Told Donor Eggs Were Your Only Option? Sarah's POI Story and What Her REI Never Tested For

Sarah Clark was told donor eggs were her only option. No second opinion. No workup. Just an IVF brochure pulled off the shelf. This is the story of what was actually going on, and what nobody looked for.

At 28, Sarah was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure (now called premature ovarian insufficiency). Her OB/GYN handed her an IVF brochure during the appointment. She went to the REI, got on the donor egg list, and had both her kids through IVF with donor eggs. It took another decade before she discovered the underlying imbalances her REI never screened for: food sensitivities to dairy, gluten, and corn, plus a gut infection with H. pylori, streptococcus, fungal overgrowth and nervous system dysregulation (stressed out but didn;t even know it).

In this rebroadcast episode, Monica Cox interviews Sarah about the clues her body was giving her for years before the POI diagnosis, and what she wishes someone had told her in her twenties.

What you'll learn:

• The seemingly unrelated symptoms that were early signals (irregular periods twice a year, cystic acne, fungal rashes, chronic yeast infections, dark circles since age 12)
• Why a POI diagnosis at 28 doesn't automatically mean donor eggs, and why a second opinion matters
• The post-pregnancy health collapse that exposed the underlying gut and immune dysfunction
• Food sensitivities beyond digestion: mood, joint pain, skin, brain fog, autoimmune flares
• Why partners have to be in the protocol from day one, because infections pass back and forth
• The four foundational tests: food sensitivity, DUTCH hormone, GI-MAP stool, HTMA hair
• Why IVF should be the last choice, not the first, given the $60K average spend and three-cycle average
• Where to actually start: just diagnosed vs. one failed cycle vs. multiple failures behind you

Timestamps:

00:00 Why this episode is for you if you have low AMH, high FSH, DOR, or POI

02:00 Diagnosed at 28 with premature ovarian failure, handed an IVF brochure, no second opinion

03:00 The clues in her twenties: irregular periods, acne, fungal rash, yeast infections

07:00 Post-kids health crash: chronic sinus infections, bladder infections, vertigo, antibiotic damage

08:00 Discovering food sensitivities (dairy, gluten, corn) and gut infections (H. pylori, strep, fungal overgrowth)

13:00 Connecting the dots: why every "unrelated" symptom was related

15:00 Why partners must be in the protocol, because infections pass between couples

21:00 Multiple failed IUIs and IVFs: burnout, cortisol, and the case for a pause

24:00 The four foundational tests: food sensitivity, DUTCH, GI-MAP, HTMA 35:00 Where to start: just diagnosed vs. one failed cycle vs. multiple failures

This conversation is for women who've been told donor eggs are their only option, who are staring down a POI, low AMH, high FSH, or diminished ovarian reserve diagnosis, and who suspect their REI hasn't looked at the full picture.

Not sure what's been fully evaluated?

Download the free Embryo Audit Checklist to map your past cycles and labs so you can see what's been looked at and what may have been missed. 👉 Download the Embryo Audit Checklist here.

Ready to go deeper? If you want an expert review of your labs, IVF history, and full health picture before your next cycle, this is where we start. 👉 Apply for a Functional Fertility Second Opinion here.

About the host: I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over 1 million downloads. My team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results including gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork, alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.

Subscribe to Get Pregnant Naturally for weekly episodes on fertility optimization, IVF preparation, and the lab work your doctor probably isn't running.

Keywords: premature ovarian insufficiency story, POI diagnosis at 28, donor eggs second opinion, low AMH underlying imbalance, high FSH functional medicine, diminished ovarian reserve, H pylori fertility, gut infection infertility, food sensitivity fertility, Sarah Clark story, Fab Fertile, Get Pregnant Naturally