consider like adoption or I don't know, surrogacy? I don't know. Just curious. So we did not go through IUI, which is for IVF. I think the doctors kind of knew at that point.

if 10 cycles of medicated fertility medication did not work yeah then the right that's right of it it's probably just pretty low and I think they were just at a breaking point because we have answers for us too so IVF was essentially our last hope after having multiple attempts of

medicated cycles that did not work out. We were just at a point where we were ready to explore other avenue. And regardless of the outcome, we were just, let's try it. Right. And so we went through all of this through military healthcare system, which made it even more challenging. Interesting. Because military medicine is notorious for slow service and it's nearly impossible to get referrals there.

So when we signed up to do IVF, I think it was a year long waiting list. Wow. Yeah. So in my head, I was like, okay, whatever. At least our name is like on the paper. Right. Want to register to get on this cycle. So we're like one step ahead. Right. And so we waited a year between, between the waiting period and the, the actual first treatment and,

We definitely thought about surrogacy and adoption, but the rate of surrogacy in the United States is astronomical. When you say the rate, what are you talking about? You talk about like the amount of rate that it costs or like? Yes. Okay, got it. In 2025, it ranges from $100,000 to $200,000. Wow. Yeah, because it costs. Whoa.

Because you got to go through an agency and, you know, go through the medical expenses, legal fees. Oh, that's that woman who is the surrogate. That's a job. Having one baby because that's nine months of a thing. You're prepping your body in advance. So really, it is a 12 month job process. It is. Yeah. Dag. And you're on 24 hours a day because you've got a whole human in you. So I guess I can see it. Right. So now you started the IVF journey.

and just in our timeline of conversation. And how did that go? What did that look like? What happened? So with, okay, I'm just going to give you a quick recap of the steps to get to the IVF process. Yes. Everybody knows IVF is a very extensive process and there's so many testing that goes with it and has to be done within the year of your treatment cycle. So that was so

such a busy schedule. You know, you go from doing antibody screening then to go to your gynecologist to get pap smear, HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C testing. In my case, I had to go see a reproductive endocrinologist. And

It was for my thyroids because my thyroids naturally do not produce enough hormones on its own. I'm on a medication, so I had to go quarterly for these thyroid panel screenings. Yeah. Then the last step of this is the dreaded saline sonogram. Oh. Have you heard of that before? No. Tell me about the dreaded saline sonogram.

It is horrifying. Oh my gosh, what is it? It's basically a procedure where they put a thin catheter through your cervix into your uterus. Then it's like a saline solution. They say saline dye is what they call it. And they add it into your uterus and you have an ultrasound at the same time. So you're able to identify if you have any fibroids or polyps. And let me tell you, you're laying flat, but you're

underneath your bottom they have this like 90 degree pillow so you're basically holding your pelvis up in the air while this camera is just inside of you and scoping you out yeah and by the way you have to do this on your like the last two days of your period cycle so you're also on oh so you're

So you nasty. Yeah. Or messy. Messy. So in my case, unfortunately, you know, there's another bump in the road. They found polyps. Oh, man. They're basically, they're harmless. They're skin tags of the uterus. Yeah. They're abnormal tissue growing on the outside of the uterine lining. And so I had to get a minor surgery to get all of those out before getting IVF. But that delayed my cycle again.

- Can I ask a question? When did this whole process start again? Just the very beginning. Did you say 2019 was when you all started, first started trying? - Yeah, that's when we started trying, but the optimal process started in 2022. - Okay, so we still got some more to go, Angela. Okay, what happened next? 'Cause we are in 2025 now.

Right. And so after, you know, doing all the standard testing that they make you do, you have to go on birth control and it's to regulate your body to a standard cycle again. Okay. Then after that's done, you go into injections. Okay.

At this point, though, at this point, because at first you were doing four periods a year-ish. So when you're saying you ended up on birth control, what are your periods starting to look like? As long as you have one period before the treatment starts, you're in the clear. Oh, okay. Yeah.

So then you do the birth control, then you go on injections and everyone's treatment is personalized. So just keep in mind that the experience is all fair. Absolutely. Right. And so in my case, in order to prepare my body for the egg retrieval, I had to do about four daily injections. And then four daily. Yes, I had to do one in the butt.

