“Why didn’t I know all this already?”        - Pretty much everyone who reads Toni Weschler’s book  The stigma around women’s reproductive systems isn’t just an inconvenience, it removes a critical way women get insight into their bodies and health overall: period power.  The menstrual cycle tells us a whole lot more than if we’re pregnant or not, or menopausal or not, says author Toni Weschler. Her seminal (oh, the irony of that adjective!) work, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, is all...

No two fertility journeys are alike, but Tara Lipinski’s experience is perhaps even more unique than most. The champion, gold-medal-ice-skater-turned-sports-analyst was 35 and still not necessarily ready to start building her family. So she decided to put her options “on ice” — literally preserving eggs and/or embryos until she and her husband Todd were ready. However, the process turned out to be more complicated than it appeared when a diagnosis of endometriosis sent them down a different...

The good news: IUIs can work! Intrauterine insemination (sometimes laughingly referred to as “the turkey baster method”), or IUI, can help overcome issues like low sperm count or low sperm motility by getting sperm closer to where it needs to be around the time of ovulation. This method of dealing with infertility is also less expensive and much less invasive for the person hoping to carry the pregnancy. It can also be a great method if you’re planning on using donor sperm. The harder news...

Ep 47: Weight and Fertility: Optimizing Heath NOT Restriction and Shame with Dr. Stephanie Fein  Weight loss for fertility is controversial and complicated, and to be perfectly honest, more research is needed to fully understand the link between body weight and fertility. Whatever studies find, weight loss for fertility should never involve shaming or guilt.  In this episode, Dr. Shahine talks weight and fertility with Stephanie Fein, MD. Dr. Fein started in social psychology, then moved to...

Holiday events can mean facing some awkward questions about family building - are you ready? “So, when are you having another?” “You had a baby? It’s about time!” “When are you going to make your mom a grandma?” “Baby weight, huh?” “Should you be drinking that when you’re breastfeeding?” UGH. Holiday conversations — especially when alcohol and holiday conviviality reduces people’s inhibitions — can be kind of awful. So this year, please put yourself first. Dr. Shahine has some great tips on...

In this episode, Dr. Shahine explores the benefits and research supporting Yoga for Fertility with master instructor and author of the first book on the subject, Lynn Jensen.  People on fertility journeys often say they feel like their bodies don’t belong to them anymore. Between the tests and the treatments and the theories, it’s easy to see how people can feel disconnected physically and emotionally. Lynn Jensen’s Yoga for Fertility classes helps heal bodies AND minds. Lynn has a...

It’s easier to be shocked by the story The Retrievals podcast reports and moves on but extremely important to reflect on why it happened in order to prevent history repeating itself (again). For months, a nurse at a Fertility Center in the United States replaced the pain reliever fentanyl with normal saline, taking the fentenyl for her own use, but left women undergoing egg retrievals without pain relief. Patients in pain for a procedure is horrible enough, but it’s extremely disturbing...

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is one of the scariest risk factors of IVF, but it doesn’t have to be. With preparation, treatment choices, and prevention, you can avoid this uncomfortable and potentially dangerous risk factor from ovarian stimulation. To maximize the number of eggs retrieved for IVF and egg freezing, fertility treatment involves stimulating the ovaries to mature more eggs. A higher egg number can often predict a higher success rate with treatment, but a side effect...

Like our own expert Siri, Leslie Schrock should be available on-demand for anyone who’s struggling with fertility. And she can be! With two books and now on an episode of Baby or Bust, everyone can access her informed and sensitive approach to miscarriage, medically necessary abortion, and other fertility challenges. Leslie Schrock is an author, entrepreneur, and angel investor who has been involved in health and fertility for pretty much her entire working life. Her first book, Bumpin':...

Baby or Bust is back - better than ever. After a little break, your podcast about all things fertility is back. Same host, Dr. Lora Shahine, same goals to educate and support the fertility community but new format and new production team. We’re moving away from seasons and delivering weekly content. We listened to your feedback and will continue interviews but adding episodes with in-depth education from Dr. Shahine on certain topics. Send us topics you’d like to learn about and interview...

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, reproductive rights have been called into question—including IVF. On this episode of Baby or Bust, our host Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Chris Charbonneau, the longest-serving CEO of Planned Parenthood and host of the Fall of Roe podcast for her take on what's coming. Roe v. Wade is about much more than elective abortion, and this timely episode breaks down the national implication for American residents. Chris shares her wisdom on the anti-choice movement,...

If you're struggling with infertility, you'll often try anything to get that family you desire—including acupuncture. Dr. Lee Hullender Rubin, an internationally recognized and award-winning doctor of acupuncture, meets with host Dr. Lora Shahine to dispel myths and share truths about Eastern Medicine and fertility. With over 30 peer-reviewed research publications about acupuncture and fertility, Dr. Lee Hullender Rubin is a true master of the craft. In this episode, she teaches about the...

