Healthful Woman Podcast

Dr. Fox interviews Lauren Abrams, a certified Nurse Midwife who has been practicing midwifery since 1993. In this episode, they discuss the path to becoming a midwife, how midwives and obstetricians can work together, and the different experiences a patient might have depending on where and how they choose to give birth.

Much of what we talk about on this podcast comes from a professional's perspective: the clinical interpretation of tests and what that means for women who need specific care. However, we relish the opportunity today to get the perspective of someone who works more personally with patients in the ultrasound room. Sara, one of the sonographers at Carnegie Imaging, joins us today to talk about her jo...

Board-certified obesity medicine specialist and brother of Dr. Nathan Fox joins us for today's episode about weight management and treatment of obesity. Dr. David Fox helps people in his general practice understand the medical implications of obesity and works to destigmatize the societal shame surrounding what, at the end of the day, is a problem that can and should be treated as any other medica...

In part two of Jamie’s High Risk Birth Story, she covers her experience with a lumpectomy and C-section recovery, followed by chemotherapy, and the struggles of being a new mother while going through cancer treatment.

Jamie tells her story of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis late in her pregnancy and complications from preeclampsia. After her diagnosis, Jamie explains how she and her medical team planned for a lumpectomy, delivery, and egg freezing, and her experience learning she couldn’t carry more children after treatment.

There are different types of concerns that can arise when performing genetic testing; to use an analogy, there could be large paragraphs of text that accidentally repeat themselves, which alters the meaning of a chapter in a book, or there could be single letter changes in important sentences that change the meaning of an important thought. Our geneticist, Dr. Tamar Goldwaser, talks today about th...

It's always great to talk with MFM's geneticist, Dr. Tamar Goldwaser, to learn about the fastest growing area of study in healthcare, genetics. In part one of this episode, Dr. Fox asks Dr. Goldwaser to describe the differences in genetic and prenatal tests that can be performed to learn more about a baby's genetic predispositions and potential disorders prior to birth. There are many different ty...

So much of caring for patients with chronic conditions that can interfere with pregnancy and childbirth is personal, which is why today we talk with Zehava, a listener of the podcast, who shares her personal journey through pregnancy with ulcerative colitis, in the midst of COVID protocols in hospitals around the country. Although she delivered her son at just over one pound and 30 weeks, both mot...

Dr. Nathan Fox continues his conversation with his father, Dr. Jacob Fox, as they define terms around memory loss and dementia to help people understand the factors that put people at risk for cognitive decline. Cognitive decline affects everyone differently, and neurologists have come a long way in helping people prevent the early onset of dementia in the past few decades.

In today's episode, we'll meet Dr. Nathan Fox's father, Dr. Jacob Fox, a recently retired neurologist who has served patients for over 50 years. As the medical field began to identify and apply terminology to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, Dr. Jacob Fox transitioned his private practice into a research-focused practice at Rush medical school, where he helped expand our understanding of...

We're featuring a redrop episode for this 4th of July week. We revisit an older discussion about the benefits of Yoga. Dr. Fox interviews his daughter, Kira Fox, who has been a certified yoga instructor since age 15. In this episode, they discuss how she started yoga, what it’s like to be an instructor from such a young age, and using her skills to volunteer and give back.

Does it matter which way a baby comes out of the birth canal, or which way it's facing during a C-section? For people in labor, not necessarily, as many different head positions result in healthy, safe deliveries, although labor times are often longer for people who don't deliver "the normal way." It does matter to your obstetrician, however, because the head position tells them how the labor is p...

Now that Aviva has become pregnant, her journey is really just beginning, with two rare autoimmune disorders making her pregnancy care as unique as anyone could imagine. As an expectant mother, Aviva shares with Dr. Fox how important it was to have people around you who are empathetic, kind, and supportive as she navigated the (at times) severe ups and downs of worry, joy, and terror during her pr...

Aviva describes herself as one of the "lucky" people walking around with two rare autoimmune diseases that not only make her pregnancy high-risk, but which could have taken her life before she would have ever met her kids or even got married. The miracles and extraordinary medical professionals that brought Aviva to becoming pregnant allowed her to witness something she hardly allowed herself to h...

Before, during, and after pregnancy, mental health is just as important as physical health. For this episode of Healthful Woman, Dr. Fox is joined by Dr. Susan Park, a reproductive psychiatrist, who talks about the awareness factor of your wellbeing, from your biological, psychological, and social health. Although medication is often part of a holistic approach to treatment for issues such as depr...

Bridget Travinski shares her High Risk Birth Story and experience with HELLP Syndrome. Bridget already knew she had high blood pressure going into pregnancy, but was advised to stop taking her blood pressure medication due to growth restriction concerns. This resulted in a visit to the ER due to bleeding and dangerously high blood pressure, where doctors also find she has a blood clot on her cervi...

Dr. Melka returns to Healthful Woman to discuss forceps and vacuum deliveries, which are known medically as operative vaginal deliveries. In this episode, she and Dr. Fox cover common concerns and misconceptions, explain why obstetricians turn to forceps or vacuum deliveries, and more.

Chanie joins us to talk about VBAC and why she considered herself technically high risk, though not as high risk as others. Chanie tells the story of her first C-section birth, planning for her VBAC and having a second C-section, and working with a new practice and a doula to have her third baby vaginally.

Dr. Kostant returns to Healthful Woman talk about the first prenatal visit. In this episode, she explains what patients can expect in their first appointment with a new OB/GYN, when to schedule a prenatal appointment, and more.

Dr. Melka returns to Healthful Woman to discuss C-sections. In this episode, she covers the reasons why an obstetrician may recommend a planned C-section, choosing an induction date, and what patients can expect during the labor and delivery.

Dr. Bender explains the complex answer to a common patient question: what is your rate of cesarean delivery? Learn more about why cesarean delivery rates are higher than in the past, the importance of choosing an obstetrician you trust, and more.

Dr. Melka explains teaching hospitals and resident education: what they are, what they do, and what patients need to know. At a teaching hospital, unlike a community hospital, patients will interact with residents and fellows receiving ongoing training after earning their MDs. Dr. Melka explains why this experience can be beneficial for doctors and patients alike.

Dr. Emily Oster and Dr. Fox review their predictions about Covid-19 from the pilot episode of Healthful Woman. They review how things have changed, the unknowns that remain, and the mistakes and successes we’ve seen in the past two years.

Dr. Emily Oster, an economist and expert in pregnancy who has authored data-driven parenting books including Expecting Better and Cribsheet, meets virtually with Dr. Fox to discuss what parents can expect in regards to the COVID-19 virus. How are the virus and social distancing impacting pregnancy, delivery, and young children? Learn more about the rapidly developing situation.

Dr. Jen Lam-Rachlin returns to the podcast to discuss polyhydramnios, or high fluid during a pregnancy. Dr. Lam-Rachlin explains that this is a very frequent diagnosis, and one that can be difficult to make because of imprecise fluid measurement. She and Dr. Fox also review some concerns that may be related to polyhydramnios.