In your booty. Three, like in my stomach, like the fatty part of my stomach area. Did you do them yourself or did your partner help? My husband did it for me that time. And when I did IVF the second time, I don't know why I even had him do it in the first place because it's easier for me to do it myself. Got it. And so followed by the injections, IVF.

You have the egg retrieval, then prepare your body for the egg transfer process. So you have three more daily injections for about two. It's good you didn't have to go to the office at that time.

Well, I did. You did? I did. I did. So where were you doing the injection? I was doing it in the bathroom. Jesus Christ. Yeah. And I don't think anybody knew during that time. I'm sure they didn't. I just, yeah. And I wanted this whole thing to be like so secretive. Right. Were you going in the, you were going in the, in the sink. So me and Angela worked together by the way. So you were going in that single bathroom, right? Not the one with the stalls. Okay. Yeah.

Wow, women. I'm telling you, women go through some things. Oh, yeah. You really never know what people are going through. Were you able to do it pretty quickly for yourself? Just kind of like because you got used to it. You're just like, all right, let's prick and go. Pretty much. And it's like everything has to be done at a specific time. Like, yeah, you got to do this quickly.

This injection, 8.30 a.m., you got to do this injection. By 8.30, it's like the time I'm supposed to be leaving for work. Right. Or I'm sitting in traffic. Can't do that in traffic. No. I got to work an hour before than I'm supposed to. Wow. So I can do these injections. So it takes a lot of dedication and effort. That is mind-blowing. And then thinking about the idea of like-

meetings during the middle of the day you don't necessarily get to control when you're getting to meet with somebody sometimes. Exactly. Yeah. You know, like it could be like 20 degrees outside and I'm having all of these like hot flashes inside the office. Everyone's like, oh, what's freezing in here? And I'm over here sweating like crazy.

Sweating bullets. Oh my gosh. And then thinking about the fact you have to carry these injection things around with you too. Exactly. And the meds. My biggest challenge was going to Hong Kong for a conference. Yeah. And doing this on the plane, taking in U.S. medication that's prescribed for me specifically for this treatment.

through a Hong Kong airport where they are extremely, extremely strict about these. Yeah. It was a whole protocol and I had to bring it to Korea. It was something. So you go through this process. It sounded like you were saying, did you do IVF twice? I did IVF twice. So the first time what happened to make you have to do it again? First time it did not

go well. Okay. Um, I think I stressed out a little too much. Okay. So you think stress had a big piece to do with it? Oh, definitely. Definitely. And then my husband also got orders in the midway of our appointment. So the whole the whole timeline of this was just not in our favor. And

maybe it was my body just not being reactive to the medication or it was maybe stress no one knows right so we gave it a couple months break and kind of like mentally give myself a break like it's fine we can get back up yes then when my husband left can we pause there yeah i love that statement so much

Like you took a minute, you paused and you're like, it's fine. I can get back up.

- Exactly. - That is huge, Angela, 'cause the amount of stuff that you just said that you had to do to get to this point of like, you tried this, it didn't work, you had to try something new and try again. You tried the next thing, it didn't work, you had to try something new and try again. You tried the next thing, it didn't work, you had to get back up and try again. And now we are here, and what happens when you try again?

So wait, let me just tell you this. Something that I realized about IVF, IVF is a very long marathon. Okay. Good point. You savor the little wins, but you find that motivation to get back up when you're ready. Good. So that's how I put my mindset. Ooh, savor the little wins. Savor the little wins. The little ones being, hey, I was able to find a fertility doctor. Yes. It didn't work out, but now-

I took the break that I needed and I'm going to try again. Yeah. You got to put yourself in a better mindset. Don't think about what you didn't do right the last time. It's more like, hey, how can I get better for the next time? And then also, I think like, don't blame yourself, right? You have to be kind to the body. You have to what? You have to be kind to your body. Yes.

So I like to jump in the middle of episodes to share something that came up while editing. And first, I am just so grateful that people are willing to come onto this podcast and share some of the most like personal experiences they've ever had.

I am so grateful for that. So that's one thing that came up. But another thing is how hard she fought for this. She tried one thing. It didn't work. She tried the next thing and it didn't work. She tried the next thing and it didn't work. She just kept on trying and it just kept on not working. But the key is she kept on trying. She could have given up, but she did not give up.

So what is it that you want, that you keep trying for, that it seems like it keeps failing and failing and failing and failing, and you feel like you're at the point where this is just never going to work. I might as well stop. Oop, speaking to myself right now. Oop, stop it. What are you, what are you dealing with where you feel like you want to give up? Don't stop. Keep going.

