Illume Fertility

10/20/2026

🗓️ Wednesday, October 21 • Starts at 12 PM EDT

A cancer diagnosis can change your plans in an instant, including your plans for parenthood. 💗

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, join Dr. Spencer Richlin for a hopeful, informative conversation about fertility preservation and the options that may be available before treatment begins.

Dr. Richlin will cover:
🎗️ How cancer treatment and other therapies can affect fertility
🎗️ When fertility preservation may be recommended
🎗️ What to expect from egg, s***m, and embryo freezing
🎗️ How fertility care can fit into a time-sensitive treatment plan

Dr. Richlin will close with a live Q&A to get your questions answered about fertility preservation, treatment timelines, and planning for the future.

🎁 SPECIAL OFFER: Register to receive a 30-minute consultation with Dr. Richlin for onco-related fertility care. *Must be a self-pay, new patient and must schedule by 10.31.26. Must be for onco-related fertility care.

10/19/2026

Happy Medical Assistant Recognition Week to our phenomenal MA team! 🩺💙

From the first blood draw of the morning to the last patient of the day, our MAs are the steady hands and friendly faces behind so many moments of care. They bring kindness, calm, and a whole lot of heart to every appointment.

Wondering what our MAs do day-to-day? They get patients prepped and comfortable, assist our physicians and nurses during procedures, keep schedules moving, and are often the first to offer a reassuring word when it matters most.

To our MAs: thank you for everything you do, seen and unseen. We couldn’t do this without you. ✨

Help us show them some love! Drop a 💙 or tag your favorite Illume MA in the comments 👇

10/19/2026

🏳️‍🌈✨ What an inspiring weekend in the Windy City!

From October 16–18, Illume Fertility was proud to participate in MHB - Men Having Babies’ annual Chicago conference, bringing together intended fathers, fertility experts, and family-building advocates for a weekend of education, connection, and empowerment! 💙

Illume’s Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Mark Leondires, had the honor of speaking on and moderating the “Medical Aspects of Surrogacy” panel, sharing his expertise and insights into the medical considerations, advancements, and pathways that help make parenthood possible for LGBTQ+ individuals and couples.

At Illume Fertility, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to build the family of their dreams. We are incredibly proud of our longstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ family building and our continued collaboration with Men Having Babies to expand access to compassionate, inclusive fertility care, education, and guidance.

💙 A heartfelt thank you to the Men Having Babies team for another exceptional event, and to all the future dads, families, and advocates who joined us in Chicago. Together, we're breaking barriers, creating possibilities, and helping make dreams of parenthood a reality!

Missed in Chicago? Explore your family-building options, including egg donation and gestational surrogacy, at illumefertility.com.

10/15/2026

🕯️ Tonight at 7:00 PM, we invite you to join us for the International Wave of Light, a moment of remembrance for the babies gone too soon and for every family carrying loss.

Whether you’ve experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, embryo loss, ectopic pregnancy, the grief of infertility, or want to support someone you love, we invite you to pause with us. Share this post to your Stories and tag so we can come together in remembrance and support.

🤍 If you’d like, share your baby’s name or nickname in the comments, or leave a white heart to honor each loss remembered tonight.

💙Today at 12:00 PM, Dr. Alexander Kucherov will host a free webinar, Fertility 101: Trying to Conceive After Pregnancy Loss, offering guidance, information, and support for those navigating their next steps after loss. We invite you to join us for this important conversation. [link in bio to register]

Grief can feel incredibly isolating, but you are not alone. We see you, we honor you, and we’re holding space for you today and always.

10/13/2026

Our most anticipated event of the year is back, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎃💜

This year, you can participate in TWO ways:
👻 Attend our in-person Baby Boo party at Illume’s Norwalk office
📸 Send us a photo of your Illume baby(s) in costume to be featured in our Baby Boo round-up post

What to expect at the in-person Baby Boo party:
🍬 Sweet treats & festive (not-too-spooky!) fun
📷 Adorable photo ops with your little boos
💜 Reconnecting with your care team & other Illume families

The details:
📅 Saturday, October 31, 2026
🕚 12:00 – 2:00pm (open house)
📍 Illume Fertility - 761 Main Ave, Suite 200, Norwalk, CT

Registration is required and spots are limited. Please RSVP for all attending family members (siblings are welcome).

