Happy Tuesday! Today we continue our IVF series by answering your question: Is IVF painful? Know that there are sedation protocols available that can actually make most patients, if not all patients, very comfortable. It would break our hearts to know that you couldn't continue your IVF journey simply because the pain of the egg retrieval was a barrier.

You may also be interested in:
EP14: IVF Part 1: Let's talk about IVF
EP20: IVF Part 2: Risks related to the egg producer, procedure, pregnancy & baby
EP54: IVF Part 3: IVF add-ons/adjuvant therapies to improve egg quality and embryo quality
EP58: IVF Part 4: Low dose IVF or mini IVF, is it right for you?

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we welcome Sean and Brittany to our show. Sean is a Civil Engineer, husband and father of two, who has first-hand experience navigating male factor infertility. As Father's Day is quickly approaching, we wanted to make sure that we hold space and bring awareness to what is often the other half of the equation; the men navigating fertility and the fertility journey. We did have Brittany on our show previously on EP90 for Mother's Day, where we talked about partner support, single mothers by choice, and the fertility journey.

Men's Fertility Support Resources:
- Oasis Fertility Support Network Men's group: https://oasisfsn.com/pages/mens-support-group 
- Support groups you may find on social media platforms, in your region

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we get into the nitty gritty of treatments for elevated cytokines. This is Part 2 in our series on the topic of cytokines. This episode covers: Intralipids, Steroids, TNF Alpha Inhibitors, IVIG, Tacrolimus and Hydroxychloroquine. We include data and studies as well as our approach when speaking to patients about treatment options. 

You may also be interested in:
EP78: Reproductive immunology Part 1: Testing and treatments 
EP83: Reproductive immunology Part 2: LAD & LIT (Leukocyte Antibody Detection & Lymphocyte Immunization Therapy)
EP87: Reproductive immunology Part 3, Cytokines Part 1: What are cytokines? And who should be testing?

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we welcome Teri Hart to our show! Teri openly shares with us her fertility journey, reflections and what it is like at present day to be childfree not by choice - living a full and intentional life. 

About Teri:
With over 30 years of broadcasting experience, Teri is one of Canada's most recognized and sought after media personalities, a multi-talented host, interviewer, critic, and producer, and now podcaster. Terry is the host, creator and executive producer of The Heart of it All, a podcast about the realities of caregiving, which launch in 2025.

Connect with Teri Hart:
Instagram @terihart
The Hart of it All Podcast @thehartofitallpod

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we talk about Mother's Day and all the emotions this day brings. We welcome Brittany Marshall, Social Worker & Psychotherapist, to discuss coping mechanisms to you help navigate this day as someone going through a fertility journey, how partners can provide support and what it may be like for SMBC.

Brittany Marshall is a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist with over a decade of experience providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and families across Ontario. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto in 2016 and has worked in a range of settings including hospitals, family health teams, post-secondary institutions, and private practice.
Brittany brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her work. Having personally navigated infertility and becoming a parent through IVF, she is deeply passionate about supporting people throughout their fertility journeys. She is also committed to supporting healthcare professionals working in this field, with a focus on emotional wellbeing, communication, and burnout prevention.

Her approach is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in helping individuals build resilience and meaningful coping strategies.

Connect with Brittany Marshall for psychotherapy, supervision or public speaking opportunities:
Instagram: @brittanymarshallcounselling
Website: https://brittanymarshallcounselling.ca/
Book a Free Consult: https://brittanymarshallcounselling.janeapp.com/

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we welcome back to our show, Dara Roth Edney (MSW, RSW), who is the Founder and Clinical Director Informed Fertility, Reproductive Counsellor, Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist. We speak about various forms of grief and navigating miscarriage and what may be referred to as "invisible loss". Dara joined us previously for EP57: Navigating Mother's Day. 

Dara is a Registered Social Worker and psychotherapist with over 20 years’ experience, and the founder and Clinical Director of Informed Fertility, a group counselling practice specializing in family building. Dara supports people navigating infertility, pregnancy and infant loss, 2SLGBTQ+ and solo parent family building, identity-based fertility planning, and complex medical or psychosocial histories. She provides grief and relationship counselling, third-party reproduction counselling, and practical tools for coping, communication, and boundary setting. Dara developed and teaches Canada’s first university-level professional development course in fertility counselling, is Past Chair of the Counselling Special Interest Group of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, a board member of Donor Conception Canada, and a recognized leader in the field of reproductive mental health. Her work is grounded in inclusive, trauma-informed and evidence-based care - shaped by her clinical expertise and her personal lived experience with infertility, loss, and surrogacy.

You can connect with Dara on Instagram @dara.informedfertility
Website: https://informedfertility.ca/

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

This week is Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW), and we are going talk about recent breakthroughs that have come about in the world of fertility. If you're trying to conceive, thinking about fertility treatment or already going through treatment, chances are that in the last year you may have seen many of these headlines such as: Neo IVF breakthrough increases success rates or AI chooses the best embryo, or scientists reverse egg aging, and more..

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we are continuing our reproductive immunology series, with a deep dive into cytokines — a topic that generates so many questions, confusion and honestly mixed emotions for patients. We cover cytokines in the context of recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL).

This Part 3 of our series on the immune system. You may also be interested in:

EP78: Reproductive immunology Part 1: Testing and treatments
EP83: Reproductive immunology Part 2: LAD & LIT (Leukocyte Antibody Detection & Lymphocyte Immunization Therapy)
EP51: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) Part 1: Risk factors & the 5 categories of causes
EP56: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) Part 2: Testing & management options 
EP72: Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) Part 1: What causes RIF? And why all the controversy?
EP76: Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) Part 2: Diagnosis and treatment options

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Today we welcome Dr. Bev Young to our show! Dr. Young is the Co-Founder of BRIA, a one-stop shop for women's mental health care. She is a psychiatrist with over 25 years of experience, specializing in women’s mental health issues across the reproductive life cycle. Her career has focused specifically on mood and anxiety disorders relating to pregnancy, infertility, perinatal loss, and postpartum adjustment.

Before co-founding BRIA, Dr. Young developed and led two of the largest perinatal psychiatry programs in Ontario and trained many perinatal psychiatrists across the province. As a leader in her field, she is relentlessly dedicated to improving access to high quality reproductive psychiatric care. With her new virtual clinic, BRIA, she hopes to provide access to mental health services to women across Canada.

Connect with BRIA on Instagram @bria.health
Visit the website https://betterbria.com/
Book a free call https://betterbria.com/book-a-call/

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com 

Superhumans! Welcome to My Fertility Podcast for the 85th time! If you are new here, we are so happy you found us and if you are a loyal listener, we are so so grateful for you! Today is special as the podcast turns 2 this week! We have turned to our listeners to guide the content for this episode - we answer your questions. THANK YOU all so much for your comments, reviews and engagement on social, and THANK YOU to our circle of supporters, we couldn't do this without you. Stay tuned - we can't wait to share what we have in store for the upcoming year! 

Follow us on Instagram @myfertilitypodcast, YouTube @MyFertilityPodcast, or reach out to us at [email protected]
Visit Markham Fertility Centre at markhamfertility.com