Keep trying, keep failing, and at some point you might just land where you've always wanted to be. Also, don't limit yourself to the confines of your imagination of thinking that where you wanted to be is where you're supposed to be or that how you think you're supposed to get there is how you're supposed to get there because there might be something that's different out there for you in particular.

So regardless of what your process is that you're going through, where you might think that you should give up now, don't give up. Keep trying because there's something new and different on the other side of your failure. And it's not even failure. It's just you trying and being course corrected to the next thing. Pivot. You got this. Don't give up. Keep going. That's it. Let's get back to the episode.

So while my husband is stationed out on the West Coast, I thankfully have a job that will bring me back to the DMV area on the East Coast where my fertility medication was being looked at. Yeah. So I moved back home for a couple of weeks, got the process started. And in the middle of it again, military throws a surprise at us. He's getting deployed now. Okay. Yeah.

Thank you, military. Your timing is terrible. Oh, my goodness. It's like they know. And so I go through all the injections. They give me a date for my transfer. The date is a week before I leave for a conference in Hong Kong. Yep.

oh boy and mind you i specifically said i couldn't go to hong kong because i was dealing with stuff people be dealing with stuff bro everybody is just out here dealing with stuff right exactly and my doctors are like there's no way you're gonna be traveling after getting inseminated and we cannot keep an eye on you because if this embryo attaches outside of the uterus

That's an ectopic pregnancy. Yeah. And typically with ectopic pregnancies, if they're placed in the wrong area, that place gets infected and eventually put you into shock. Yep. And so they're like, you got to find a doctor in Hong Kong who can do blood tests for you. You got to find a doctor who... Did you? I, and thank God, because I am Korean. Right. I had a layover in Korea. Yeah.

Before I got to Hong Kong. Oh, I see. Because I remember you got a hotel, didn't you? You stayed there for the night. Yeah, I remember. For one night I was in Korea. I went and found a clinic who would do a blood test on me, on a foreigner. And so the whole process was like weird to them, right? Because they're like, why are you even traveling? Right. You're supposed to be like monitored like every other day, basically. But why are you overseas right now? Mm-hmm.

uh the good news is my numbers were going up and was going up did you say they double it doubled they double savor in the wind the whole two weeks i was in hong kong i took a pregnancy test every single morning did you um you took you took that many pregnancy tests with you in your in your luggage

Yes. And I'm a very anxious person. Got it. So if you, you prepared yourself knowing that you would have anxiety and needed to know. Exactly. And it's the only thing that would give me peace. Yes. And so each day I wake up before I start work. Can we pause there again? Yeah. Listeners do what you have to do to give yourself peace.

If you know that this particular thing is going to give you anxiety, like set yourself up for success. Just take all the pregnancy tests with your child or whatever that thing is for you. If you know that you're about to go into something different that might make you feel a little bit unsettled, like prepare yourself in advance. Angela was prepared for her piece. I probably was.

psychotic with like probably did but you did what you had to do for you exactly but every morning I took a pregnancy test I saw the two lines I saw it getting darker faster each day oh wow like my motivation like okay so I can carry on with the rest of my day and not have to worry uh-huh and then in Hong Kong I started having very early pregnancy symptoms okay what were your symptoms well I was having really bad food aversion

And a lot of the people on our team noticed it because I'm a huge foodie. Oh, yeah. Hong Kong has such great food and their delicacies that you wouldn't have otherwise. But I was like, I couldn't even fathom the thought of

putting like one of their delicacy in my mouth it was so weird yeah and i remember during staff dinner we were eating like this like i think it was like a michelin star hotel uh course and one of them was like like fried duck meal uh-uh no hard no thought of the duck like little chickies like in my head nope

that's a no i couldn't even eat anything simple as a fried rice yeah wow so bad and i was not drinking i'm a huge wine drinker i was yeah things that everybody kind of caught on absolutely and they're like i wonder why angela's not drinking oh lord everybody shut up no seriously like

Be quiet, everybody. It's your own business. There's reasons why I don't drink. But can I tell you a funny story? Tell me a funny story. So I went to Korea after my Hong Kong trip and my siblings met up with me. Right. Yeah. And I was staying at my grandmother's house, who I also haven't seen in probably over 10 plus years. So she doesn't know that I'm going through IVF. Only my siblings know. Right. And I was so stupid because...

