Pregnantish

October marks Pregnancy and Infant loss Awareness Month. Though research indicates that miscarriages impact 1 in 4 people, we know that that number is probably far greater as that reflects only what is reported. We also know that this experience is devastating, no matter how many people the experience touches.

Recorded live during our annual thought leader event in New York City, The Diversity of Infertility, this episode breaks the silence around stories of stillbirth, pregnancy loss, healing, and hope.

We dive deeply into the personal journeys of former ABC’s “The Bachelor” contestants — Whitney Bischoff Angel, the winner of season 19, and contestant Ashley Spivey of season 15 — as they share their experiences with pregnancy loss and stillbirth in front of a live audience. 

Whitney, the first fertility nurse in the Bachelor franchise history, opens up about her heartbreaking path through multiple miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and the quiet struggles faced by those in similar situations. 

Ashley advocates for stillbirth prevention, most recently with her call to support “The Shine for Autumn Act”, emphasizing the need for greater awareness, paid leave for parents grieving stillbirth, and enhanced societal support. She reveals the emotional impact of her own stillbirth with her son CJ, and the importance of capturing the fleeting moments.

Clinical Therapist Dr. Alice Domar, Chief Compassion Officer for Inception Fertility at the Prelude Network, joins to shed light on the staggering statistics surrounding pregnancy loss and the lack of psychological support available. She calls for societal rituals to acknowledge these losses, underscoring the need for open conversations about grief and healing.

While there may be no rulebook for loss, sharing our stories can pave the way for healing and connection.

This powerful episode is presented by the Prelude Network, a leading network of fertility clinics in North America with 90 plus locations providing compassionate care at every step of the patient journey. For more visit preludefertility.com.

Those who watch the long running reality dating show franchise, ABC’s The Bachelor, know that the women on it go the distance for a chance at love; and former contestant Clare Crawley is no exception. 

Clare is best known as the Runner Up in Season 16 of the series, leading to her role as ABC’s Bachelorette in Season 18. She also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise twice and Winter Games, making her one of the most recognizable cast members in The Bachelor franchise. But in recent years, Clare has been known for something else – making headlines because of her fertility struggles.

She first came out with her vulnerable fertility story via Instagram, when she was finally expecting via gestational surrogacy by sharing, “I can tell you how hard it has been to hold the secret as I've shared the last 10 years of my life with you all. This is one journey, though, that Ryan and I have been keeping close to our hearts as we navigated the uncertain world of IVF and all that comes with it….” Clare concluded the post by thanking her fertility specialist, Dr. Aimee “The Egg Whisperer” for ‘helping miracles happen’.

Clare’s doctor, Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, joins our episode midroll to share more about how she worked with Clare and with other patients in her practice, many of whom are over 40 years old, and why she puts all of her patients on the clinically proven NAD plus boosting supplement, Tru Niagen.

Tru Niagen, the episode sponsor, was developed by ChromaDex, and their Scientific Director, Mona Rosene also joins the episode midroll break to share more on the scientific standards of Tru Niagen and why people navigating reproductive journeys and who want to support healthy aging may want to consider taking the supplement. 

Pregnantish listeners! If you want to try Tru Niagen, use EGGCELLS20 for 20% off at truniagen.com

This month, July 2024, marks 46 years since the world's first IVF baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in the northwest of England. 

Since this historic day of Brown’s birth that made international headlines, the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies estimates that at least 12 million babies have been born as a result of IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies, making “science babies” ubiquitous, albeit still too often misunderstood by the general public. 

The guests on this episode, Ellen Weir Casey and Laurie Sirus, underwent in-vitro fertilization in the early days of IVF, in the early 1980s and 1990s respectively, when the general public, news, and media called babies born from this procedure "test tube babies" -- even though no test tubes were involved!

Ellen became Colorado's first IVF mom and Laurie delivered twins via IVF a decade later after grappling with the decision to pursue treatment due to the fact that it was still considered a somewhat experimental procedure, and since she knew the Catholic faith prohibited it.  

This episode also features an interview with Laurie’s daughter, Abigail Sirus, who has a new appreciation for the incredible lengths her parents went to to have her and her brother now that she works in the fertility industry and since she and her partner, Stephanie, will one day explore building a family with Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Actor Kimiko Glenn has been performing since she was young, with recognizable roles as the voices of Izzy in My Little Pony and Baby Shark Brooklyn, and the star of Waitress on Broadway. She’s also known for her role as penitentiary inmate Brooke Soso on the popular Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, for which she received three ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Now at 34 years old, Kimiko is embracing a new role: a woman taking charge of her fertility and freezing her eggs with two back-to-back egg retrievals this year. She wants others to see and learn the good, the bad, the ugly and the possible when it comes to undergoing fertility treatments and preserving your fertility. 

This episode explores why it’s important to elevate the conversation about fertility and advocate for your health, what Kimiko wishes for her future when it comes to her dating life, family and career, and why being able to access treatments like egg freezing is so important.

If you’re navigating or considering undergoing fertility treatments like IVF, and are confused by all the tests and information out there, you are not alone. Sometimes in this process, we feel like we are given too much information and not enough information at the same time! 

This podcast episode, in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) 2024, is a spotlight on why we should advocate for our reproductive health and know our options.

Dr. Vrunda B. Desai, FACOG, the VP of Medical and Clinical Affairs at CooperSurgical, joins Andrea in studio to share how CooperSurgical is accelerating what’s possible to help people build their families sooner, and how tests like PGT-A, PGT-M, and PGTai can revolutionize the embryo selection process. She is a Physician, Researcher, Educator and Medical Affairs leader at CooperSurgical and is a Board-Certified Ob/Gyn with fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery. Dr. Desai is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine. She’s seen first hand how many options current fertility treatment patients have when trying to build or expand their families.

This episode also features back Sydney Sharon, Social Media and Community Manager at California Cryobank by CooperSurgical, who shares how she and her wife Brit chose their sperm donor and why representation matters when we talk about infertility and modern family building.