u/JusticeAndArts4All

Hi All. I am legitimately posting this for a friend. She found out I had started taking ballet classes in January in St. Louis and then that I had gotten some recommendations for places I could go this summer while I'm working in DC. She wants to try out ballet classes as a way to stay active, do something creative and new, and have a break from the stressful work she'll be doing in San Francisco this summer. However, she got overwhelmed trying to figure out where to even start when trying to research options and I mentioned how helpful the adult ballet community on Reddit had been for me when trying to figure out good places to look into near DC. I offered to post for her, so here I am.

Does anyone have recommendations of dance studios and/or classes that are 1) welcoming to a newbie to ballet, 2) actually inclusive to POC and curvy/bigger bodied women, and 3) in or near San Francisco? Any suggestions or info would mean the world to me and to her. I will add that she is there just for the summer but she wants to try ballet out and might continue when she's back in DC in the fall if her experience this summer goes well. You all rock and thank you in advance for any help or info you all can provide!

Hi. I just found this group and I'm really glad I did. I've been feeling out of place as I've been navigating appointments with reproductive endocrinology and now with a high risk ob-gyn while also repeatedly reminding everyone that my partner and I are NOT trying to conceive right now (current hope is to start TTC in 2 or 3 years). We're doing work-ups and the counseling session so we can have all the information to best plan the future (as well as start any preventative measures sooner rather than later to give us the best chances for successful and safer pregnancies once we ARE in the best place to try). I'm wondering if others have gone through all of this and how you handled it all. Are there questions I should be asking that might not be as obvious? How do you approach talking about all this with other providers or friends and family? It's all SO MUCH and I feel so conflicted on whether or not to talk to folks about it, especially as someone who will definitely be categorized as high risk because of some health stuff (not deadly risk level, but much higher risk for complications). I even feel awkward when I go to appointments and everyone else is waiting for the next step in their IVF or fertility assistance journey, meanwhile I'm not trying anything yet. The providers have all been so amazing so far, and I know having a rough plan and the full information on chances and risks will make a huge difference for me, my partner, and a few of my normal providers, but I wish I had some friends I could turn to about this and I just feel like I cant. Any advice, support, or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.