Fertility Forward

Going through infertility treatment is already a stressful experience for many patients and, at the time of a global pandemic, the emotional burden is likely even more difficult. In today’s episode, host Rena Gower is joined by Dara Godfrey, nutritionist and Registered Dietician at RMA New York, and Dr. Kimberley Thornton, a reproductive endocrinologist at RMA New York, who share their perspectives on overcoming the upcoming holiday stress brought on by infertility and COVID-19. Listen in as the panel discusses some coping mechanisms for this stressful time, including having a pre-prepared cocktail conversation response, just saying no, and being kind and gentle with yourself, as well as some practical tips, such as indulging mindfully and focusing on progress rather than perfection. It’s okay to seek help when you’re overwhelmed and it’s important to listen to your body, but it’s also helpful to practice gratitude and use the holidays to rest and recharge. Rena also goes through the five main tenets of positive psychology, which have been proven to shift thought patterns and foster a more relaxed state of mind. Tune in to find out more about how to overcome holiday stress, practice self-care, and tackle the mental and emotional aspects of infertility treatment that are often the most difficult for patients – and remember, infertility causes stress. Stress does not cause infertility!

In the next installment of the Hope and Healing panel, host Rena Gower is joined by three guests, who each bring their unique experience and share their perspectives on the infertility journey. We welcome back Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a reproductive endocrinologist at RMA, and we also hear from Ariel Schnur, a fertility nurse at RMS, and Rachel Rachel Hess, who provides a patient perspective. Find out about the pros and cons of procedures like IUI and IVF, why the waiting game is the most emotional part of the process, and why not every retrieved egg is useful. The panel addresses the roles of the fertility nurse, doctor, and patient when it comes to discussions about unsuccessful treatments and miscarriages, and Rachel shares her experience as a patient while Dr. Sekhon explains what the most difficult parts of her job are, including admitting she doesn’t have all the answers and remaining objective when a patient is in emotional pain. Ariel describes what it is that a fertility nurse does, and she shares why she hopes her patients reach out to her with questions, and each of today’s guests provides their advice for someone going into fertility to take advantage of what it has to offer – including the expertise of their doctor – and, simply, to take care of themselves while they are on this journey. Tune in today to find out more!

Today’s episode focuses on the impact of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis on fertility and pregnancy. Joining in to share her expertise on the topic is Dr. Rachel Gerber, a reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who cares for patients at RMA of New York’s Eastside and Westchester offices. She received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University in chemical engineering and went on to study medicine at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she graduated with distinction in medical education. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, where she won two outstanding teaching awards. Tuning in, listeners will learn about the differences and similarities between Crohn’s and colitis, how they can affect women of reproductive age and the most common symptoms that lead to diagnoses. Dr. Gerber also talks about the treatment options and the importance of educating patients on the possible outcomes and shares a helpful resource for patients who need additional support. 

Today your host Rena Gower is joined by three guests who each bring their unique experience and perspective on the topic of pregnancy and infant loss. We have Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a reproductive endocrinologist at RMA, Nancy Berlow, a social worker who has her own practice and is a consultant for a pregnancy loss support group, and Jennifer Browder, an inspiring woman who shares her story. Listeners can expect to learn about this topic from medical, mental health, and patient perspectives, giving them a well-rounded idea of what families go through who have suffered a miscarriage or lost a baby. Dr. Sekhon starts the discussion by talking about the prevalence of miscarriage, the feelings of guilt that many women experience, the various biological reasons for miscarriage, and why it hardly ever is due to something a woman did. Pregnancy is a complex process that can evoke a great deal of anxiety, despite the fact that reproductive technology now enables us to reduce the risk of miscarriage and can facilitate some of the processes to make positive outcomes possible. Nancy joins the conversation to talk about the importance of a support network when working through the loss of a pregnancy or infant, highlighting the various ways in which couples work through trauma and deal with loss in different ways. On this topic, Jennifer shares her experience with a stillbirth, multiple miscarriages, IVF, and the breakdown of a marriage, confirming Nancy’s point about finding people to talk to and help you process your grief. Listeners will also hear how they can support others who are grieving the loss of a pregnancy or a baby, how you should talk to your partner about what you are going through, and when you know you are ready to try again.

There has been a significant societal change concerning the economy, the science we have developed, as well as the medicine we now practice. Along with many contributing factors including increased life expectancy, a pushback in childbearing age, and other extrinsic factors like illnesses and respective treatments, many people, male and female, are now reaching out and going through the process of fertility preservation. Our guest today specializes in and advocates fertility preservation for women in general. Dr. Jovana Lekovich is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, a reproductive endocrinologist, and an infertility specialist. She cares for patients at RMA of New York’s Brooklyn and Manhattan offices. She is the Director of the Oncofertility Program at Blavatnik Family — Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai. Dr. Lekovich is also an assistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, where she specializes in treating all aspects of reproductive medicine and infertility. She is most passionate about understanding the principles behind ovarian aging and diminished ovarian reserve as well as fertility preservation for patients facing cancer diagnosis needing gonadotoxic treatment. Today’s topic focuses on and around Dr. Lekovich’s specialty of oncofertility, something we haven’t explored yet on the podcast. Stay tuned for a fascinating discussion around fertility preservation, the process it involves, and more!

