Love and Science Fertility

Download The Physician Fertility Roadmap - a 6-step, evidence-based plan to optimize your fertility over the next 6-12 months.  https://support.loveandsciencefertility.com/The-Physician-Fertility-Roadmap Today we dive into the complex territory of why some embryos simply do not take, especially when they are deemed “euploid” by the lab. Sometimes it’s the embryo itself, and sometimes the environme...

Today we discuss three strategies to get through the horrible situation when your period won’t come. If this has ever happened to you, you know exactly how distressing it can be, especially when you’re waiting for a treatment cycle to start. Listen and be empowered by my experience of helping thousands of women with this very problem. Support the show As always, please keep in mind that this is my...

Join us today as we share my guest appearance on Candid Conversations with Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown.  I decided to share this interview on my podcast as I get so many questions from my physician clients about sleep, many of whom need to work shifts at odd hours or take long hours of call.  This episode is full of evidence-based pearls regarding the connection between sleep and fertility. I hope you...

Today Dr. Faryal Michaud shares her immense wisdom from years of taking care of patients with unexpected diagnoses and often at the end of life: the importance of balancing grief and gratitude why some people need to plan as a coping strategy the importance of curiosity and compassion letting go of expectations getting clarity running the mile you are in Dr. Faryal Michaud is a Board Certified Pal...

Have you ever wondered why you feel so irritable all of the time? Have you ever gotten a call from your fertility clinic which made you go through the roof? Did someone in your life say something which set you off and ruined your day?   These are common experiences for women physicians with infertility. Today, Dr. Arpita discusses how we can recognize anger when it’s present, understand what it is...

Download The Physician Fertility Roadmap - a 6-step, evidence-based plan to optimize your fertility over the next 6-12 months.  https://support.loveandsciencefertility.com/The-Physician-Fertility-Roadmap Have you ever read online about “silent endometriosis” and wondered if you might have it? Today I review what endometriosis is, why it matters, how to diagnose it, and how to treat it for optimal...

Have you ever stared at a semen analysis report and not known how to analyze it? This was me until my Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship. There are so many lines and reference ranges—what does it all mean? This episode breaks down male factor infertility into understandable clinical pearls. I review the most important components of a semen analysis, when it should be repeated, a...

Encore of the very first episode. We explore how we are not alone when we find ourselves with a fertility threatening diagnosis. We discuss how an infertility diagnosis can affect our feelings, our relationships, and our perspective of life in general.  At Love and Science, we empower, we educate through evidence, and we use mindful self compassion to start to heal from the inside out. We discuss...

If you are dealing with infertility, have you ever been on the receiving end of an insensitive comment? (Of course you have. I don't know anyone who hasn't). If you are the friend of someone with infertility, have you ever said something well-meaning which went down like a lead balloon? (You probably have, even if you don't know it yet.) Today we discuss my top 5 strategies for how...

Today we talk with Dr. Chrissy Guidry, who is also a coach, about her personal journey with infertility. She shares insights from her own life about clean living such as cleaning up the mindset as well as optimizing diet and lifestyle. She discusses what it was like for her to be both a physician and a fertility patient, and how we can better support one another throughout the process. She also di...

In this episode, I discuss how you and your partner can come together and leverage your strengths to face the fertility journey together. So often, this process drives a wedge between couples, and in this episode I provide strategies for improved communication and understanding. You will find ways to honor both of your experiences and remember your shared values, even if in the present you are app...

In this episode, I delve into the topic of recurrent pregnancy loss. If you suffer from this, you understand well the range of feelings and fears which can exist, often (and especially when) no diagnosis is found. I review the evaluation and coping strategies to reframe this situation. I see you, and you are not alone!  Rooting for you always, Coach Erica  Support the show As always, please keep i...

Have you ever wondered what your ovarian reserve values mean, and how your REI uses them to make decisions about your fertility care? Perhaps your OBGYN rotation feels like eons away. This episode will help to go back to reproductive physiology to empower and enlighten you. These concepts matter, especially as they pertain to your next right thing. Rooting for you always!   Support the show As alw...

As most of you know by now, one of my three pillars at Love and Science is evidence. My goal is to empower physician women to make evidence-based choices which will positively affect their fertility journey and their ultimate outcome.  Today, we discuss embryo grading and preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. It can feel a lot like alphabet soup. As physicians we often judge ourselves wh...

Although it would be wonderful if we could be happy for people who have what we want, it doesn't always work that way, especially on the fertility journey.  Today we dive into the 5 things that friends of people on the fertility journey need to know in order to be more loving and supportive. Infertility can be hard on friendships, but this episode will help to mend the gap, which is fundament...

What do you do when your friend announces a pregnancy, and you want nothing more than to be pregnant yourself? Today we dive into the 5 things that people on the fertility journey need from their friends without infertility, and how their well meaning (but sometimes relatively insensitive) friends can be more supportive. Infertility can be hard on friendships, but this episode will help to mend th...

Have you ever felt stuck in rumination loops, and all you can focus on is the negative?  This is very common, especially when undergoing the fertility journey. It can become so easy to focus on what is not going well, and then we can end up in hopelessness and despair. However, even on the darkest days, there is always something to be grateful for. Perhaps it's having heat or air conditioning...

What do the beach and the fertility journey have in common? Join us as we reveal the answer through a heartfelt exploration of finding constants in life's ever-changing landscape. We'll share personal stories from over three decades of family trips to a cherished seaside retreat, highlighting how the moon, sun, and familiar geography provide a comforting sense of continuity. You'll...

Have you ever felt like your mind was an overgrown garden, full of weeds that choke out the beauty and growth you desire? This week on the Love and Science podcast, we promise to equip you with the tools to transform your mental landscape. Inspired by my own overgrown yard, we'll discuss how negative thoughts and limiting beliefs can take root deep within us, stifling our potential. Through t...

In this episode, which I'm recording during my birthday week, I discuss 5 strategies for honoring our birthdays with grace and self compassion.  We discuss how to acknowledge and process all of the feelings which come along with being another year older, and how to take back some agency and joy to find meaning and support on our special day (and even our birthday month). We can use our birthd...

Today, we have our first ever guest at the Love and Science podcast, Dr. Dana Gibbs! We discuss the nuances of thyroid disease and treatment, especially as pertains to infertility and recurrent loss.    Join us as she brings clarity and hope with her detailed understanding of physiology and her decades of helping women who previously have not been able to be helped.    Here is her bio and a link t...

Today we discuss regret, which is a very expensive emotion. We discuss why we have it, especially as it pertains to the fertility journey, and how to use self compassion to forgive ourselves and move forward. We all can learn how to move beyond regret to start making choices now which align with our values and our highest purpose.  Support the show As always, please keep in mind that this is my pe...

Today we discuss strategies for steadiness and grounding when you feel off-kilter. We all have those days and sometimes seasons in our lives. The fertility journey is a time where many of us feel off-kilter. Today's podcast is very practical and will help you to find more agency in your day to day life.  My hope is to free up some brain space for the things which truly matter.   Support the s...

What does freedom mean, especially in the context of the fertility journey? Today, I discuss the stark contrast between the sense of control in demanding professions like medicine and law versus the overwhelming powerlessness often felt when dealing with fertility challenges. Let's reflect on what might be holding us back—be it personal fears, societal pressures, or self-doubt—and learn strat...

Growing up in a conservative Catholic environment, I always felt like I was navigating a labyrinth of expectations and norms that rarely aligned with my true self. On this special Pride Month episode of the Love and Science podcast, I reflect on my own path to self-discovery and how embracing my authentic identity has shaped my professional journey, especially in the realm of fertility. Through pe...