1980s IVF Pioneer and "Unstoppable" author Ellen Weir Casey

Today Ali is talking to an ART O.G.! It's Ellen Weir Casey, "The Original Fertility Advocate," who forged her own unique path to parenthood in the very early days of IVF. "Infertility wasn't even a word then," Ellen says. "It was, 'You're not getting pregnant. There's no way you're getting pregnant.'" Ellen tells Ali her entire family building journey, starting with how she got an unapproved IUD in her early 20s, which led to a severe internal infection that resulted in extreme scarring in both fallopian tubes. Ellen was around in the earliest days of Assisted Reproductive Technology, so she was doing research in the library basement. This was also way before email and iPhones and Facebook and Instagram, so she was typing up letters on her typewriter and sending them in the mail to doctors and clinics. She talks about her early miscarriage, being one of the first women in the world to have micro-surgery, and when IVF babies were called "test tube babies." She also talks about how having her daughter became an international news story, and her powerful memoir, "Unstoppable," a captivating story of loss, struggle, and perseverance. "I believe that it's important for women to know the stories of the women who went before them, who opened the doors, that they can walk through now," she says.  
To order her book, go to https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Forging-Path-Motherhood-Early/dp/1632994976
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:Miscarriage; early days of ART; IVF; micro-surgery; test tube babies; advocacy 
For sponsorship or partnership inquiries, please email infertileafstories@gmail.com
EPISODE SPONSORS:FERTILITY RALLY @fertilityrally www.fertilityrally.comNo one should go through infertility alone. Join the Worst Club with the Best Members at fertilityrally.com. We offer 4 to 5 support groups per week, 4 private Facebook groups, tons of curated IRL and virtual events, and an entire community of more than 500 women available to support you, no matter where you are in your journey.
Join now at link in bio on IG @fertilityrally or at www.fertilityrally.com
RECEPTIVA DXReceptivaDx is the only test that can identify endometriosis, progesterone resistance and endometritis in a single sample, all causes for unexplained infertility and thus success rates of IVF treatments. ReceptivaDx includes BCL6, a marker that identifies uterine inflammation most often associated with asymptomatic (silent) endometriosis. BCL6 is found in more than 50% of women with unexplained infertility and over 65% of women with two or more IVF failures. If positive for the ReceptivaDx test, treatment options can improve the chances for a successful live birth 5 fold! Learn more at receptivadx.com or download our app “Receptivadx" -- and USE CODE INFERTILEAF23 for $75 off the test
Fertility Coach Academy and Elizabeth King Fertility CoachingReady to turn your passion for fertility into a purpose-driven career? Visit www.fertilitycoachacademy.com. You’ll be empowered to make a difference, while embracing the mind, body, and spirit approach. Or are you seeking personalized guidance on your own journey. Visit www.elizabethking.com. Unleash your potential and unlock the doors to parenthood.
Use code "Inf