Fertility Forward

Is fertility preservation worth it for women over the age of 35? In this episode of Fertility Forward, we welcome Dr. Michelle Bayefsky to discuss her ASRM Abstract, ‘ Outcomes for Patients Who Underwent Oocyte Cryopreservation at Age 35 Years and Older: Results from a Large, Multi-Centre Cohort ’. Tuning in, you’ll hear about the study, who was involved, what she discovered from it, and how she h...

Dr. Jessica Vernon is a board-certified OBGYN who has cared for thousands of people throughout their reproductive journeys over the past 15 years. She is an Associate Medical Director and Director of Mental Health at Oula , a women’s health startup in New York City offering comprehensive maternity care, from expert midwives to board-certified OBGYNs. It was Dr. Vernon’s personal experience that fi...

What if your pregnancy care was centered on your values, offering personalized support every step of the way? In this episode of Fertility Forward, licensed midwife Casey Selzer shares her two decades of experience advocating for holistic, patient-focused maternity care and demystifies the role of midwives in today’s healthcare landscape. We explore how midwifery offers a holistic approach to preg...

Surrogacy is often considered a ‘last resort’ for people dealing with infertility, but it can be an incredibly beautiful (and challenging) way to start a family. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Carly Joseph joins us to share her surrogacy journey and to talk about her surrogacy concierge service that gives families going through surrogacy the support they need. Tuning in, you’ll hear about C...

Insurance coverage, healthcare benefits, and navigating the fertility journey from a cost perspective are incredibly important topics of discussion. Today on Fertility Forward, we welcome Dr. Taraneh Nazem and Carissa Simek back to the show to share their perspectives on this issue, as well as the co-founder of Sheer Health, Ben Howard . Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what Sheer Health is, how t...

Perimenopause is a topic that is not discussed often enough and having the conversation helps empower women to know that they don’t need to suffer through it! Today, on Fertility Forward, we are discussing all things perimenopause with the CEO of Balanced Medical , Dr. Adrienne Mandelberger . She is a minimally invasive gynecologist and menopause specialist with a passion for preparing women for p...

The embryology lab is often a mystery to patients, but it plays a critical role in every IVF journey. In this episode, we’re joined by Rick Slifkin , Embryology Associate Laboratory Director at RMA of New York, for a rare behind-the-scenes look at what happens after egg retrieval. With nearly two decades of experience, Rick walks us through each step of the process, from fertilization and embryo d...

The male factor is one-third of fertility overall and therefore, sperm health is imperative to fertility! Welcome to part two of our conversation with Deb Valentin about sperm health! In this part of the conversation, we discuss how diet affects sperm health, how different nutrients and food groups improve (and harm) sperm, the best supplements to support sperm health, and more! We delve into the...

What if the key to unlocking fertility lies in addressing both partners equally? Today on Fertility Forward, we’re joined by Deb Valentin , a renowned integrative acupuncturist, herbalist, fertility specialist, and founder of Sage Wellness in Manhattan, to shed light on the often-overlooked role of male fertility in family planning. With over 20 years of experience, Deb combines Eastern wisdom wit...

Joining us on the Fertility Forward podcast today is Trystan Reese , an award-winning author, facilitator, and longtime advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion with nearly two decades of experience in the trans community. Trystan is the author of the acclaimed memoir How We Do Family (2021) and co-author of the children’s book The Light of You , written with his partner, Biff Chaplow . A Lam...

The journey from trying to conceive, to pregnancy, to postpartum, can be the most beautiful time of someone’s life, but also the hardest, and that’s where finding the right support is key. Dr. Catherine Birndorf is a reproductive psychiatrist, the co-founder, CEO, and Medical Director of The Motherhood Center of New York , and the Founding Director of the Payne Whitney Women’s Programme at Weill C...

Today’s guest is leading the charge in raising awareness for perinatal mental health (PMH). On the Fertility Forward podcast today is Hamish Magoffin , Founder of the Pranaiya & Arthur Magoffin (PAM) Foundation . Hamish established the PAM Foundation in memory of his late wife, Pranaiya, and their son, Arthur. The foundation is dedicated to raising awareness, improving care, and supporting res...