I have been continuing to do these injections in Korea. Yeah. And I forgot to discard the needles elsewhere. And so you put them. My grandmother is a huge recycler. So she likes to like in the bathroom trash can because she lives alone. Yeah. There's hardly any trash in there. So she like empties it like once every two weeks or whatever. Bro, does she think he was doing like heroin or something? Exactly. Exactly.

I'm in Korea, my siblings and I are out like exploring the night market and my mom gives me a call. She goes, "Your grandma thinks you're shooting yourself." I cannot. And I was like, "What are you talking about?" And she goes, "I don't think she meant like shooting yourself, but she thinks you're obese and maybe you have, you know, you're doing some insulin shots or something like that." Oh my gosh. And so my mom had to tell her, so...

There's a superstition that when you go through IVF, you don't tell anybody about the outcome until you're, like, past that safe 12-week mark. Got it. At that point, I was about, like, six or seven weeks. And my grandma, like, we had to tell her because I want her thinking, like, her grandma, her granddaughter is, like, doing something in her bathroom. Dang, you were shooting up drugs, Angela. Exactly. And so that was a really funny moment, but...

Bringing shame to your family's name in the bathroom. You have to go into the night markets. You got a dealer at the night market. Yeah, of course. And I was at the night market. Yeah, you got the dealer at the night market. I'm weak. That is too funny. But so you found out that you were pregnant in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong. And then I could not hold it anymore. So I was like, I'm going to go find a gynecologist in Korea and see if there's a heartbeat or something to give me some definitive reassurance.

I did go. They found a heartbeat, very, very small little P looking like white dot. And they're like, it's too early to tell, but there is a heartbeat. So I was like, oh my God, at least the baby's stuck. Okay, Angela, I need to know how you felt when you like heard heartbeat or just started to get, you know, you're on the up and up. You're getting all of this like positive reinforcement. How are you feeling?

Oh, I was, like, about to shit my pants the whole time I was waiting in the-- sitting in the waiting room. They call my name and so I sit in the chair, they do the-- they bring up the wand and it's inserted vaginally at that point because any ultrasound on the abdomen... Yeah. ...is not identifiable just yet because it's so small.

I see something flicker on the screen. I'm like, "Oh my god. What is that?" She goes, "That's the heartbeat." Aww. I was like, "Can we hear it?" She goes, "Oh, might be a little bit too early, but we can hear it." And it was just like... Nothing. Not like a... Yeah. So it was like, oh my god, my heart literally sank. Like, I guess like...

I was, there's so much emotion going on. Yeah. Oh my goodness, Lauren. The thought of a human being just like, like a life being created inside of me. The thought of that just like blew my mind. Of course. And the thing is like, I think with me going over to Asia for work, I think that was such...

Like it was taking such a big part in my brain that I was stressing out about work. And I completely forgot about the IVF process. That was kind of like secondary at that point. And I think that really helped in my favor. Wow.

Yeah. Also thinking about our schedules when we're going on those trips like that, I have no idea how you timed any of this stuff. Because when we are on for conference time, we are on from 630 a.m. to 10 p.m. basically. So I don't have any idea how you timed this. That is insane. But then you get to go and you hear this little like, did you call Joey?

Uh, well, at that point, he's in the same time zone as me because he's deployed. Oh. And so I think I called my mom first. I was like, I went to the gynecologist. There is a heartbeat. Yeah. And I sent her the picture. She goes, yep, it's there. He's like, he or she stuck around. You're pregnant. And literally, like, I kid you not. And like, my pregnancy emotions are just, you know, hormones are up and down, up and down.

Yeah, I think I just sent a picture to my husband and waited for his response. And of course, him, you know, being in the military. Well, I got a response maybe a couple hours later, but it was, oh, the moment that I found out, Lauren. So beautiful. Oh, I'm so happy, Angela. Yeah.

You know, when you told me I was just full of joy, like it's so, so good. And then now even hearing the full story of like the entire process, it's like even better. That is just so amazing. Um, and so for anybody who's listening and they might be considering IVF or going through their own process or whatever, like what tips do you feel like you wish you had known beforehand? You need to give yourself and your partner the grace that you deserve. Yeah. Um,

accepting those facts that you can't conceive naturally is a tough pill to swallow. Yeah, for sure. And you don't need to be on the same timeline as your friends. Definitely avoid comparing your journey to others because then that creates an unrealistic expectation that weren't meant for you in the first place, which ultimately leads to more disappointment.

