Fertility Forward

The links between stress and fertility that seem to be so commonly believed in are very misleading. Dr. Georgia Witkin is the Director of Psychological Services at RMA and has written thirteen books about stress and she joins us on the show today to remind us that infertility causes stress, not the other way around! We get to hear from Dr. Witkin about her journey in psychology and how she made her way into the fertility field and ultimately landed at Mount Sinai and RMA.

Today on the show we welcome Dalia Sabari. Dalia is a certified yoga instructor with a specialty in women’s health. Dalia discovered yoga in 2011 when having difficulty conceiving. Since then, yoga has become her passion and a tool to help keep her clients healthy, mindful and strong. When teaching, Dalia focuses on a deep mind-body connection as well as a physical and mental well being. Her intention with teaching her students is to impart a deep, mind-body connection as well as physical and mental well-being.

Today on the show we welcome Betsy Campbell, who has spent her career working for non-profit organizations and her free time volunteering for worthy causes. Her experience in public relations, fundraising, and volunteer management span a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, social service, philanthropy, politics, and organizations such as Mount Sinai Medical Centre, American Hospital Association, Chicago Foundation for Women and Emily’s List.

Infertility struggles are incredibly challenging, both mentally and physically. So, imagine dealing with these hurdles alongside a life-altering diagnosis. This is the position our guest today, Amy Switzer, was in a few years ago. Amy knew that she had to do IVF as it was difficult for her to get pregnant naturally. On her journey to conceive, after genetic testing, she was diagnosed with BRCA1, the breast cancer gene. In this episode, Amy shares some of this difficult journey with us and how the IVF with a BRCA diagnosis proved to be a silver lining. She also sheds more light on BRCA, such as who should get tested, her life with the diagnosis, and her plans for the future in light of it. Amy has used BRCA to empower herself and others to take control of their health and diagnoses.

Today we have the great pleasure of welcoming Dr. Matthew Lederman to the show! Dr. Lederman is an incredible doctor who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and BRCA. We get to hear about his journey in medicine, his family history in the field of fertility and his early interest in following this path. He tells us about his favorite parts of his job, some of the more difficult tasks he has to complete and why family is so important to him in work and at home. From there, he turns to his expertise in breast cancer, unpacking its relationship to fertility, delivery and the lives of offspring.

Today on the show we welcome Dr. Catherine Birndorf, Co-Founder and Medical Director of The Motherhood Center of New York. Dr. Catherine is also co-author of the books, What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood and The Nine Rooms of Happiness, and associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine. She’s been featured on many national television networks and published in various magazines.

Today on the show we welcome Barb Collura. Barb serves as the President and CEO of RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association. Barb is a nationally recognized expert on infertility and the family-building journey, with a special emphasis on the personal experience of those struggling to build their family. She has worked for the World Health Organization on infertility definitions, and clinical guidelines worked with ACOG on their clinical definitions for infertility and served a four-year term on the advisory council of The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at NHI.

After a brutal, four-year struggle with secondary infertility, Brooklyn-based journalist and mom-of-two, Ali Prato, launched Infertile AF. Infertile AF is an unfiltered podcast about all the different paths toward building modern families and having babies, or not. So far, the podcast has received over 55,000 downloads in over 50 countries and Ali’s goal is to reach even more people worldwide to let them know that they are not alone.

Today on the Fertility Forward Podcast, we introduce your hosts Rena and Dara, and they share some background about their own struggles with infertility. Rena Gower is a licensed social worker here at RMA. She is currently a state advocate for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association where she lobbies for healthcare reform and improved insurance coverage for those needing infertility treatment. Dara Godfrey is a registered dietician at RMA. She supports patients’ nutritional goals at every stage of infertility treatment and pregnancy, including pretreatment health and weight loss, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid conditions, as well as pregnancy nutrition during each trimester.

Today on the show, we welcome Dr. Alan Copperman. Dr. Copperman serves as our Medical Director here at RMA of New York. He is also the Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, as well as the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He is an experienced and respected clinician, has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters on reproductive medicine, and has co-authored hundreds of scientific abstracts on infertility, invitro fertilization, egg freezing, ovum donation, and genetics. He also just so happens to be our boss! In this episode, we discuss optimizing patient care, helping patients find hope, redefining success, and empowering patients to have ownership of their health and wellness and take steps forward.