On this week’s podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jordana Mark Ostrov, a marketer, wife, and proud mama who chose openness over silence when navigating her fertility journey. Our conversation focused on the realities of IVF, breaking down stigmas around fertility treatments, and finding resilience through vulnerability and community support.
Taking the IVF Path: From Genetic Testing to Treatment
When I asked Jordana about her fertility journey, she shared how her path to parenthood began unexpectedly with genetic testing. Unlike most IVF stories where treatment becomes the last resort after trying to conceive naturally, Jordana and her husband discovered through routine genetic screening that they were both carriers of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. With a 25% chance of each embryo carrying this serious genetic disease, IVF with preimplantation genetic testing (PGD) became their first step, not their last.
Jordana shared how she reframed what could have been devastating news into “a blessing in disguise.” Already dealing with PCOS, she recognized they might have faced fertility challenges anyway. This perspective shift allowed her to embrace IVF as an opportunity to ensure healthy embryos rather than viewing it as a setback.
Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster: Waiting, Hormones, and Letting Go
Throughout our conversation, Jordana was refreshingly honest about the emotional toll of the IVF process. As someone who thrives on planning and control, the constant uncertainty proved incredibly challenging. Appointments that kept getting rescheduled, treatment timelines that shifted unexpectedly, and her beloved doctor being called to army reserves the day before her egg retrieval all tested her resilience.
The waiting, more than the needles or hormones, became the hardest part. Watching others get pregnant while she was “twiddling her thumbs” created moments of deep frustration and even numbness. Jordana admitted to periods where she felt completely drained from chasing doctors and appointments, unable to move forward.
Finding Strength in Community and Vulnerability
One of the most powerful aspects of Jordana’s story is how she found support through community. She shared how attending Bonei Olam, a fertility support group, became her lifeline. Meeting with other women every six weeks—each with their own story of IVF, IUI, surrogacy, or other treatments—created a space where she felt understood without having to explain her pain.
“There’s something about being with people who have been through what you’ve been through,” Jordana explained. The group provided the validation and encouragement she needed during her darkest moments, proving that we don’t have to navigate difficult journeys alone.
Strengthening Partnership Through Adversity
Jordana spoke beautifully about how IVF impacted her marriage, bringing out different strengths in both partners. While she handled the physical aspects—the appointments, shots, and medical decisions—her husband provided unwavering emotional support. Despite his needle phobia, he stood behind her every single night during hormone injections, holding her hands and being physically present.
This pattern of partnership continued through pregnancy, a four-day induction that ended in a C-section, and into parenthood. When the C-section unexpectedly thrust her husband into solo parenting while she recovered, he rose to the occasion. Jordana’s story demonstrates how challenges, when navigated together, can strengthen relationships rather than fracture them.
Breaking Down the Stigma: Medicine, Miracles, and Modern Families
We had an important conversation about the stigma surrounding IVF and fertility treatments. Jordana challenged the notion that if you can’t conceive naturally, “maybe God meant it that way.” She drew powerful parallels to other medical advances: “We don’t die from the common cold anymore. We don’t cut off our leg every time we sprain an ankle.” IVF is simply another medical miracle that allows people to build healthy families.
Whether children come through IVF, IUI, adoption, or surrogacy, Jordana emphasized that what matters is the connection and nurture you provide. “They definitely have your nurture even if it’s without your nature,” she wisely noted. The love, care, and environment you create matter far more than the method of conception.
A Message of Hope and Connection
Jordana’s advice for anyone facing fertility challenges centered on letting go of control and finding your people. She emphasized that one in six couples experience infertility, and even more undergo fertility treatments for various reasons. No one should face this journey alone.
Her miraculous outcome—15 eggs retrieved, five out of five tested embryos healthy, and now a beautiful five-month-old son Adam with four more healthy embryos frozen—serves as a testament to both medical advancement and the power of perseverance.refine throughout our lives, using every experience for learning, growth, and greater awareness.
Learn more about Jordana:
Jordana Mark Ostrov is a marketer by profession, a wife by heart, and most proudly—and most recently—a mama. After learning she would need IVF for genetic reasons, Jordana chose openness over silence, sharing her fertility journey to help normalize conversations around fertility treatments and uncertainty. Her story is one of resilience, hope, and the life-changing miracle that can come from trusting what’s possible.
