June 17th is Federal Advocacy Day sponsored by RESOLVE in partnership with ASRM. This is a national event where the infertility community comes together to educate legislators on issues within the fertility system. Lisa Rosenthal, patient advocate at RMACT and state captain for this year's event takes us through some of the pending bills and explains what advocacy day looks like. 

This episode focuses on preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Dr. Cengiz Cinnioglu walks us through the process of PGT or embryo screening. Today we are able to biopsy embryos at the blastocyst stage and send the biopsy for genetic analysis prior to embryo transfer. The ability to test an embryo before embryo transfer is one of the greatest accomplishments in IVF.  

I speak with Gail Sexton Anderson, founder of Donor Concierge and Tulip. We unravel family building using a donor. This is truly a great option for some to help build their family. This can be a difficult decision but can oftentimes be the solution to building your perfect family. We discuss the impact of anonymous vs a known donor pregnancy, the importance of reproductive counseling, and how a donor becomes eligible for you to use their eggs in a pregnancy. 

Carmen Petrafesa RN at RMACT walks us through the most common questions reproductive nurses receive. We discuss everything from the basic fertility evaluation through super ovulation and egg retrieval. A great segment to listen to after you've had your first meeting with your REI. 

Embryologist Erica Paganetti joins me to talk about embryo transfer day. She walks us through the process of choosing the embryo for transfer. We end our conversation having described how an embryo transfer happens. 

I speak with Nina Garcia, one of RMACT's IVF recovery nurses. We walk you through the egg retrieval process. This episode is meant to make you comfortable before you come in for your retrieval.  

I welcome back Monica Moore, founder of Fertile Health. We give a shoutout to National Infertility Awareness Week. We then finish our discussion on IVF and bring you through fertilization, blastocyst formation, embryo testing/transfer and hopefully a positive pregnancy test. 

I spoke with Monica Moore, founder of Fertile Health. We discussed the indications of IVF, getting ready for a successful cycle, pre IVF testing, the suppression check, stimulation, and egg retrieval. Monica simplifies these topics and I think you'll love what she had to say!

I talk about egg freezing; a way to stop the biological clock. By doing the first part of the IVF process, we can stimulate your ovaries and do an egg retrieval to freeze your eggs for future family building. A great episode for anyone interested in learning the basics of egg freezing.

I welcome back Matt Wosnitzer M.D. to continue our conversation about male infertility. We talk about fertility options for men who are azoospermic, those who have had a vasectomy, and options prior to chemotherapy (fertility preservation).