And so for me, like I said, just be kind to yourself, kind to your body. This journey is already challenging, but the stress that you're putting on yourself will only transfer, that energy will transfer to the little one that's trying to grow inside of you. Yeah, that's a good word right there. Yeah. And like I said, if you're specifically going through IVF, it's a long marathon. So stay for the small wins and find that motivation to get back up when you're ready.

This is so good. I'm loving these episodes that are like very specific for very specific listeners. Like, I think that I love diving into more of a niche thing. Pregnancy overall and infertility is something that so many people experience, but specifically the IVF journey, not everybody gets to go on that particular journey. So specific listener who is in the midst of this process and has stumbled upon this, please have hope.

Please have hope because you hear Angela and her experience. She has gone through so much. Fallen down, gotten back up, fallen down, gotten back up, fallen down, gotten back up, went to Hong Kong, found time. I have no idea how. Found a little in her tummy. And here we are.

Bro, celebrate. I know you're in a struggling time right now, but there is hope, friend. There is hope. And there are so many ways that you can have a family. There's not one way to create a family.

So keep that in mind. I had another question. So one thing I was wondering was like, what are some of the hopes and dreams that you have for baby? And then we'll get into how we reframe listening belief. But tell me like one of your hopes and dreams for baby. I don't ask for much at this point. Yeah. Simply happiness and health. Happiness and health. Um,

such a challenging journey to bring them to this world. I just want them to experience the joy and love throughout their life. And just, you know, more than anything, I want my child to always know how deeply they were wanted and loved. That even before they existed, we fought so hard to bring them into our lives. I want them to recognize that.

Yeah. And how many months pregnant are you now? I'm six months pregnant. I am counting down now. I love being pregnant, Lauren. A lot of people dread it. I love it. I am charging every like every pain. I love it. I sit at my desk during work and he's kicking me all day long. I love it. I'm like, kick away. Just get kicky.

Because you had to go through so much to get here. So it's like now you're here. Just savor these nine months now. Yeah, definitely worth savoring. And so at the end of each episode, we reframe the submitting belief to fit more within our desired reality. And so typically reframes, I always use this one as an example. The very first episode I did was basically like about getting married on other people's societal timeline. But

we reframed it to say, I can get married at the time that's right for me. Forget this timeline. Like everybody's on their own track. I can do what I need. I don't even have to get married. I can just start a partnership. So you have options and things that you want to do. And so for this particular limiting belief that you can't get pregnant, or if you have another limiting belief that you'd rather reframe, how would you reframe it to fit more within our desired reality?

So I'd reframe you can't get pregnant to you haven't gotten pregnant yet. Oh, that's good. Because that simple shift from a definitive statement to acknowledging the timing makes a world difference mentally for you. That's so good. And so I wish I would have given myself this advice a couple of years ago, because I'm

When I kept telling my husband, I can't do this. I'm failing at this. I wish I would have replaced that sentence with we're working on it. We're actively exploring all possible pathways to parenthood. All possible pathways to parenthood. Love the alliteration in addition to the insight. And so this journey isn't about success versus failure. You got to think about it as your persistence, persistence and being open to the different routes.

but will ultimately lead you to the same destination as others. You're just taking a longer route. You're just taking a longer route. Exactly. So good, Angela. Well, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for sharing your tips and your insight. If people wanted to connect with you, where can they find you? Yes, I'm happy to connect on LinkedIn, Angela Gaston. I can be found on Instagram. My handle is AJL.

G-A-S-T-O-N, the number two on Instagram. You might be the first person who's come on this podcast instead of LinkedIn. I don't know. I mean, like, I want to be a resource for those because I needed, I needed a friend years ago. And I,

whatever avenue it takes to connect with me, please do it. I love it. And y'all know where you can find me. I am at lauren.e.will on Insta. My podcast page is at IP Woman Podcast. I rarely post on there, but feel free to shoot me a DM. I do check those from time to time. And listeners, thank you for tuning in. Angela, I appreciate you for joining me. Thank you for having me. This was such a great topic and

I wish people would be more open to talking about it. And if there's anything I can do to help you out there, please do not hesitate to reach out. I love it. Listeners will chat next week. Farewell.