Rosanne interviews Lyndsay Soprano, host of The Pain Game Podcast, about her fertility journey, diagnosis of CRPS (chronic regional pain syndrome), and how she transformed trauma and pain into purpose. Lyndsay shares how fertility drugs may have contributed to her condition and how unprocessed trauma affected her ability to conceive.
Pain and trauma transformation
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Lyndsay shares her shocking discovery that fertility drugs she took for eight years may have caused her chronic pain condition CRPS. She emphasizes the importance of thoroughly researching treatments rather than blindly signing consent forms out of desperation.
Through timeline therapy, Lyndsay traced her fertility struggles and health issues back to decades of unprocessed trauma from sexual abuse. She believes this trauma, stored in her body, was the primary reason she couldn't conceive.
Lyndsay courageously confronted her mother about the pressure to continue fertility treatment just to give her a grandchild. This conversation about boundaries allowed her to make authentic decisions about her journey rather than living someone else's expectations.
Despite living with daily chronic pain and not achieving motherhood through conception, Lyndsay chose to see her experiences as gifts. She now hosts The Pain Game podcast, helping others transform their trauma and pain into purposeful lives.
“I found these two drugs, and I went and did research on them, and they caused RSD, RSD, which is what CRPS used to be called.”
— Lyndsay Soprano▶ 6:25
Yes, some fertility medications can cause serious long-term health conditions. It's important to thoroughly research any treatments and understand all potential side effects before proceeding.
“I think that's actually one hundred percent of the reason why I didn't get pregnant. I don't think it had to do with anything else but trauma.”
— Lyndsay Soprano▶ 15:07
Trauma can significantly impact fertility by creating physical blockages in the body where emotional pain is stored. Unprocessed trauma may prevent conception by affecting how the body functions reproductively.
“you have to take the pressure off of me because this is my life and not yours”
— Lyndsay Soprano▶ 28:05
Yes, setting boundaries with family about fertility expectations is crucial for protecting your mental health and making authentic decisions about your treatment and family planning.
“I believe wholeheartedly that what I say what has happened to me is a gift. And that is a decision that I that I make on the daily, but it it is absolutely a blessing, not a curse.”
— Lyndsay Soprano▶ 44:11
You can transform fertility struggles by choosing to see your experience as a way to help others facing similar challenges, turning pain into purpose through service and sharing your story.
“I did a lot of timeline therapy. So I went backwards from current day backwards, like, when health issues started to happen. And then when certain things happened alongside of those issues.”
— Lyndsay Soprano▶ 18:03
Timeline therapy involves tracing backwards from current health issues to identify when problems began and what traumatic events coincided with those health changes, revealing mind-body connections.
“if there was an Olympic sport for not feeling, we all would have gold medaled”
— Rosanne Austin▶ 36:15
High-stress careers can negatively impact fertility by conditioning women to suppress emotions and disconnect from their bodies, creating internal stress that affects reproductive function.
Steps to thoroughly research fertility medications and treatments before agreeing to them
Request detailed drug information
Ask your doctor for the names of all medications and procedures you'll receive
Research independently
Look up each medication in medical journals and databases, not just patient information sheets
Investigate long-term effects
Specifically search for long-term and rare side effects that may not be commonly discussed
Take time to decide
Don't sign consent forms under pressure - ask to take the documents home to review
Ask specific questions
Come prepared with written questions about risks, alternatives, and success rates
Get second opinions
Consult other medical professionals about the recommended treatment protocol
Unprocessed trauma can directly impact fertility by creating physical blockages in the body where emotional pain is stored
Lyndsay believes her inability to conceive was 100% related to decades of unprocessed trauma from sexual abuse starting at age 9, with her body keeping the score in her pelvic area and feet where CRPS pain manifests.
Some fertility drugs can cause serious long-term health conditions that may be worse than not conceiving
Lyndsay discovered through neurological journals that two fertility drugs she took for 8 years can cause CRPS (chronic regional pain syndrome), the condition she now lives with daily that feels like being burned from the inside out.
Women sign away their health and future without reading fertility treatment consent forms because desperation overrides caution
Lyndsay describes signing 'the phone book of paperwork' without reading it, saying even if it said they were injecting plutonium, she would have signed because she thought it was her only path to motherhood.
Setting boundaries with family about fertility expectations is essential for protecting your mental health and making authentic choices
Lyndsay sat her mother down and said 'are you okay if you end up not being a grandma?' and told her to take the pressure off because continuing treatment with an abusive partner just so her mother could be a grandmother was not acceptable.
