Dr. Simi Gupta joins Dr. Fox to discuss fetal growth restriction, which refers to babies who are under the 10th percentile in size. Dr. Gupta has researched this condition and explains that while most of the time there are no health concerns, doctors can watch out for other signs that may mean the baby is at risk.

Dr. Shari Lusskin joins Dr. Nathan Fox to discuss anxiety before and during pregnancy. Dr. Lusskin explains that a possible pregnancy (planned or unplanned) is something she always considers when first treating women for anxiety since certain medications are not safe for pregnant women. Fortunately, most anxiety and depression medications are safe to take during pregnancy. Even still, having a detailed pregnancy and birth plan with your mental health provider and OB-GYN can be incredibly helpful for many women, especially those with diagnosed anxiety whose symptoms might worsen during pregnancy.

On this podcast episode, Dr. Shari Lusskin joins Dr. Nathan Fox to discuss common concerns about anxiety and when its considered "normal." Situational anxiety because of an upcoming test or stressful event is normal and not always a cause for concern but if the anxiety becomes chronic and affects how you function, it's a problem that should be addressed with your doctor. In can be difficult for people to figure out on their own because of the non-specific labels used for emotional disorders. Drs. Fox and Lusskin also discuss diagnosis for different disorders and treatment options like systematic desensitization to decrease feelings of anxiety when exposed to phobias or triggers.

Take a list to this re-drop from High Risk Birth Stories with Sarah Roer Bendheim. After four “uneventful” pregnancies, Sarah had two miscarriages and decided to pursue fertility treatments, including IUI and IVF. Later, she went into labor with her twins at 32 weeks.

Dr. Nathan Fox is joined by Dr. Basama Faris, RD to discus polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a complex hormonal disorder that can have a large impact on fertility and other health markers. Drs. Fox and Faris discuss the traditional treatment approaches toward PCOS, their pros and cons, and the resources available for PCOS patients struggling to find solutions. See Dr. Faris' website, here: www.pollyprepmd.com

On our second mailbag episode, Dr. Nathan Fox invites OBGYN Dr. Stephanie Melka to answer some of the top questions from our listeners. They discuss LEEP (loop excision electrocautery procedure) and its risk for pregnant women; whether testing is necessary for women who would want to keep a fetus with a known genetic disorder; how to know if a doctor is good; a condition called android pelvis (referring to the way the pelvic bones are structured); and whether information is available to understand why some women don't go into labor.

TW: Miscarriage. Melanie Kule tells her High Risk Birth Story, which involves multiple miscarriages, getting pregnant with IVF and having a healthy 10 pound baby, and later having twins with a gestational carrier.

Dr. Nathan Fox is joined by Kimberly Goodridge, NP who tells the story of her vaginal birth quickly becoming a high-risk situation of cord prolapse. Kim describes what it was like to go from a relatively normal birth to an emergency c-section as a new mother and medical professional.

Fetal geneticist Dr. Tamar Goldwaser and OB-GYN Dr. Nathan Fox dive into the nuances of carrier screening and why people might hesitate to receive them. Although uncommon, secondary findings are possible and a parent might find something unexpected in their own DNA from a genetic test. Additionally, the results of a genetic test could lead to difficult decisions like whether to consider IVF or freezing your eggs. In this podcast, they discuss the implications and possible next steps to consider for diseases like Fragile X Syndrome, Fabry disease, hemophilia, Gaucher disease, and other genetic mutations.

Geneticist Dr. Tamar Goldwaser joins Dr. Fox for an updated discussion on carrier screening and how it is recently changing and becoming more accessible. In previous years, different genetic tests were offered to people based on their reported ethnicity, but self-reported ethnicity is not always accurate. By looking at carrier frequencies across demographics, Dr. Goldwaser and a team of medical geneticists in the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics compiled a list of 113 genes that every patient should be screened for during their prenatal care.