The Underwear in My Shoe: My Journey Through IVF, Unfiltered

Brett Russo

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After another call from the fertility clinic reporting negative test results, Brett Russo started to panic. Unrecognizable to herself after countless rounds of unsuccessful IVF, she felt like a failure to herself, a disappointment to her husband, and the only female on Facebook without kids.

At thirty-eight, Brett had a great career and a loving partner. But when they decided to start a family, her success story took a turn. She quickly learned that the answer to when she was having kids wasn’t as simple as she once thought.

In The Underwear in My Shoe, Brett takes you on her journey through IVF, a story of personal struggle and isolation mixed with humor. She shows you that only when she truly lost herself did she discover her inner strength and a sisterhood in the other women going through IVF—discoveries that changed her forever.

Press & Praise

Moira Forbes, executive vice president, Forbes Media; publisher, ForbesWoman

"Brett poignantly shares her battle with fertility, which far too often remains a silent struggle layered with social stigmas, hidden loss, and isolation. She turns her journey of pain and challenge into one of candid connection and offers invaluable hope, insight, and inspiration for anyone navigating a painful path to parenthood."

Jamie Webber, editorial director, Healthline Parenthood

"A bracingly honest story about navigating the emotional maze of infertility and IVF--this book will make you belly laugh, burst into tears, and cheer loudly all at once. Brett takes you on her journey, but what you get in return is support for your own. This is a must read for anyone experiencing infertility, and it's the book I wish I had when I went through it myself."

Kathleen Hong, MD, HCLD, associate director, RMANJ Embryology Laboratory

"Brett's refreshingly witty and unapologetically honest account of her journey is absolutely worth reading. Her ability to make it fun thow to o read is a gift. I'm so glad she was brave enough to share her story and in doing so, reduce the isolation and frustration for others who are understandably shocked when they find themselves in the same position."

Brett Russo was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated with a degree in business management from Bucknell University, where she also met her future husband.

After graduation, Brett found her passion working beside her twin brother and father for her family’s printing company, of which she is now the chief executive officer. She married her husband in 2015, and together they fought the hardest battle of their lives with their journey through IVF.

Brett lives in New Jersey with her husband and their one-year-old son, who enjoys meatloaf and responding with “Nah” every time his mom asks for a kiss.

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