Here on the Fertility Forward podcast, we often say that knowledge is power — and that you are your own best advocate! Joining Rena and Dara on the show today are two passionate guests who are dedicated to educating women about infertility, fertility benefits, healthcare coverage, and women’s health. We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Taraneh Nazem , a double board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologis...

How can data enable doctors to best support their patients? Reproductive endocrinologist and associate research director Dr. Phillip Romanski joins us in conversation to discuss the annual Pacific Coast Reproductive Society Conference (PCRS), everything he learned, and what he spoke about. Tune in to hear Dr. Romanski’s perspective on mosaic embryo transfers before we dive into the complex world o...

When is the right time to have children? What if you put having a family on the back burner and then something tragic happens that prevents you from conceiving? Today, we are joined by cancer survivor and RMA client Alexandria Touris and her doctor, our very own Matthew Lederman , to discuss navigating fertility with cancer. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how Alexandria’s life was turned upside...

An infertility journey comes with many stressors, from emotional and social challenges to family pressures and the unavoidable financial strain. Today’s guest, Jenn Leffell , co-founder and COO of the Stardust Fertility Foundation , is working to ease one major hurdle—cost. Stardust Fertility Foundation helps bring more Jewish babies into the world by alleviating the financial burden of fertility...

Every single fertility journey is unique and often, things don’t go as planned. Today on Fertility Forward, we are joined by ovarian cancer survivor and mom of twins, Jess Jata to hear all about her unexpected journey and how infertility actually saved her life. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how Jessica’s IVF experience led her to being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and having an emergency hyst...

Could the secret to better fertility and lasting health be hidden in the tiny world of your gut microbiome? Cheryl Sew Hoy, CEO and Founder of Tiny Health , shares how her children’s health challenges inspired her mission to empower families through microbiome testing. Tiny Health offers the first-ever at-home gut and vaginal microbiome tests for mothers and babies during the crucial first 1,000 d...

During your infertility journey, it’s important to align yourself with an ethical physician who is going to be honest with you about when your plans need to pivot. Today, we’re joined by the wonderful Dr. Matthew Lederman and one of his former patients, Jaclyn Fieberg, to discuss her experience of family building. Tuning in, you’ll hear about Jaclyn's complex infertility story, what led her t...

As the year comes to an end, we’re reminded of the value of reflecting on the past, looking ahead, and setting meaningful goals. In this episode of the Fertility Forward podcast, join Rena and Dara as they take a moment to ground themselves and reflect on all that 2024 brought. They share their thoughts on words that have taken on new meaning, the transformative power of journaling, and the concep...

Are you overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions that come with infertility? Today, we welcome Sarah Geissah , a Columbia University School of Social Work graduate, to explore the transformative power of somatic therapy. Sarah explains how this bottom-up approach, focusing on bodily sensations before thoughts, can ground you during stressful times. She contrasts it with traditional cognitive-behav...

When access to fertility treatments is under threat, advocates like Dr. Kimberley Thornton step up to protect the rights of patients. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Dr. Thornton , a leading reproductive endocrinologist at RMA of New York, discusses her advocacy efforts with RESOLVE , a national infertility organization dedicated to improving access to fertility care. She shares RESOLVE’s wo...

Does ejaculatory abstinence really affect embryo mosaicism? Today on Fertility Forward, Fellow at RMA New York, Dr. Atoosa Ghofranian joins us to discuss her study titled: ‘Evaluating the Relationship Between Ejaculatory Abstinence and the Incidence of Embryo Mosaicism.’ Tuning in, you’ll hear about her inspiration behind the study, what mosaicism is, what her findings of the study were, why she t...

Joining Rena and Dara on the Fertility Forward podcast today is Dr. Erkan Buyuk , who is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB-GYN practicing at RMA of New York’s Eastside office. He currently serves as the Director of the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) Fellowship Program and as an examiner for the REI Division of the American Board of Obs...

Knowledge is power and understanding the nuances of egg maturation is incredibly helpful in any fertility journey. Based on her abstract on Assessing the Reproductive Potential of Late Mature Oocytes and Egg-Freezing Cycles , Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Keri Bergin shares her knowledge on this episode. We begin with background information on the study: when you do egg freezing, you want to st...