This episode features Jessica Katz, licensed clinical social worker and certified perinatal mental health therapist, and parent to an egg-donor conceived child. During our conversation, Jessica shares her deeply personal and often challenging journey to parenthood, from her early struggles with irregular periods and feeling shame around her body and reproductive health, to an eventual diagnosis of ovarian insufficiency leading to the recommendation for donor egg IVF. The donor conception process was not without challenges, from navigating outdated agency databases to the emotional blow of discovering a seemingly ideal donor didn't pass medical testing. These setbacks ultimately led her to the realization that health and good character were far more important than physical traits in a donor.

Jessica's journey continued with immense gratitude for her chosen donor, who demonstrated remarkable kindness and resilience even through a stressful pharmacy mishap during the retrieval cycle. After facing a continued stream of obstacles to an unsuccessful frozen transfer, a second cycle - though still plagued with challenges - ultimately was successful, and Jessica is now a proud mom to an almost one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Now navigating parenting a donor conceived child, Jessica values openness with her daughter about their journey, wanting to instill in her how special she is “because it took three people to make her and three people that all have such amazing strengths”.

Inspired by her experiences, Jessica founded Empress Counseling, a practice dedicated to helping others navigate infertility, pregnancy, and postpartum challenges, named after the Empress Tarot Card symbolizing nurture and maternal energy. In her work, she advocates for compassion-focused therapy, encouraging clients to validate their feelings, practice genuine self-care beyond checklists, and give themselves permission to have needs. Jessica stresses that infertility is a unique "beast" and she works to dismantle the shame and blame often associated with it, emphasizing that your struggles or the results of your family-building efforts do not diminish your inherent worth.

Connect with Jessica through her website (https://www.empresscounseling.com) or on Instagram @empresscounseling.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Fertility treatment, infertility, Irregular cycle, reproductive endocrinologist, diminished ovarian reserve, ovarian insufficiency, donor egg, donor conception, guilt, IVF, donor egg IVF, DEIVF, egg donor agency, anonymous egg donor, frozen embryo transfer, therapy, mental health support, parenting donor conceived children, trauma, shame, healing, therapist, compassion-focused therapy, self-care, compassion, Jessica Katz, Empress Counseling

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