Be sure to register by Tuesday, October 27 so we can plan for you. 👻

10/12/2026

In recognition of Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, Dr. Alexander Kucherov is hosting a compassionate, practical conversation about trying to conceive (or returning to fertility treatment) after loss.

He’ll talk through:

💙 How long to wait before trying again
💙 When additional testing or evaluation may help
💙 What to consider when returning to treatment
💙 Ways to care for your emotional well-being

We’ll close with a live Q&A, so you can bring your questions about fertility, loss, and your next steps.

📅 Thursday, October 15 | 🕛 12:00 PM ET | 💻 Online
🔗 Register at the link below

If you can’t join live, register anyway and we’ll send you the replay.

Trying to Conceive After Pregnancy Loss

10/09/2026

Happy National Physician Associate Week to our amazing PA, Diana D’Amelio! 💛

Every day, Diana brings skill, heart, and a steady presence to Illume. Whether she’s working alongside our physicians or walking a patient through their next step, she makes the fertility journey feel more supported and a lot less overwhelming.

Her kindness and commitment don’t go unnoticed, and we’re so lucky to have her on our team. 💫

Drop a note of thanks for Diana in the comments! 👇

09/30/2026

"I learned that you're never actually alone." 💛

After meeting as kids, growing up, and traveling the world together, Natalie and her husband settled in her hometown and felt ready to start a family. Then came the diagnosis she never saw coming: PCOS (now PMOS).

"To be honest, I had no idea PCOS even existed until I was diagnosed."

At Illume Fertility, she found a care team and a community. Through early-morning monitoring, a switch to injectable medication (despite hating shots!), and a lot of coffee, IUI helped them welcome their daughter Ava. ☀️

The road to baby #2 was longer. It took more time, a surgical procedure, and plenty of hard days. Natalie and her husband kept leaning on each other, and in May 2024, Ava became a big sister to Charlotte. 🌸

Natalie's advice for anyone in the middle of treatment:
💛 Lean on your partner, friends, and family.
💛 Give yourself grace: "Some days, you just need to hear 'It's OK.'"
💛 Make room for other things in your life to focus on.

After receiving an unexpected diagnosis of polycystic o***y syndrome, Natalie shares her journey to conceiving a baby with the help of IUI.

09/30/2026

Snack time, but make it PMOS-friendly 🍎🥜

Managing PMOS (formerly PCOS) doesn't mean spending hours in the kitchen prepping complicated recipes or sticking to a perfect meal plan. Illume dietitian Jill Hickey, RDN, recommends a simple approach: always try to pair a fiber-rich carb with protein, healthy fat, or both. The combination makes snacks more filling and helps keep your energy steady.

A few of Jill's favorite bites:
🍏 Apple slices + nut butter
🧀 Whole-grain crackers + cheese
🫐 Greek yogurt + berries
🥕 Veggies + hummus + pita
🫘 Roasted chickpeas or edamame

Most take five minutes or less to prep, and all are easy to bring along on a busy day.

Tap the link below for all 10 snack ideas, bonus combos, and Jill's weekly prep tips. 💛

Illume Fertility dietitian Jill Hickey, RDN shares 10 easy PMOS (formerly PCOS) snack ideas with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, plus simple prep tips.

09/25/2026

Sometimes the sign you've been waiting for is right in front of you. 🌈

After an early pregnancy loss, Kate's cycles didn't come back for months. Her ovaries looked polycystic, but her bloodwork seemed to rule out PCOS (now PMOS). It wasn't until she came to Illume Fertility that her diagnosis was confirmed.

With the guidance of Dr. Shaun Williams, Kate and her husband worked through fertility testing, a hysteroscopy procedure, medicated cycles, and three IUIs that didn't work. Before moving on to IVF, they decided on one more IUI. Kate called it her "Hail Mary" round.

It worked! Months later, Kate found out the date of that IUI was National Rainbow Baby Day. Their daughter Autumn arrived in May 2023.

Kate's advice for anyone in the thick of it:
💛 Don't carry this alone, even if your partner is supportive. It's too heavy.
💛 Find your people, whether in a support group or online.
💛 Protect your peace. It's okay to skip the baby shower.

A fertility warrior with PCOS shares the incredible story of how her rainbow baby came to be and what she learned during her fertility treatment journey.