Fertility Forward

Ep 23: Embryology with Donna Dowling-Lasey

June 11, 2020 07:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MB

The handling of eggs and sperm in the culturing of embryos is delicate and complex and is performed by highly-trained embryology and andrology specialists. RMA of New York has a large and experienced lab team that is committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and precision to achieve superior success rates and healthy pregnancy outcomes for our patients. In this episode we talk to Senior Embryologist at RMA of New York, Donna Dowling-Lasey, about what exactly an embryologist does...

Ep 22: Physical Training Before and During Pregnancy with Juliette Walle

June 04, 2020 07:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MB

If you have ever had a question about exercising while trying to conceive and during pregnancy, this episode is a must! Our guest today, Juliette Walle, is a personal trainer whose training style is deeply rooted in an understanding of biomechanics. With a love of athleticism and finding the fun in fitness, her sessions are energy filled and sweat-inducing, tailoring every workout to her client’s needs, goals, and preferred styles.

Ep 21: Third Party Donor with Nancy Kaufman

May 28, 2020 07:00 - 39 minutes - 26.8 MB

Having a solid support structure during your fertility journey is extremely important, whether that be a partner, a friend, or an established support group. Nancy Kaufman is a licensed psychoanalyst practicing in New York City for more than 30 years, working with individuals, couples, and groups dealing with infertility and parenting after infertility. Following her graduation from Columbia University School of Social Work, she completed her analytic training at the Centre for Modern Psychoa...

Ep 20: Jealousy Versus Envy with Lauren Appio, PHD

May 21, 2020 07:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MB

We tend to use the terms jealousy and envy synonymously, but there’s a distinct difference between the two. Today’s guest is Dr. Lauren Appio, a licensed psychologist in the state of New York, who explains why this distinction can be important. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Appio about jealousy and envy and what exactly the difference is. We also discuss how to find balance when socializing while on a fertility journey, and how to honor and respect the feelings that may come up while try...

Ep 19: How an Online Mentorship Program Helps Those Struggling with Infertility with Elyse Ash, CEO of Fruitful Fertility

May 14, 2020 07:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Struggling with infertility, miscarriage, or loss is incredibly difficult, and feeling isolated can often compound those difficult feelings. While it’s so important to have a support system, it can be hard to reach out to those closest to you, especially if they have not dealt with the same issues. Elyse Ash, our guest today, and founder of Fruitful Fertility is working to create connections to help people struggling with infertility. The platform pairs mentors, who have come out the other e...

Ep 18: Male Factor Infertility with Greg Sommer, Trak Fertility

May 07, 2020 07:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MB

Despite being responsible for nearly half of all cases of couples' fertility struggles, men are largely left out of the equation. There are a plethora of resources for women, from educational material to psychological support, yet very few of the same support systems exist for men. Along with this, going to a male fertility clinic can be a vulnerable experience, leaving men feeling exposed. Our guest today, Greg Sommer, is the co-founder of Sandstone Diagnostics, a Bay Area diagnostics compa...

Ep 17: Why It Could Be Your Thyroid, with Dr. Bojana Jankovic Weatherly

April 30, 2020 07:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MB

Dr. Bojana Jankovic Weatherly is an award-winning physician, and double board-certified in internal and integrative medicine. After completing an internal medicine residency, she did a fellowship in integrative medicine, trained in functional medicine, nutrition, and mindfulness. Her approach is rooted in evidence-based medicine that is personalized to each individual she works with. She partners with her patients to discover and address the root causes of their conditions and develops indiv...

Ep 16: Fertility Nursing with Eliza Ferstendig

April 23, 2020 07:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MB

Being a fertility nurse is not an easy job. You often have to see patients go through great difficulties while remaining a positive, upbeat presence in their lives. The upside, however, is that you get to build great relationships with them, and you have the chance to pass on some of the best news they could ever receive. Eliza Ferstendig, a fertility nurse at RMA New York, is an extraordinary person whose passion for her job is contagious. She has been in the position for five years and doe...

