Happy Friday (and almost August)—
We took a short hiatus this last month to rest, travel, and get off our phones — highly recommend. I (Kayti) also moved, so July included way too much packing, cleaning, and Pinterest boards 😆.
It seemed a lot happened in the infertility and IVF world while we were away. The Texas GOP announced its legislative priorities for 2026-2028, including a call to “protect fetal life from destructive practices, such as IVF (in vitro fertilization) and commercial surrogacy” (booooo). This poses a pretty scary threat to IVF access nationwide.
In more positive news, a saliva test for endometriosis was announced, and we are hopeful it will greatly shorten the time to diagnosis (which currently takes on average 7-10 years) and help those of us dealing with silent endo or who’ve been dismissed by our doctors despite glaring symptoms.
Today’s edition of the newsletter is a fun one because infertility-life is often too heavy. To bring some joy back into the equation, we’re sharing our summer joy list and all of the things that have kept us feeling lighthearted — think books, music, comfy pants, cute cookware. Enjoy the browse and then share your own joys with us in the comments!
xx Kayti (and Amy)
Our 2026 Summer Joy List
These cute (pink!) mini pots and pans | These are perfect when cooking for one or two people and make us so happy. The pan is also perfect for frying an egg ;P
Noah Kahan | Is the new album old news yet? We’ve been listening to it all summer and love hearing how therapists are prescribing the album to patients as a tool for processing grief.
The Girls | Emma Cline is coming out with a new novel this year, which has us rereading some of our favorite books in anticipation, including this one.
Cozy bath mat | Moving this summer has reminded me to replace my bath mats and towels 🤢. This one is so fun and soft on my feet. — Kayti
Track pants | We’re here for the track pants trend and love that these are often on sale (currently $25) and stretchy enough for bloat / IVF apps.
Actually good granola bars | It’s the little things, like these new snack bars that are organic/clean/all the good stuff. They have kept us from skipping breakfast and have been the perfect travel snack this summer. Avail at Whole Foods or online!
Lettuce-free salads | It’s been so miserably hot this summer that eating heavy meals feels bleh. Since we can’t trust the lettuce (🙄), we’ve been making lettuce-free salads instead. This one is sooooooo good.
Moisturizing face sunscreen | A new launch for Ilia that we are loving so much. Face sunscreen is so hard to get right (needs to be light, blendable, actually work!), and this one is perfection.
Analog cycle tracking | Listen to the latest episode of the pod and then snag a copy of the best manual for learning how to track ovulation the old-fashioned way. The cover of this book has us SO happy.
We may earn a small affiliate commission if you purchase through the links below. That said, you don’t need to buy anything for your fertility journey. These are simply a few things we’ve genuinely loved and wanted to share.
🎧 new on the pod:
We are so excited to bring you two episodes of the pod!
We had the cofounder and CEO of Bird&Be, Samantha Diamond, on to discuss hormone imbalances and the renaming of PCOS to PMOS.
We also had the authors of The Cycle Book on to chat about cycle tracking and how the apps get it wrong, sex during infertility, and how a midwife can be helpful during an IVF pregnancy. Lots of topics were covered, but it was so so good!
✨ Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube
🪩 a special discount for listeners
This summer, we’re partnering with Tempdrop, a basal body temperature sensor with an accompanying fertility app to help you identify your fertile window. If you’ve ever used an oral thermometer to track your BBT, this is a game-changer for getting more accurate data without setting your alarm in the morning.
Save 20% with our code AFFRIEDEGGS
weekend mood:
