My Fertility Podcast

Happy Tuesday! Today we continue our IVF series by answering your question: Is IVF painful? Know that there are sedation protocols available that can actually make most patients, if not all patients, very comfortable. It would break our hearts to know that you couldn't continue your IVF journey simply because the pain of the egg retrieval was a barrier. You may also be interested in: EP14: IV...

Today we welcome Sean and Brittany to our show. Sean is a Civil Engineer, husband and father of two, who has first-hand experience navigating male factor infertility. As Father's Day is quickly approaching, we wanted to make sure that we hold space and bring awareness to what is often the other half of the equation; the men navigating fertility and the fertility journey. We did have Brittany...

Today we get into the nitty gritty of treatments for elevated cytokines. This is Part 2 in our series on the topic of cytokines. This episode covers: Intralipids, Steroids, TNF Alpha Inhibitors, IVIG, Tacrolimus and Hydroxychloroquine. We include data and studies as well as our approach when speaking to patients about treatment options.  You may also be interested in: EP78: Reproductive immunology...

Today we welcome Teri Hart to our show! Teri openly shares with us her fertility journey, reflections and what it is like at present day to be childfree not by choice - living a full and intentional life.  About Teri: With over 30 years of broadcasting experience, Teri is one of Canada's most recognized and sought after media personalities, a multi-talented host, interviewer, critic, and prod...

Today we talk about Mother's Day and all the emotions this day brings. We welcome Brittany Marshall, Social Worker & Psychotherapist, to discuss coping mechanisms to you help navigate this day as someone going through a fertility journey, how partners can provide support and what it may be like for SMBC. Brittany Marshall is a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist with over a decad...

Today we welcome back to our show, Dara Roth Edney (MSW, RSW), who is the Founder and Clinical Director Informed Fertility, Reproductive Counsellor, Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist. We speak about various forms of grief and navigating miscarriage and what may be referred to as "invisible loss". Dara joined us previously for EP57: Navigating Mother's Day.  Dara is a Re...

This week is Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW), and we are going talk about recent breakthroughs that have come about in the world of fertility. If you're trying to conceive, thinking about fertility treatment or already going through treatment, chances are that in the last year you may have seen many of these headlines such as: Neo IVF breakthrough increases success rates or AI choose...

Today we are continuing our reproductive immunology series, with a deep dive into cytokines — a topic that generates so many questions, confusion and honestly mixed emotions for patients. We cover cytokines in the context of recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). This Part 3 of our series on the immune system. You may also be interested in: EP78: Reproductive immu...

Today we welcome Dr. Bev Young to our show! Dr. Young is the Co-Founder of BRIA, a one-stop shop for women's mental health care. She is a psychiatrist with over 25 years of experience, specializing in women’s mental health issues across the reproductive life cycle. Her career has focused specifically on mood and anxiety disorders relating to pregnancy, infertility, perinatal loss, and postpar...

Superhumans! Welcome to My Fertility Podcast for the 85th time! If you are new here, we are so happy you found us and if you are a loyal listener, we are so so grateful for you! Today is special as the podcast turns 2 this week! We have turned to our listeners to guide the content for this episode - we answer your questions. THANK YOU all so much for your comments, reviews and engagement on social...

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and we wanted to bring an expert onto our show to spread knowledge and insight on this topic. Today we welcome Dr. Mathew Leonardi, a specialist in complex gynecology and ultrasound with a focus on endometriosis. He is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University, an Honorary Adjunct Lecturer at Adelaide University and an Honorary Associate Professor at Wes...

Today we are continuing to explore the fascinating, mysterious and complicated topic: the immune system and fertility, with a focus specifically on LAD and LIT. You may also be interested in:  EP78: Reproductive immunology Part 1: Testing and treatments EP51: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) Part 1: Risk factors & the 5 categories of causes EP56: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) Part 2: Testing &a...

