IVF SUCCESS STORY || The TRUTH About INFERTILITY & What You Should *NEVER SAY* About It
Friends for more than 20 years, Sophie Schillaci and Jill Dunbar engage in an honest and raw conversation about infertility, IVF, and how to be truly supportive along the journey.
In 2018, Sophie had quickly and easily become pregnant with her first child. Months later, Jill learned that she would face challenges with infertility as more and more members of her close circle of friends welcomed children of their own.
Today, Jill is a mother to a beautiful baby girl after successfully undergoing in vitro fertilization. She hopes to be a light for other women struggling with infertility, and, for anyone wanting to talk further, can be found on Instagram @Jillybeans688. This is her story.
If you'd like to skip over any portion of our conversation, you can find a detailed list of timecode from our conversation below.
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TIMECODES:
01:20 - A history of Jill + Sophie's friendship, and why we are having this conversation.
03:48 - Pregnancy Announcement Anxiety
04:10 - Infertility + Social Media
05:00 - Why Infertility "Definitely made me a better person"
07:28 - Jill's Infertility Journey: The Beginning
08:50 - When your friends start getting pregnant...
09:50 - Why can't I get pregnant?! Finding the issue.
12:42 - Step One: Letrozole // Clomid
15:45 - IUI: Intrauterine Insemination
16:25 - Injectables... and the possibility of SEXTUPLETS
17:08 - IVF + the waiting game
18:01 - "One of the hardest nights for me" -- Why meeting Sophie's baby made Jill feel like "a terrible human being."
21:00 - How to BE A GOOD FRIEND
26:52 - ***Finding your village***
28:25 - Beginning the IVF process
30:18 - Egg retrieval
32:36 - Fertilizing the eggs
34:08 - Unsuccessful embryo transfer
34:58 - IVF + your boss
35:44 - Frozen embryo transfer success!
38:00 - Choosing the sex?
38:48 - Being pregnant
40:53 - What's next?! Frozen embryos + Postpartum thyroiditis
42:53 - Family plans change
43:06 - The birth of a mother
43:45 - Trying naturally for baby no. 2
44:32 - $$ IVF COSTS HOW MUCH? $$
45:35 - The importance of advocating for yourself
47:17 - "Gone Fishing": The sisterhood of the traveling fertility shirt
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Who is Sophie?
Sophie Schillaci is a seasoned entertainment journalist with a decade of experience in Hollywood, both in front of the camera and behind the keyboard. She has worked for media outlets including Entertainment Tonight, The Hollywood Reporter and MTV News, interviewing A-list stars across film, television and music, sharing their stories through compelling video and written content.
An East Coast transplant, Sophie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two dogs and two babes: Everly, who made her a mama in August of 2018, and Colton, born in March of 2020.
She's covered red carpets for the GRAMMY Awards, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, countless major studio film and television premieres, the Sundance Film Festival, and the list goes on (and on). She's traveled the globe for exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews... and attended more tapings of "The Voice" and "American Idol" than she can count.
Additionally, she has appeared as a pop culture expert on several nationally and globally syndicated programs, including Good Morning America, The Talk, Extra and more.
As a senior video producer and writer for ET's digital imprint, ETonline.com, Sophie created the successful franchise series "Certified Country" and "Interviews Under the Influence."
Prior to breaking into the entertainment world, Sophie worked as a collegiate sports reporter and was named a winner at the College Emmy Awards for her work spearheading broadcast coverage of Division One Hockey's prestigious Frozen Four tournament.
When she's not chasing her toddler with her baby strapped to her chest, she's probably online shopping for tiny, adorable clothes (Ugh, Instagram ads!) or binge watching trashy TV with her husband.