There's a movement of single women creating families by choice—and today's guest is a leading voice on the topic. Host and reproductive endocrinologist Lora Shahine is joined by Mikki Morrissette, author of Choosing Single Motherhood and founder of the online resource Choice Mom. As a single mom by choice, Mikki is deeply familiar with the unique fulfillments and challenges of starting a family solo. In this episode, she details the financial considerations and career implications of...

When you're used to checking off boxes for life's milestones—college, husband, career, friends—infertility can be a tough pill to swallow. In this episode, our Baby or Bust guest Brett Russo dishes the details behind her memoir The Underwear in My Shoe: My Journey through IVF, Unfiltered with host Dr. Lora Shahine. While there are many infertility memoirs out there, Brett's story takes honesty to a whole new level. In this episode, she details starting pregnancy in her late 30s, witnessing...

You are what you eat, but you can also be what you apply and breathe. In this episode of Baby or Bust, environmental research scientist Dr. Lariah Edwards shares her findings on the latest research about toxins and reproductive health with our host Dr. Lora Shahine. As a research scientist in the Department of Health Science at Columbia University and alumna of the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice Fellowship, Dr. Edwards is an expert in hormone-altering chemicals. Together with Dr....

On July 25, 1978, family building changed forever when the world's first IVF baby was born. On today's episode of Baby or Bust, our host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with now-adult Louise Brown to discuss her experience as a living symbol of the powers of fertility medicine. Over 10 million babies have been born through in vitro fertilization worldwide, and Louise Brown was the first. She shares her parents' journey of choosing IVF, questions she got from friends...

Miscarriage is common, but many feel alone and unsupported as they process their loss. On today's Brand Therapy episode, host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Arden Cartrette, The Miscarriage Doula, to discuss grief, support systems, miscarriage doulas, and pregnancy loss. A certified birth and bereavement doula, Arden established an online community and team of doulas to help bring empathetic support to people who have experienced miscarriages. As someone who's...

When you have a child and are ready to have another, secondary infertility can be confusing and devastating. Baby or Bust host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Alison Prato, a journalist, podcaster, and co-founder of Fertility Rally, to discuss the misconceptions and experiences of secondary infertility. Alison got pregnant with her first child at 34 without reproductive assistance, and she never expected to have struggles getting pregnant with her second. After...

The two-week wait can be an agonizing time for hopeful parents. In this Baby or Bust episode, reproductive endocrinologists Dr. Lora Shahine and Dr. Temeka Zore discuss the science of early pregnancy, including the two-week wait, a positive pregnancy test, and first-trimester bleeding. Whether you are trying for a baby with or without reproductive assistance, the two-week wait and early pregnancy can be overwhelming. Dr. Temeka Zore has valuable insights from helping patients during this...

Infertility can impact every part of your life—including your relationship with your partner. Baby or Bust host Dr. Lora Shahine meets with guest Chiemi Rajamahendran, an infertility and grief coach, to discuss the mental aspects of fertility, including sadness, anger, resentment, and shame. Chiemi Rajamahendran supports individuals and couples worldwide who are facing infertility and loss, and in today's episode, she shares her techniques for grappling with the emotional rollercoaster of...

Fitness and fertility can be a confusing juggling act of myths, recommendations, and reality. In today's Baby or Bust episode, host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with licensed physical therapist and Pilates teacher Jessica Valant to discuss her fertility journey and her fitness recommendations when you're trying to conceive. Jessica is an open book during this episode, and she shares her endometriosis diagnosis, pregnancy journey, IVF experience with multiple failed...

We've come a long way in fertility education, but many individuals aren't aware of family-building options. Baby or Bust host Dr. Lora Shahine meets with guest Kellee Stewart (Hot Tub Time Machine, All American, Chicago Med) to discuss her fertility journey's trajectory from egg freezing to advocacy. In this heartfelt and educational episode, Kellee shares how her lack of fertility knowledge kickstarted a lifelong commitment to fertility advocacy. She shares her perspective on egg freezing,...

It seems like the stigma of infertility is coming out of the shadows, but is that true for all communities? On today's Baby or Bust, host and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine meets with Andrea Helton León (also known as @hotmessivfmom) to discuss the taboo of infertility in the Latinx community. Andrea experienced eight recurrent pregnancy losses and felt isolated. Between her family and her Spanish congregation church community, no one acknowledged or discussed infertility....

Lights, camera, fertility. Today's Baby or Bust episode brings back season one guest, stand-up comedian, writer, and fertility advocate Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo to discuss the misrepresentations of infertility in celebrity news with reproductive endocrinologist and host Dr. Lora Shahine. Fertility can be a lonely journey, and it doesn't help when headlines skip over important details. Our guest Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo drills down into the implications of fertility headlines in the news,...

Infertility is both a physical and emotional struggle, and today's guest is an open book about hers. On this episode of Baby or Bust, our host Dr. Lora Shahine welcomes Sarah Herron, a three-time Bachelor contestant whose fertility journey coincided with a diagnosis of type two bipolar disorder. This episode focuses on Sarah's experience caring for her mental health with infertility. She shares her many different diagnoses—endometriosis, infertility, bipolar disorder—and the way she supported...