In this episode, we welcome the talented Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey to the RMA of New York, who has moved here after recently completing her OB-GYN Residency at Duke University Medical Centre. Tia is incredibly passionate about reproductive justice and increasing access to fertility care for all. Through her work with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the National Medical Association, she’s committed to highlighting health disparities in fertility care, particularly barriers to care and poor treatment outcomes for black women. Her professional interests also include physician and patient education, IBF outcome improvement, mentoring underrepresented college students on careers in medicine, and global public health. She has traveled to Honduras, South Africa, Swaziland, Ghana, and Tanzania for various projects in women’s reproductive health. Today we talk about Tia’s journey into healthcare, mental health issues around the COVID pandemic, and why we should give ourselves grace during these stressful times. Tune in to hear more, along our COVID silver-linings on why now is an okay time to get pregnant.

The path to motherhood can feel isolating and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You are not alone. Rebekah Rosler wants to be there with you and the journey to and through motherhood, to help you through your challenges and celebrate your successes. Rebekah is a 40-year-old wife and mother to a 4-year-old and a set of 2-year-old twins, (in)fertility warrior, community builder, counselor, advocate, doula, coach, and Licensed Master of Social Work based in Manhattan, New York. She is particularly passionate about normalizing infertility, postpartum challenges, pressures associated with social media, breastfeeding, and the everyday struggles of balancing life with infants and toddlers. After co-founding Mom Meetups, which provided NYC moms with social gatherings and online forums, Rebekah has created It’s Conceivable, where she offers personalized one-on-one support to individuals looking for a safe space, a sounding board, and a knowledgeable resource.

Sometimes in a woman’s fertility journey, they can feel completely overwhelmed because their body is failing them. Often times they also carry a pang of internal guilt, which they are fighting with constantly, and then on top of that, they have no idea what is really going on because they simply lack the knowledge. Their bodies are a black box. Today on the show we are excited to welcome Dr. Amy Divaraniyam, whose mission it is to help shed some light into what is happening inside a woman’s body and the reproduction system. Dr. Divaraniya is the CEO and co-founder of OOVA, a women’s health company. She has more than 10 years of experience as a data scientist and has both lead and published original research in the area of personal genomics and biomarker discovery. Her incredible understanding of biology and be able to apply complex analyses have lead to innovative projects in the healthcare space. In 2017, Dr. Divaraniya chose to end her career as a data scientist and devote herself to improving women’s healthcare. After facing her own struggles with conceiving her son, she decided to build a solution to help women having difficulty getting pregnant. Today, Dr. Divaraniya and her team have built the first at-home test, The OOVA, which measures multiple hormones through urine samples and provides personalized results and insights on a women’s fertility. As a response to COVID-19, OOVA has done an early release of their product. OOVA has resonated with many women and clinicians and is now being adopted by fertility clinics and hospitals across the country. 

Fertility preservation is receiving increased attention as an evolving area of reproductive medicine. It aims to preserve reproductive tissue for future use, but there are a lot of myths and misconceptions around the practice. Today’s guest is Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist and board certified obstetrician and gynecologist who cares for patients at RMA of New York’s Manhattan and Downtown (SoHo) Offices. She specializes in diagnosing and treating reproductive issues and has particular expertise in fertility preservation or egg freezing, LGBTQ family building, and in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos. Dr. Sekhon is active in clinical research at RMA in Mount Sinai, and can also be found frequently in the press and on social media, as a women’s health advocate and educator. She is passionate about improving awareness when it comes to reproductive health, both professionally and personally. She is very open with her patients about her own journey with fertility preservation, and she hopes to counteract stigma and dispel the common myths and misconceptions about fertility preservation and treatment. Tune in to find out more about doing a reproductive consultation, freezing eggs versus freezing sperm, and freezing embryos versus freezing eggs, as well as some of the misconceptions about barriers to entry. 

Since “it takes two to tango”, this episode focuses on the necessary nutrition and lifestyle information that men who are trying to conceive need, and the role they play in IVF success, and the baby’s health, among other things. Our guest is an award-winning Registered Dietitian turned entrepreneur and author, Lauren Manaker. Lauren launched her business after struggling with infertility and becoming a mother, and her personal experiences shed a spotlight on how much anecdotal and unsupported information is out there. She has made it her mission is to make accurate nutrition information more accessible and easy to understand and, in 2019, she wrote the book Fueling Male Fertility: Nutrition and Lifestyle Guidance for Men Trying to Conceive. In this episode, Lauren shares a bit about what she has learned about male fertility and the best ways she has found to connect with men, as well as some of her recommendations for good, nutritious food, and the foods she suggests eating in moderation or cutting out of your diet. Tune in today to find out more!