Today we welcome Rebecca Greenberg to our show! Dr. Greenberg is a Nurse and Bioethicist. She is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Greenberg Consulting. She specializes in helping individuals and organizations to navigate difficult decisions pertaining to healthcare. Dr Greenberg is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. She has a PhD and Post-doc...

 We are back with another episode in our series on frozen embryo transfers (FETs). We are going to walk you through the actual procedure and answer some frequently asked questions.  You may also be interested in:  EP68: Frozen embryo transfer (FET) Part 1: Natural cycle FET, medicated FET & stimulated FET explained  EP67: Fresh embryo transfer (ET) Part 1: The procedure, timelines & pros a...

Happy New Year! We're excited to be back. Today we continue the series for fresh embryo transfer (ET) and discuss choosing fresh versus frozen, fresh transfer success rates and answer some common questions that come up during this journey.  You may also be interested in: EP67: Fresh embryo transfer (ET) Part 1: The procedure, timelines & pros and cons EP68: Frozen embryo transfer (FET) Pa...

Happy holidays from us! Thank you for listening superhumans and we'll be back on January 6th!  Includes episodes recap for 2025. Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast , YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast , or reach out to us at info@myfertilitypodcast.com Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com  

Today we welcome Molly to our show! Molly describes her 8 year fertility journey as long, full of surprises and a crazy rollercoaster. Molly and her husband started trying to conceive in their mid to late twenties. Fast forward to a few years ago when they found themselves under the care of Dr. Garcia here at Markham Fertility Centre. At MFC, they did one retrieval, multiple transfers, and unfortu...

Welcome back! Today we dive into the highly requested topic of reproductive immunology. We cover: What is the immune system? What exactly is immune testing and treatments?, associated costs, why this topic is so controversial and what to expect in future episodes in this series.  You may also be interested in: EP51: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) Part 1: Risk factors & the 5 categories of caus...

 Today we welcome to the show Marisa Bernardo. Marisa is an intended mother (IP), cancer survivor and surrogacy educator and advocate. Following a battle with cancer that took away her ability to become pregnant, she took on a surrogacy journey in the pursuit of motherhood. Along the way, she became an absolute pillar of the community, sharing her journey online with millions of people. Marisa is...

Today we continue demystifying infertility by talking about the second part of RIF, which is looking into the diagnostic workup and the treatment options. We will start with the diagnostic workup and what do we actually do when we see a patient where we suspect they may have recurrent implantation failure? Our approach is really stepwise. We think about, what was the quality of the embryos? What w...

 Welcome back superhumans and thank you for joining us. Today we're diving into a topic that is often overlooked, but really important: fertilization failure during an IVF cycle. The WTF appointment is an informal, for very appropriate term, for a follow-up consultation that happens after an unsuccessful IVF cycle. We're going to explore why sometimes even with egg and sperm in the lab,...

Today we welcome Sara Cohen to our show. Sara is a leading fertility lawyer based in Toronto, working with clients across Canada and internationally. She advises intended parents, surrogates, donors, clinics, hospitals, and cryobanks on a wide range of fertility law matters. Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine and recognized by Lexpert as a Leadin...

Today we welcome Black Fertility Agency or BFA. BFA was born from a deeply personal space, when Patricia, a black woman, navigating her own fertility journey in Canada, experienced firsthand the gaps and lack of representation in fertility care. She began documenting her journey and what started as a personal journal has since grown into a large movement! Today, Black Fertility Agency is co-led by...

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! Today we are tackling one of the most frustrating and emotionally difficult topics in reproductive medicine, and that is recurrent implantation failure (RIF). We'll cover definitions, causes (both known and unknown), the controversies, future directions, and of course some of the guidelines. The important thing to know, as you will hear from the data, the vast...

We're back with another "I'm pregnant, now what?" series topic. Today we discuss beauty products and treatments. Are you enjoying this series? Drop us a review, comment or DM on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast. You may also be interested in: EP61: I'm pregnant, now what? Part 2: Nausea, medications, nutrition, exercise, weight & cats(!) EP55: I'm pregnant, now what?...