In this special episode, Ashley Marrs, daughter of IVF pioneer doctors Richard Marrs & Joyce Vargyas, shares what it was like to grow up in a family known internationally for creating the first human being in the United States from a frozen embryo!

From an appearance on CNN News in her mother’s arms as a newborn baby, to the transition of her nursing career into the world of IVF, Ashley recalls the details of her own PCOS healing journey that led her to have kids despite hormone challenges.

This conversation explains the important role of PATIENT EMPOWERMENT in the IVF process — and how empowered patients can address the myriad of emotions that accompany repeated disappointment and frustration from failed IVF attempts.

Ashley’s work as an IVF nurse included helping patients understand the different IVF medication protocols, assisting in what we now call Individualized Care. Instead of “cookie cutter” cycles and repeating what wasn’t working, Ashley taught patients how to advocate for changes and how to face the deeper, personal discovery moments that show up on this medical pathway to baby.

Join Danica and Ashley Marrs (Woods) as they discuss various IVF strategies learned along the way, while working in the trenches with thousands of fertility patients.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

In this most soothing episode, Dr Samantha Munson, a PhD specializing in mindfulness and health psychology, explains how a meditation practice can really help when we want to turn to fear and give in to anxiety…

Setting reasonable expectations, embracing the fact that our minds are made to wander, and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty are just a few ways to allow mindfulness to become a useful component of your babymaking journey.

Dr Samantha Munson is the founder of Grow True Psychology; she also practices in Los Angeles at wellpeople Integrative Healing Center.

Her focus in Health Psychology can bring healing benefits to clients experiencing:

-life adjustment

-health conditions, such as cancer, chronic pain, illness or infertility

-relationship stress

-anxiety

-transitions

-depression

To schedule with Dr Munson or to learn more about her practice, please visit www.growtruepsychology.com (http://www.growtruepsychology.com/).

This episode is sponsored by @wellpeoplehealing and @seedfertility.

For a limited time, listeners can receive 20% off the price of any course inside SeedFertility.com, using the promo code BABYMAKERS

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

Women on the fertility journey struggle with feeling alone, broken, confused and often will grapple with shame… This endearing conversation with Sally Hayes cracks open the hearts of listeners and helps them know that there’s a community here that’s got their back (and their womb!).

Through the organizations she’s founded (@WomenInSelfHealing and @WeAreMatrikas) and her proprietary abdominal massage series (known as ”The WISH Method”), she has assisted countless women in creating a treasured collaborative healthcare team.

In this episode you’ll learn why it’s important to prioritize self-care as a woman (before, during and after pregnancy); and learn the specific benefits of receiving abdominal massage if you’re dealing with menstrual pain, trying to conceive, preparing for IVF Embryo Transfer, experiencing pregnancy complaints or healing in the postpartum.

To contact Sally Hayes for more info, please visit her websites:

www.womeninselfhealing.com and www.womanwellbeingcollaborative.com.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

Balanced hormones are essential for babymaking, so we interviewed integrative wellness expert Dr Taz Bhatia (author of The Hormone Shift and Super Woman Rx ) to learn more about optimizing ovarian potential and improving fertility.

In this info-packed episode, Dr Danica and Dr Taz break down the three most common ovarian challenges for women on the fertility journey:

• hypothalamic ovulatory dysfunction
• PCOS
• Premature Ovarian Failure due to a diagnosis of premature menopause

The first step in returning the ovaries to a state of balance involves understanding what creates imbalance in the first place. A pioneer in the field of integrative women’s reproductive health, Dr Taz shares her unique diagnostic system, innovative health strategies, and her unique experience as a holistic physician who transitioned her medical practice from the ER to the world of integrative medicine.

Dr Taz is a “super woman” and a super doctor; she’s knowledgeable, innovative and incredibly passionate about helping other women become more empowered about their hormones.

Whether you’re navigating preconception, muddling through a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, or navigating peri/post menopause, this conversation will provide new insights that point you in a solid direction forward. To see Dr Taz in Los Angeles, email [email protected], or learn more about her Centre Spring clinic in Atlanta: Sponsoredcentrespringmd.comhttps://www.centrespringmd.comDr. Taz Bhatia M.D. | Integrative & Holistic Doctor Atlanta

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

This is one of the best feel-good episodes of The Babymakers Podcast, as wives Toby & Lindsay share details about their VIRAL babymaking story — when they made headlines as “2 Lesbian Wives Pregnant At The Same Time!”

