Fertility Forward

Imagine living with debilitating pain for years, only to be told it’s “just a normal period,” before discovering that endometriosis and adenomyosis have been affecting your body all along. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Dr. Zoran Pavlovic (Dr. Z) joins Rena to unpack these complex inflammatory conditions and explain why they require far more than hormone-based treatment alone. Together, the...

Infertility can be isolating, but sharing the story can help people feel less alone. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Rena and Dara sit down with Erin Bulcao, a wife, mother of three, and content creator. In their conversation, Erin shares how she discovered she was not ovulating in her twenties, the steps to getting pregnant with triplets after intrauterine insemination (IUI), making the dif...

Choosing a sperm donor can feel overwhelming, emotional, and deeply personal, especially when you’re not sure where to begin. In this episode of Fertility Forward, hosts Rena and Dara are joined by Lisa Lightbourne , Clinic Relations Manager, and Andrea Darrington , General Manager at Fairfax Cryobank , for a behind-the-scenes look at how donor sperm programs really work. Lisa and Andrea explain h...

 In this episode of Fertility Forward, Rena and Dara are joined by journalist and mother, Stephanie Butnick , for an honest conversation about IVF, genetic testing, and the emotional complexities of building a family. Stephanie shares how her journey with RMA began after learning her husband carries a BRCA1 mutation, and why they chose to pursue IVF with pre-implantation genetic testing. She refle...

For many women, trying to get a clear answer to their health problems can be challenging, if not downright frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Joining us today is Priyanka Jain , co-founder and CEO of Evvy , a women's health technology company focused on closing the gender health gap by decoding the vaginal microbiome. In this conversation, Priyanka shares how her own experiences...

What if you could find joy through your infertility journey? Today on Fertility Forward, we welcome Dr. Lucky Sekhon back to the show to tell us about her amazing book, The Lucky Egg , and how it supports women battling fertility lovingly, practically, and by encouraging them to focus on the journey, not just the destination. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what inspired Dr. Sekhon to write this...

 Welcome to another episode of Fertility Forward! Today, we are joined by registered dietitian and bestselling author Ashley Koff to discuss weight health and fertility. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Ashley’s new book, Your Best Shot , and what inspired her to write it. We talk about what agonists are, the pros and considerations of weight health therapy, and how we can understand weight loss h...

 Choosing ovum donation is an emotional and potentially daunting process. But there is great power in embracing it as the best decision for you and as a gift you are giving yourself instead of as an obstacle to overcome. Today on Fertility Forward, Dr. Georgia Witkin is back to discuss ovum and sperm donation and the emotional effects of each. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how Dr. Witkin helps...

In this episode of Fertility Forward, hosts Rena and Dara welcome Eboni K. Williams —acclaimed lawyer, author, and television host—for a powerful and personal conversation about her journey to single motherhood by choice. Known for her work on Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams , Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams , and as a former cast member of The Real Housewives of New York City , Eb...

Infertility is a treatable and curable disease, and infertility treatment needs to be more accessible and affordable to the average American. Today on Fertility Forward, we are joined by Dr. Kaylen Silverberg from the Texas Fertility Center to discuss something we haven’t really touched on before: fertility legislation and the importance of advocating for our rights to start a family! Tuning in, y...

Sometimes the most powerful insights in fertility care come from lived experience. In this episode of Fertility Forward, we sit down with Dr. Amelia Kelly , the newest reproductive endocrinologist at RMA of New York’s Brooklyn office, to explore the personal and professional journey that brought her to this field. She shares how her mother’s volunteer work in reproductive health first opened her e...

This episode of Fertility Forward is a very special and highly anticipated one! Today, we are reflecting on the year that is about to end and sharing our hopes for 2026. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what we want to leave in 2025, what we want to take with us into next year, our words for 2026, and more! From the best books we read this year to manifestation, this episode touches on it all. Tha...

Couples journeying through infertility often grieve differently and find themselves disconnecting. Our guest’s solution to this was to write a book for his beautiful wife. Joining Rena and Dara on the Fertility Forward podcast today is Jared Walker , the Founder and Executive Director for Dollar For . Dollar For , founded in 2015 in Portland, Oregon, is a national non-profit organization that help...

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of pregnancy loss and fertility challenges. Please take care while listening, and pause if you need to. Motherhood doesn’t always follow a traditional script, and you don’t need a fairytale to build a family. In this powerful episode of Fertility Forward, best-selling author, speaker, and life coach Cheri Bergeron joins us to share her extraordinar...

Discoveries made during fertility testing can sometimes reveal more than patients expect. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Dr. Emily Clarke , a third-year fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at RMA of New York, shares new research on Mosaic Turner syndrome and what it can mean for patients undergoing IVF. She explains how many people discover this chromosomal condition incide...

Joining Rena and Dara on the podcast today are two special guests, a reproductive endocrinologist and partner, Dr. Daniel Stein , who leads a team at our West Side office, as well as an RMA Fellow and native New Yorker, Dr. Jensen Reckhow . Our guests have co-authored an abstract titled ‘Predicting treatment futility in patients undergoing autologous IVF’, which they’ll be presenting at the ASRM C...

Welcome back to another sneak peek of the upcoming ASRM Conference. Today, we welcome Dr. Erkan Buyuk back to the show to hear about his abstract at the ASRM Conference titled, ‘Time to Undetectable HCG Following Early Pregnancy Loss in ART Pregnancies: A Comparison of Management Strategies.’ Tuning in, you’ll hear about this one-of-a-kind study, the delicate way doctors have to handle miscarriage...

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...