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A positive pregnancy test felt like the start of a familiar story—until Alison Beder Soloway couldn’t breathe at 32 weeks and doctors discovered heart failure linked to HHT. That moment rewrote everything. She was told carrying again would be too dangerous, and the road to the family she imagined would have to bend. What followed was a years-long relay of nine IVF attempts, cross‑border laws, agency vetting, and the kind of paperwork that decides names on birth certificates. Along the way, Alison discovered that a marathon mindset—steady effort, smart pacing, and a refusal to quit—could carry her through fertility’s longest miles.

We dive into the real costs and hidden tolls of IVF, the physical pain of retrievals, and the emotional whiplash of waiting for calls that change your life. Alison explains how clinics differ more than their marketing, why switching doctors can be an act of courage, and how to spot red flags when choosing a gestational carrier. She shares the moment bonding overruled doubt as she watched her son take his first breaths, then traces the beautiful complexity of welcoming twins from the same embryo cohort—“triplets,” born a year and a half apart. Together we unpack stigma around surrogacy, the myths about fraternal twins, and the fierce autonomy families deserve when deciding how to bring children into the world.

As a fitness professional serving women 40+, Alison also breaks down why strength training is essential for bone health, metabolism, and aging well—especially for anyone using weight-loss medications that can accelerate muscle loss. Her take is practical and compassionate: advocate for yourself, ask better questions, partner with your care team, and choose hope on purpose. If your body says no, your resolve—and your plan—can still say go.

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