What happens when you’ve finally accepted that IVF is your next step, prepared yourself for everything that comes with it and then, right before you begin, your entire story changes?

In Season 2, Episode 6 of Suddenly Infertile, I sit down with fellow Pittsburgh native Shelby Gunter for a conversation filled with vulnerability, laughter, faith, and a few moments that will have you saying, “I know that’s right sis!”

Shelby opens up about her fertility journey and the moment she learned that her fallopian tubes were blocked. She was told she would need surgery and that IVF would be her path forward.

So she prepared.

She processed what was ahead. She got ready to begin treatment. She had her IVF medications and was preparing to start them when something completely unexpected happened:

Shelby found out she was pregnant!

The woman who had been preparing herself for IVF was suddenly looking at a positive pregnancy test.

In this episode, Shelby takes us beyond that incredible moment and into the real emotions behind her journey. The uncertainty, the medical conversations, the decisions, the faith, and what it was like when the plan she had mentally prepared for suddenly wasn't the plan anymore.

We also talk about what her experience taught her and the perspective she now has for other women navigating infertility because one of the things I loved most about this conversation was the GEMS Shelby dropped along the way that spoke to people across generations.

☕ Sis, What’s the Tea?

Oh, we had us a TIME! 😂

Shelby and I get into one of those topics almost every woman navigating infertility has experienced:

“So… when are you having a baby?”

We share some of our own uncomfortable and sometimes unbelievable experiences with people asking about pregnancy and babies without knowing what was happening behind the scenes.

Shelby shares a situation that happened at her business, while I open up about an experience that happened to me at the church I grew up in.

We talk about how you navigate those conversations, when you choose to educate someone, when you simply protect your peace, and why seemingly innocent questions can carry so much weight for someone privately struggling to build their family.

And yes… we laughed, too! Because sometimes when two women who have been through it sit down together, there's nothing left to do but say, “Sis… you too?!”

This episode is particularly special to me because Shelby is from my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, and I'm incredibly grateful that she trusted Suddenly Infertile with such a personal part of her journey. 🖤💛

Whether you're preparing for IVF, navigating a diagnosis, struggling with the questions people ask, trying to hold onto your faith, or simply realizing that your journey to motherhood looks nothing like you expected, there is something in Shelby's story for you.

🎧 Listen to Season 2, Episode 6 of Suddenly Infertile wherever you get your podcasts.

If this conversation resonates with you, please follow/subscribe, rate and review the show, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps another person find this community.

📧 Interested in sharing your infertility story on Suddenly Infertile?

suddenlyinfertile@gmail.com

🔗 Learn more + access resources: ⁠https://suddenly-infertile-podcast.kit.com/d1c7a2164b⁠

Instagram: @SuddenlyInfertile

To connect with Shelby:

Salon: Polished & Pampered

8 Freeport St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15223

Instagram : @nailsbyshel_badd

🤎 Because here at Suddenly Infertile… You Are Not Alone.

Produced by Shadrae King

At just 19 years old, Viola was married and already facing news that would completely change the way she imagined motherhood. She was diagnosed with PCOS and learned that both of her fallopian tubes were blocked, leaving her wondering whether becoming a mother would ever be possible.

But that diagnosis was only the beginning of her story.

In Season 2, Episode 5 of Suddenly Infertile, Viola joins me for an incredibly vulnerable conversation about a fertility journey marked by IVF, grief, loss, unexpected obstacles, and even a medical emergency where she hemorrhaged and nearly lost her life.

Viola takes us through the moments that tested her physically and emotionally and what it meant to continue navigating infertility when it seemed like every time she overcame one obstacle, another one appeared.

This episode isn't just about treatment.

It's about the grief that can exist alongside hope. It's about receiving life-changing information at an age when you never imagined you'd have to think about infertility. It's about the toll this journey can take and finding the strength to keep moving forward when the path to motherhood looks nothing like the one you originally envisioned.

This week, we're switching things up!