This story involves many of the typical fertility hurdles and hiccups (ie. miscarriage, polyps, upsetting ultrasounds, and worry about male factor), but it drives home the idea that keeping an OPEN HEART & MIND is key to family building in today’s complicated world.

You’ll love hearing how the two supported each other in a process that felt frustrating at times with so much uncertainty, and how the journey taught them to control what they could while allowing something bigger than themselves to handle the rest.

Both women describe what the process was like for them — from the early days when they both used The Seed Fertility Program to improve their fertility, all the way to the moment when they delivered their babies within weeks of each other.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

Endearing partnerships can be formed between medical doctors and holistic practitioners to provide fertility patients with a sense of cohesive support and a sense of deeper meaning to the overall experience of infertility treatment. This episode highlights many shared memories and points of connection between Danica and Dr Guy Ringler.

In this interview, Dr Ringler acknowledges the positive impact of “patient empowerment” especially in this challenging field of medicine, the power of storytelling to provide inspiration at the right time, and the benefits to be gained by taking a holistic approach to baby-making.

Dr Ringler is known internationally for helping gay men become fathers through surrogacy and egg donation. After 30 years and several thousand successful live births, Dr Ringler still feels passionate about his work, and the listeners will feel his dedication in this very heartwarming interview.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

In this illuminating episode actress Brenda Strong, voice of Mary Alice from Desperate Housewives and the former Spokesperson of the American Fertility Association, emphasizes the power of energetic healing, breathwork and spiritual consciousness in downplaying fear, doubt and the need to control.

Brenda describes the term “Divine Feminine” as empowering for both women AND men, because the act of surrendering, being patient, finding balance and embracing vulnerability can strengthen us as complete individuals.

Sharing our stories and making our mess into our message, as ways to combat the shame that often accompanies the family-building journey.

Watch Brenda’s TED Talk about breathing as a way to combat the stress and uncertainty that accompanies infertility, by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jQMTR_t8vg

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

Improving fertility often takes a village, and in this episode, Danica interviews one of her mentors, Dr Daoshing Ni, to discuss the role of the acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine in overcoming obstacles to family-building.

A respected pioneer, teacher and specialist in the field of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for fertility, “Dr Dao” has imparted his wisdom and insights about this ancient form of energy medicine to help thousands of women conceive against the odds.

If you’ve been struggling to get pregnant or stay pregnant, if you’re dealing with endometriosis or have a male partner with impaired sperm parameters, or if you’re considering a career as a fertility acupuncturist, you’ll gain deeper understanding and perspective from this heartwarming interview.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

There’s an outdated paradigm occurring in the fertility space — it’s the assumption that miscarriage and failed attempts to conceive are mostly due to “bad eggs”. Turns out, male factor (sperm issues) are now believed to be causing 50% of the problem in poor fertility outcomes.

When besties Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim experienced pregnancy loss within one week of each other, the search for answers began. This episode uncovers what they learned about prenatal vitamins, mens’ health, antioxidants, the thyroid and the value gained from emphasizing holistic health.

All too often and for far too long, the burden of improving fertility outcomes has been placed primarily on the female partner. Ronit and Vida, as co-founders of WeNatal, are on a mission to help bring more balance to the equation and that’s resulting in more pregnancies and happier couples.

For a FREE bottle of WeNatal fish oil with the purchase of a subscription of the him & her prenatal http://shrsl.com/2jge8-33xf-1f7o3

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)

IVF Pioneer Dr Richard Marrs joins Danica in this compelling, factual story of the early days of IVF. Dr Marrs explains the origin of IVF science to address women’s fertility challenges with pelvic inflammatory disease in the 1970s and discusses his role in the refinement of ovarian stimulation protocols in the 1980s and 1990s that have shaped the successful IVF protocols used to this day.

This episode shares an inside view of the history of assisted reproductive technology and expands into the disturbing negative fertility outcomes that occurred as possible side effects of COVID (ie. viral antibodies, vaccines, and the stress associated with lockdown during the pandemic).

Dr Marrs’ visionary insights, collaborative research moments and 50 years of clinical patient care form the basis for this discussion about IVF and how it has been used successfully to create more than 4 million humans as of 2024.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards

This episode is sponsored by:

wellpeople Integrative Healing (wellpeoplehealing.com)

The Seed Fertility Program- (seedfertility.com PROMO CODE: BABYMAKERS)