SART Fertility Experts Podcast

Some fertility patients are unable to carry a pregnancy to term.  For a variety of reasons, they may choose a gestational carrier, a woman who carries the intended parent’s embryo in their uterus until delivery.  In this episode, both the intended parents and gestational carrier share their experiences with Dr. William Petok, a reproductive psychologist.

Cancer therapy can affect future fertility and pregnancy outcomes.  Some patients will consider IVF with embryo or egg freezing to preserve fertility.  Listen to a breast cancer survivor discuss her decision to freeze eggs years ago, a healthy pregnancy, and how she is considering using the frozen eggs today.

With more available options for family building for the LGBTQ community, two women describe their experience with reciprocal IVF. Lauren and Lisa share the story of their personal journey to become parents in this captivating interview.

As a teen, Jessica learned firsthand of the degenerative disease that afflicted many of her family members as she helped care for her grandmother. Years later, when she was ready to start her own family, she knew wanted spare the next generation if she could. Learn how she used preimplantation genetic testing for (PGT-M) to prevent transmission to her children.

Endometriosis is a condition that can affect many facets of a person’s life, from pelvic pain to struggles with infertility. Listen as Christine discusses her experiences during her journey to motherhood with Dr. Joseph Findley, a reproductive endocrinologist and member of the Society for Reproductive Surgeons.

Candace discusses her experience with infertility, IVF, multiple pregnancy losses and ultimately a successful delivery with Dr. Julia Woodward, a reproductive psychologist. Hear their strategies for coping with the grief, anger and anxiety that many patients endure.

As the most common hormonal disorder in women, PCOS is a disruptive problem that impacts many aspects of a woman’s health including getting pregnant.  In this episode, Brittany discusses how PCOS has affected her life and shares the story of her challenging journey to parenthood, with Dr. Mark Trolice, a reproductive endocrinologist. 

Yuki describes her challenges with infertility and pathway to parenthood through egg donation with Dr. Cristin Slater, a reproductive endocrinologist.  Listen as they discuss the process of selecting a donor and her outlook on family building with donor eggs. 

Infertility is not just a female problem. Dan candidly shares his journey with both diagnosis and treatment of male infertility with Dr. Paul Lin, Past President of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Learn how he coped and supported his partner through the treatment process. 

Ellen was single and in the early years of a long and demanding surgical training program.  She knew she wanted a family someday. Listen to her story as she shares her journey to parenthood with the help of egg and embryo freezing with Dr. Kelly Lynch, a reproductive endocrinologist. 

We hope you have enjoyed listening to our second season. More episodes of SART Fertility Experts are planned for the future so stay tuned!

“I know what treatment I want and need to do, but how can I afford it?”  This is a common question infertility patients often ask themselves on the path to parenthood.  Due to the expense of treatment, managing cost is a key factor for patients. In this episode, Dr. Brooke Rossi interviews Brad Senstra, an executive director of a large infertility program, about financial topics, such as cost of infertility treatment and IVF, insurance coverage, financing, and other options.

In today's episode, Dr. Mark Trolice interviews Sean Tipton, ASRM's Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer. Many infertility patients do not have insurance coverage for treatment. Currently, nearly 40% of states in the U.S. have mandates for some form of infertility coverage but there are limitations and not all include IVF, fertility preservation, the LGBTQ population and veterans of the military. In this episode, we discuss the current landscape of infertility insurance coverage, the hurdles to obtain state and/or national mandated coverage, and methods of advocacy for both patients and doctors to improve coverage. Learn – Why the challenge? Who can make a difference? What’s the price to pay?

Dr. Sanjita Jindal, Associate Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Laboratory Director at Montefiore’s Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health helps patients understand the importance of the IVF lab when choosing an IVF program.  She also explains the rigorous training of embryologists, laboratory safety, as well as identification and cryo-storage of eggs, sperm and embryos in the lab.  From eggs to embryos, the lab’s essential role in the IVF process is explained here.