Viola shares another part of her journey: becoming an author. 📖✨

We talk about her upcoming book, Infertility Sucks, But Not You, and the message behind a title that so many people in this community need to hear.

Because infertility can suck.

The appointments can suck.
The waiting can suck.
The losses and disappointments can suck.

But infertility does not define your worth.

Viola opens up about why she decided to put her experiences into words and what she hopes other women navigating infertility will take away from her book.

This is a conversation about survival, grief, resilience, identity, and what happens when you decide that infertility may be part of your story but it doesn't get to be the whole story.

🎧 Listen to Season 2, Episode 5 of Suddenly Infertile wherever you get your podcasts.

If Viola's story speaks to you, follow the show, rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear it.

If this conversation resonates with you, follow the show, rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear it.

📧 Interested in sharing your infertility story on Suddenly Infertile?

suddenlyinfertile@gmail.com

🔗 Learn more + access resources: ⁠https://suddenly-infertile-podcast.kit.com/d1c7a2164b⁠

Instagram: @SuddenlyInfertile

To connect with Viola: www.fortitudecounselingcc.com

Facebook : Fortitude Counseling CC

Email: viola.fortitudecounselingcc.com

🤎 Because here at Suddenly Infertile… You Are Not Alone.

Produced by Shadrae King

🎙️ Season 2, Episode 4

One Embryo, One Miracle: Orvia's IVF Journey to Motherhood Over 40

What happens when the life you planned changes—and the road to motherhood changes right along with it?

In Season 2, Episode 4 of Suddenly Infertile, I sit down with Orvia Glover for an inspiring conversation about second chances, blocked tubes, IVF, faith, and becoming a mother over 40.

Orvia’s journey to motherhood didn’t happen according to the timeline she may have once imagined. After entering her second marriage, she was ready to build her family—but fertility testing revealed an unexpected obstacle.

She initially believed one fallopian tube was blocked. But during further evaluation, she learned that both tubes were affected, completely changing what the road ahead would look like.

Ultimately, that road led to IVF.

And after everything it took to get there, Orvia had one embryo.

One.

For anyone who has gone through fertility treatment, you know how much emotion can be wrapped up in that number. The fear. The hope. The questions. The prayers.

But Orvia held tightly to something she shares during our conversation:

“It only takes one.” 🤎

That one embryo would ultimately become her son.

In this episode, we talk about navigating fertility treatment in your 40s, deciding to move forward with IVF, the emotional weight of having only one embryo, and what it felt like to finally see her first positive pregnancy test at 40.

But one of my favorite parts of this conversation is Orvia’s faith walk!

She speaks openly about calling on God during moments of doubt and uncertainty and trusting Him even when she couldn’t see how the story would end. Her journey is a beautiful reminder of faith, hope and perserverance.

☕ And, of course, we sipped on some tea!

What does it mean to pursue motherhood when society constantly reminds women about their age? How do you keep hope alive when the odds or numbers don't necessarily look the way you wanted them to?

Orvia’s story challenges the idea that motherhood has to happen according to one specific timeline.

Second marriage. Blocked tubes. IVF. One embryo. One positive pregnancy test. One beautiful son.

🎧 Listen to Season 2, Episode 4 of Suddenly Infertile wherever you get your podcasts.

If Orvia's story encourages you, please follow, rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with another woman who may need some hope in her waiting season.

If this conversation resonates with you, follow the show, rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear it.

📧 Interested in sharing your infertility story on Suddenly Infertile?

suddenlyinfertile@gmail.com

🔗 Learn more + access resources: ⁠https://suddenly-infertile-podcast.kit.com/d1c7a2164b⁠

📱 Instagram: @SuddenlyInfertile

To connect with Orvia:

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Orvia_Renae

Tik Tok: Orvia_renae

📱 Instagram : @Orvia_renae1

🤎 Because here at Suddenly Infertile… You Are Not Alone.

Produced by Shadrae King