Simone Scully

Postpartum OCD is a treatable mental health condition that typically occurs within 6 weeks after the birth of a child. Becoming aware of the signs and symptoms may help you cope. After the birth of their newborn child, birthing individuals may notice…

Trying for a baby can be stressful at the best of times. After all, it’s a major life decision. But when you’ve been trying for a year or longer with no success, it can take a toll on you — even if you are not the person planning to carry the baby.…

If you’ve been trying to conceive for more than a year, you may be experiencing infertility. Most medical professionals define infertility as the inability to get pregnant after 1 year or longer of sex without birth control. If you’re over 35 years…

Gestational surrogacy, also known as IVF surrogacy or host surrogacy, is the process where a person carries a pregnancy for someone else — the “intended parents.” During this process, the gestational surrogate becomes pregnant through in vitro…

As your Bezzy T2D guide, Mila is helping create a welcoming environment free of the stigma and misconceptions so commonly found in the online world. When Mila Clarke was 26 years old, she received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. “It was kind of a…

As your Bezzy Migraine guide, Eileen has a goal of providing education and support, while helping you know that you aren’t in this alone. Eileen Zollinger has lived with migraine most of her life. As a young child, she got carsick a lot (a telltale…

Every feeling is valid. As the Bezzy BC guide, Monica’s goal is to curate a space where you can feel safe talking about what you’re going through. Seven years ago, when Monica Haro was 42 years old, she noticed a lump on her breast in the mirror as…

Ashley’s goal as the Bezzy RA guide is to create a safe space to share the full range of experiences of life with rheumatoid arthritis. When Ashley Boynes-Shuck was a teenager, she noticed she started getting really sore after playing sports — and…

Kathy’s goal as the Bezzy MS guide is to offer positive support to the community and help you find your people. When Kathy Reagan Young received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008, she was a stay-at-home mom. “My doctor who diagnosed me…

If you’ve ever experienced the searing, pulsating, debilitating pain of a migraine attack, chances are that you’re willing to try anything to avoid — or at least lessen — that pain. But what about Botox? (Yep — the same stuff that reduces wrinkles.)…

There are smiles and warm greetings as parents log on. One dad cracks a joke about grabbing a drink for anyone that wants one. The couples that know each other from previous sessions exchange compliments over new haircuts and tease someone about how…

The last few weeks of pregnancy — and the first few after baby is born — are uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. Your hips hurt, your back hurts, you’ve likely got heartburn, and your belly is always in the way. Then, when baby comes, your whole…

“Just wait until you have kids…” For years, I’d cringe when I heard those words. The very idea that you had to change after having kids bothered me. I found it insulting, demeaning, outdated, and even a little sexist. It conjured images of the 1950s…

By the time you got pregnant, chances are you saw plenty of people on TV and in movies having painful, difficult births, complete with lots of screaming and crying (and maybe a spouse’s hand being squished, too). But what if birth didn’t have to be…

As anyone who’s ever been pregnant can probably tell you, there’s a lot of talk about how you feed your baby, whether that’s breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, pumping, formula — or some combination of these. But the term “breastfeeding” doesn’t apply…

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. So you’ve decided to buy a vibrator. Congrats, bestie! This is a major step toward improving your…

There are lots of aches and pains that come with being pregnant. Whether it’s your hips that scream in pain after a long day on your feet or your back that throbs as it supports your growing bump or your swollen feet, chances are a massage sounds…

Approximately 1.2 million Americans live with HIV. And about 13 percent don’t know they have the virus. HIV symptoms aren’t always obvious — at least not right away. As much as you might like to think you’d intuitively know if you were infected with…

If you’re in a relationship where you always put the other person’s needs first, you might be in an enmeshed relationship. But it’s possible to break old habits and set healthy boundaries. Having a close family or a close relationship with your…

“We still have choices and decisions about how we contribute to the world around us and our families, and I think that’s what gives purpose and joy to people.” Why I Advocate spotlights members of the chronic condition community working to make the…