Choosing to end fertility treatment when in an abusive relationship can be the wisest decision for both mother and potential child
Lyndsay decided not to have a baby with her abusive, alcoholic ex-husband, later saying 'I probably shouldn't have been making a baby with him in the first place' and that ending treatment simultaneously with leaving the marriage was necessary.
Pain can become purpose when you consciously choose to help others through similar experiences rather than staying in victimhood
Lyndsay transformed from suicidal depression over her CRPS diagnosis to hosting The Pain Game podcast, saying 'what has happened to me is a gift' and choosing daily to see her pain as a blessing rather than a curse.
Women in high-stress careers often struggle with fertility because they've been conditioned to suppress emotions and act like men
Rosanne shares that in her prosecutor's office, almost all the female attorneys were going through fertility treatment, joking that if there was an Olympic sport for not feeling, they all would have won gold medals.
Timeline therapy can reveal how specific traumatic events coincide with the onset of fertility and health issues
Lyndsay used timeline therapy to trace backwards from current health issues to discover that her appendicitis, period problems, and other feminine health issues began after being raped by twelve frat boys, showing the direct mind-body connection.
Making fertility decisions based on fear of potential future limitations can be an act of love and wisdom
Lyndsay chose not to pursue adoption when her CRPS worsened and she began using a wheelchair 50% of the time, making the decision 'on behalf of a to-be child' because she didn't know where her body would be in the future.
Research your fertility medications thoroughly rather than blindly trusting that all treatments are safe
Lyndsay studied neurological journals and found that two specific fertility drugs she had taken for infertility treatment actually cause CRPS, the chronic pain condition she now lives with daily.
Unprocessed trauma can directly impact fertility by creating physical blockages in the body where emotional pain is stored
▶ 14:07Some fertility drugs can cause serious long-term health conditions that may be worse than not conceiving
▶ 5:30Women sign away their health and future without reading fertility treatment consent forms because desperation overrides caution
▶ 7:27Setting boundaries with family about fertility expectations is essential for protecting your mental health and making authentic choices
▶ 27:25Choosing to end fertility treatment when in an abusive relationship can be the wisest decision for both mother and potential child
▶ 8:38Pain can become purpose when you consciously choose to help others through similar experiences rather than staying in victimhood
▶ 44:01Women in high-stress careers often struggle with fertility because they've been conditioned to suppress emotions and act like men
▶ 35:54Timeline therapy can reveal how specific traumatic events coincide with the onset of fertility and health issues
▶ 18:03Making fertility decisions based on fear of potential future limitations can be an act of love and wisdom
▶ 29:06Research your fertility medications thoroughly rather than blindly trusting that all treatments are safe
▶ 40:44“Any risk is worth taking if it means getting pregnant”
CONSIDER: Making informed decisions about fertility treatment requires researching potential long-term consequences beyond just conception
“Family expectations should drive fertility decisions”
CONSIDER: You must set boundaries with family about fertility to make authentic choices for your life
“Pain and trauma are obstacles to overcome”
CONSIDER: Pain can become a gift and purpose when you choose to help others through similar experiences
“I found these two drugs, and I went and did research on them, and they caused RSD, RSD, which is what CRPS used to be called.”
“I think that's actually one hundred percent of the reason why I didn't get pregnant. I don't think it had to do with anything else but trauma.”
“you have to take the pressure off of me because this is my life and not yours”
“They whispered to her, you cannot withstand the storm. And she whispered back, I am the storm.”
“I believe wholeheartedly that what has happened to me is a gift. And that is a decision that I make on the daily.”
“if there was an Olympic sport for not feeling, we all would have gold medaled”
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Conditions
Frameworks & Methods
Common Beliefs
Age-based fertility predictions are often premature and devastating, but not definitive verdicts
Heather was told at 41 she had 'no chance' of having a baby due to her age combined with endometriosis and low AMH, yet conceived naturally at 46 and delivered Emily at 47.
Finding the right medical team that supports your vision is crucial for success
Heather left the first doctor who said she had no chance at 41 and found Dr. Chek's team who embraced her journey and helped her achieve pregnancy at 46.
The pain and struggle of your fertility journey disappears once you have your baby in your arms - nothing else matters
Trish, who struggled for years before conceiving her daughter Geordie and is now pregnant again, shares that the relief and magnitude of love outweighs all the grief, sadness and disappointment from the journey.
You are the absolute boss and decision maker of your fertility journey - not the doctors
Diana applied this mindset shift to conceive her son and now has two daughters, ages 2 and 2 months. She uses these same techniques for career decisions and all life choices.
