Faces of Fertility

In the last episode of season one, we're asking: Would you freeze your eggs? The trend of egg freezing is bigger than ever, offering women the option to delay motherhood and feel a sense of insurance or security around their fertility future. But is it safe?

To learn more about this reproductive phenomenon, hosts Joanna and Katherine reach out to Dr. Caitlin Dunne of Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine, one of the largest fertility clinics on the West Coast. Dr. Dunne talks about feminism, and the misconceptions and limits around around the procedure. To read Caitlin's story for The Globe and Mail about making workspaces more fertility friendly, click here.

And as a special bonus, Knix staffer Lindsay Knowlton  pops into the studio to talk about her foray into egg freezing, and how the whole experience is making her feel.

And a big thank you to all of our faithful followers and fans for listening to season 1! We appreciate every like, comment, share and download to help spread the word about our podcast. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. And let us know what you would like to hear us talk about in season 2!

How is feminism failing the fertility conversation? Listen in as author Alexandra Kimball explores the heated topic, shedding light on how infertile women are ignored in feminist spaces, and the concept of being "unsexed."

Hosts Katherine and Joanna speak with Alexandra about her new book, The Seed, in which Alexandra uncovers the pain and loneliness of infertility, especially as a lifelong feminist. They discuss the particular grief of infertility and how to shift the discussion to a more accurate and nuanced conversation that includes all communities.

Check out Alexandra's book, The Seed, here. 

Each and every like, comment, share and download to helps spread the word about our podcast. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

What happens when you struggle with infertility and later figure out you're expecting triplets? Blogger Desiree Fortin of A Perfect Mom is this week's guest and she's laying down the honesty.

Listen in as Desiree chats talks to hosts Joanna and Katherine about her amazing journey, how she manages her mental health amidst parenting three little humans— how she does it all with grace. She also touches on how to advocate for yourself in the medical system, and how her experience with PCOS impacted her journey.

Check out Desiree's blog here. 

We appreciate every like, comment, share and download to help spread the word about our podcast. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

In this week's episode, we're exploring non-traditional families from the perspective of two men. In this case, it means investigating and navigating the complicated world of surrogacy.

Listen in as Eric Kafka-Smith and Blake Kafka-Smith come into studio to talk to Joanna and Katherine about their journey to become Dads. They touch on everything from the surrogacy application process to their international move to their unrelenting gratitude toward life—it's truly an eye-opening episode. 

We also touch on the multitude of ways you can get pregnant (some of which were new to us!), from serial IVF to double donors and embryo adoption.

We appreciate every like, comment, share and download to help spread the word about our podcast. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

As the world of fertility swells, as does the investment interest that observes it.

Listen in as Joanna and Katherine chat with Nicole Quinn, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, a venture investment firm with global reach. Nicole invests in consumer companies that are quickly becoming part of popular culture and improving the way we live our lives, with a particular interest in female-founded companies.

Nicole talks about the fertility-based organizations that are currently inspiring her, how the world of #femtech is exploding and what she looks for when assessing a new brand. 

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps us spread the word about this podcast. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear. 

As a business owner, fertility-focused Acupuncturist and mother of four, it's safe to say that Anne Matthews knows a thing or two navigating chaos.

This episode, Anne pops into the Knix studio to talk to through her background in Chinese medicine and how acupuncture can boost your chances of getting pregnant—and how the this practice can work in tandem with traditional therapies. Anne talks to Joanna and Katherine about why she's know as "the neighbourhood witch", what cervical ripening means and breaks down the 20% chance rate. Joanna also explores her own brush with acupuncture, and Anne recounts to the shocking story of what happened when she put herself in the patient's shoes—at 37 weeks pregnant. 

Check out more of Anne's work on her website Your Energy Makeover. The Spinning Babies website is here.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear. 

To the women and men who didn't beat infertility—who is talking to them? Well, Ariel Ng Bourbonnais, author and co-founder of The 16 Percent is. She first joined the Knix community after she wrote a story called I May Be Barren, But I am a Badass, and she's back at the office to share an unbelievable full circle moment. 

Listen in as Ariel talks to Joanna and Katherine about what motivated her to start The 16th Percent with two of her friends, why women need to band together with shared experiences and what it's like to live with low AMH.

To read the story Ariel wrote for Knix, check out I May be Barren But I am a Badass.

You can purchase the book Ariel wrote with her two colleagues on Amazon. If you live in Ontario, you can receive support about pregnancy loss through the PAIL Network. You can also submit a story to The 16 Percent network here.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear.

As a blogger, Alyssa Garrison is used to public scrutiny on her public life. And that scrutiny was magnified when she announced, after a very subtle series of hints through Instagram posts, that she was pregnant, joining the growing #singlemombychoice community.

Listen in as Alyssa talks to Joanna and Katherine about how she dreamed of always becoming a mother, and why she didn't want to chase a man in order to make that dream come true. Alyssa shares the motivational factors behind her decision, including how being raised by spirited parents inspired the decision.

Catch up with Alyssa and sweet baby Summer on her Instagram account or on her blog, Random Acts of Pastel.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear.

Have you ever felt like a professional failure? This is how Dr. Jennifer Fitzgerald described herself—she was the fertility specialist who couldn't figure out why she couldn't stay pregnant.

Joanna and Katherine sit down with Dr. Fitzgerald, who walks us through her heartbreaking story of seven miscarriages. Despite this darkness, she brights light to the subject matter, and is as informative as she is inspiring. She weaves her personal story helpful information for couples who are struggling with infertility, miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Dr. Fitzgerald also talks about how she marked a profound moment in her fertility journey, how naturopathic medicine can benefit your fertility and what the single most important thing you can do for yourself.

Dr. Jennifer Fitzgerald is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of Conceive Health, a naturopathic clinic that works in tandem with TRIO Fertility in Toronto, Canada.

Read Dr. Fitzgerald's story, "My Double Rainbows After The Storm" on the Knix Blog, The Lift.

Follow Dr. Fitzgerald and the rest of her team at Conceive Health on Instagram.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear.

Modern Fertility is a women’s health company that empowers all women to make informed decisions about their health, starting with fertility. Join Joanna and Katherine as they chat with Modern Fertility co-founder Carly Leahy as explore the need for educating women, advocating for health and closing the fertility information gap. 

Leahy also talks about the private Slack Channel for Modern Fertility Members, the affordability of this service compared to traditional models of fertility testing and why creative people are still needed in the world of science and tech. Earlier this month, the brand released Modern State of Fertility 2019, a large scale survey exploring how much women understand about their own fertility, as well as what the most recent research indicates.

Follow Modern Fertility on Instagram and check out their website here.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. If you want to share your fertility story, please reach out to us on Instagram @knixwear.