Fertility Forward

 Welcome to another episode of Fertility Forward! Today, we are joined by registered dietitian and bestselling author Ashley Koff to discuss weight health and fertility. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Ashley’s new book, Your Best Shot, and what inspired her to write it. We talk about what agonists are, the pros and considerations of weight health therapy, and how we can understand weight loss hormones using a pizza analogy! Ashley delves into why nutrient reduction to lose weight when trying to get pregnant is dangerous, before discussing the use of GLP-1 agonists in fertility treatment, pregnancy, and postpartum. We even touch on the psychological piece of weight health, how trauma affects the function of the vagus nerve, and weight health, why you cannot bully yourself about your weight, and so much more. Finally, Ashley reminds us of the importance of including joy in weight health treatment programs. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss, so be sure to press play now!  

 Choosing ovum donation is an emotional and potentially daunting process. But there is great power in embracing it as the best decision for you and as a gift you are giving yourself instead of as an obstacle to overcome. Today on Fertility Forward, Dr. Georgia Witkin is back to discuss ovum and sperm donation and the emotional effects of each. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how Dr. Witkin helps patients become excited about ovum donation by busting some myths about the process, bonding concerns parents may have, why these concerns don’t actually come to fruition, and so much more! We delve into how sperm donation differs from egg donation from a psychological perspective before discussing the importance of normalizing donation for the child. We touch on how we use language to help our patients change their mindset about sperm or ovum donation, and why stress is not responsible for infertility. Finally, we discuss the importance of prioritizing self-care as women. To hear all this and, as always, what we are grateful for, be sure to press play now!  

In this episode of Fertility Forward, hosts Rena and Dara welcome Eboni K. Williams—acclaimed lawyer, author, and television host—for a powerful and personal conversation about her journey to single motherhood by choice. Known for her work on Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams, Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams, and as a former cast member of The Real Housewives of New York City, Eboni shares how she froze her eggs at 34 to preserve her options and later conceived her daughter, Liberty, through donor sperm and IVF. She speaks candidly about female self-sufficiency, taking ownership of fertility decisions regardless of relationship status, and challenging the stigma often attached to single parenting. This episode offers an empowering perspective on reproductive planning, intentional motherhood, and the importance of building a strong support system along the way. 

Infertility is a treatable and curable disease, and infertility treatment needs to be more accessible and affordable to the average American. Today on Fertility Forward, we are joined by Dr. Kaylen Silverberg from the Texas Fertility Center to discuss something we haven’t really touched on before: fertility legislation and the importance of advocating for our rights to start a family! Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Dr. Silverberg’s career, what led him to fertility legislation, how he has worked with the government, and what he sees happening in the near future in fertility policy and the impacts of these changes. We delve into why IVF needs to be covered by insurance before discussing how you can get involved in making real changes to infertility policy. We even talk about how the conversation about infertility has changed over the years. Finally, and as always, Dr. Silverberg shares what he is grateful for today. Thanks for listening!  

Sometimes the most powerful insights in fertility care come from lived experience. In this episode of Fertility Forward, we sit down with Dr. Amelia Kelly, the newest reproductive endocrinologist at RMA of New York’s Brooklyn office, to explore the personal and professional journey that brought her to this field. She shares how her mother’s volunteer work in reproductive health first opened her eyes to the importance of family building on your own timeline, and how training at institutions like Weill Cornell and NYU strengthened that early interest. Dr. Kelly also reflects on her own egg freezing experience and how it shaped her understanding of what patients navigate. We discuss her research on physician infertility, the stresses residents face, and why expanding access to care remains one of her biggest passions. Tune in to hear how Dr. Kelly’s path as both clinician and patient informs her approach and why compassionate, accessible fertility care matters now more than ever! 

This episode of Fertility Forward is a very special and highly anticipated one! Today, we are reflecting on the year that is about to end and sharing our hopes for 2026. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what we want to leave in 2025, what we want to take with us into next year, our words for 2026, and more! From the best books we read this year to manifestation, this episode touches on it all. Thank you for your continued support of this podcast, and we can’t wait to see you next year!  

Couples journeying through infertility often grieve differently and find themselves disconnecting. Our guest’s solution to this was to write a book for his beautiful wife. Joining Rena and Dara on the Fertility Forward podcast today is Jared Walker, the Founder and Executive Director for Dollar For. Dollar For, founded in 2015 in Portland, Oregon, is a national non-profit organization that helps patients access financial assistance. Jared is on a mission to eliminate as many medical bills as possible, while making charity care accessible, easy, and fair. His latest accomplishment is the release of his book on fertility, titled The Empty Nest. Tune in to hear Jared share their infertility journey and the inspiration behind writing his book, why readjusting to your reality is part of the journey, and his thoughts on being the partner sharing the experience. Jared expands on starting Dollar For, what they do, and how the process works, and gives details on how to get your hands on his book. For all this and more, don’t miss this episode! 

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of pregnancy loss and fertility challenges. Please take care while listening, and pause if you need to.

Motherhood doesn’t always follow a traditional script, and you don’t need a fairytale to build a family. In this powerful episode of Fertility Forward, best-selling author, speaker, and life coach Cheri Bergeron joins us to share her extraordinary journey to parenthood on her own terms. From navigating IVF and donor conception to facing unimaginable loss and ultimately winning a landmark custody case in Texas, Cheri opens up about the decisions, detours, and resilience that shaped her family. She reflects on the emotional toll of fertility struggles, the importance of genetic testing, and the support systems that made all the difference. We also explore how Cheri’s experiences inspired her nonprofit, Cheri’s Choice, and her memoir, Mission Motherhood, both of which were created to help women explore alternative paths to parenthood. Tune in to hear how one woman turned pain into purpose and why hope and self-advocacy are essential companions on the fertility journey! 

Discoveries made during fertility testing can sometimes reveal more than patients expect. In this episode of Fertility Forward, Dr. Emily Clarke, a third-year fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at RMA of New York, shares new research on Mosaic Turner syndrome and what it can mean for patients undergoing IVF. She explains how many people discover this chromosomal condition incidentally, why it can vary so widely in presentation, and how understanding it helps improve counseling and care. We explore the emotional impact of unexpected genetic results, the reassurance that information from these types of studies can bring, and how compassionate counseling empowers patients to move forward. Tune in to learn how clearer data and compassionate communication can empower patients on their path to parenthood. 

Joining Rena and Dara on the podcast today are two special guests, a reproductive endocrinologist and partner, Dr. Daniel Stein, who leads a team at our West Side office, as well as an RMA Fellow and native New Yorker, Dr. Jensen Reckhow. Our guests have co-authored an abstract titled ‘Predicting treatment futility in patients undergoing autologous IVF’, which they’ll be presenting at the ASRM Conference. Join the conversation today as they expand on their study, diving into what inspired the topic, what they based their research on, the details of the study, and the intended application-related goal of the outcome. They also share the most surprising takeaways from their findings, how their findings will influence future treatment plans, and we end our podcast by sharing what we are grateful for today. Thanks for listening!