Ep 15: Behind the scenes at a fertility clinic - real talk with Margaret Daneyko, Director of Nursing at RMA NY

April 16, 2020 07:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MB

Margaret Daneyko currently serves as our Director of Nursing and Clinical Services at RMA of New York. With her 25 years of experience in women’s health, she is an expert voice when it comes to fertility-related operations and care. In this episode, we look behind the scenes at a fertility clinic, discussing empathic burnout and other challenges fertility nurses face; improving patient care; and the awkward waiting room setting. Almost every little girl dreams about becoming a mother one day...

Ep 14: Genetic Testing with Teresa Cacchione, Certified Genetics Counselor

April 09, 2020 07:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MB

Teresa Cacchione is a board-certified genetic counselor at RMA of New York who guides patients on several genetics-related concerns such as cytogenetic anomalies, carrier screening, family history concerns, and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) of embryos, including single-gene disorders, aneuploidy, and structural rearrangements. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the topic of genetic testing, including the rapid evolution of the field over the last decade, and as you will hear f...

Ep 13: Infertility, PTSD, and Trauma with Joanna Flemons

April 02, 2020 07:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MB

Infertility is related to the body, which means that it deals with one of our most basic human needs. As long as you are struggling with it emotionally, it will have knock-on effects and hamper your ability to fully work on other parts of your life. Joanna Flemons, our guest today, is a seasoned Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been in the field since 1998. She runs Highlands Ranch Counseling and Coaching and specializes in individual, family, couple counseling, and Highlands Ranch re...

Ep 12: Mind-Body Connection, Relationships, and Navigating Ovum and/or Sperm Donation with Lori Metz, Psychotherapist

March 26, 2020 07:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MB

Joining us today is Lori Metz, a licensed clinical social worker, and certified case manager who is also board certified in tele-mental-health and the host of her own podcast. Lori has adopted a positive psychology approach that includes mindfulness and cognitive behavioral health in partnering with her patients in an optimistic, goal-oriented manner, and embraces the idea that each of us has a unique path. In this episode, you will learn more about the importance of communicating and seekin...

Ep 11: Acupuncture and Pulse Therapy for Fertility with Miriam Pineles

March 19, 2020 07:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MB

Eastern medicine offers many unique diagnostic techniques and treatments to patients embarking on their fertility journey. We were fortunate to speak about some of these on the show today with Miriam Pineles who is a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine that specializes in women’s health concerns and perinatal health in particular. Miriam is the founder of Conscious Health and Wellness Inc. in Manhattan, is a diplomat in Oriental medicine, and has studied under well-respected pr...

Ep 10: Psychology, Mental Health, and the TTC Journey with Dr. Georgia Witkin

March 12, 2020 07:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MB

The links between stress and fertility that seem to be so commonly believed in are very misleading. Dr. Georgia Witkin is the Director of Psychological Services at RMA and has written thirteen books about stress and she joins us on the show today to remind us that infertility causes stress, not the other way around! We get to hear from Dr. Witkin about her journey in psychology and how she made her way into the fertility field and ultimately landed at Mount Sinai and RMA.

Ep 9: Reproductive Yoga and Mindfulness with Dalia Sabari

March 05, 2020 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MB

Today on the show we welcome Dalia Sabari. Dalia is a certified yoga instructor with a specialty in women’s health. Dalia discovered yoga in 2011 when having difficulty conceiving. Since then, yoga has become her passion and a tool to help keep her clients healthy, mindful and strong. When teaching, Dalia focuses on a deep mind-body connection as well as a physical and mental well being. Her intention with teaching her students is to impart a deep, mind-body connection as well as physical an...

Ep 8: The Fair Access to Fertility Treatment Act with Betsy Campbell, Chief Engagement Officer, RESOLVE

February 27, 2020 08:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MB

Today on the show we welcome Betsy Campbell, who has spent her career working for non-profit organizations and her free time volunteering for worthy causes. Her experience in public relations, fundraising, and volunteer management span a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, social service, philanthropy, politics, and organizations such as Mount Sinai Medical Centre, American Hospital Association, Chicago Foundation for Women and Emily’s List.

Ep 7: Tackling BRCA and IVF: A Patient Perspective with Amy Switzer

February 20, 2020 08:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MB

Infertility struggles are incredibly challenging, both mentally and physically. So, imagine dealing with these hurdles alongside a life-altering diagnosis. This is the position our guest today, Amy Switzer, was in a few years ago. Amy knew that she had to do IVF as it was difficult for her to get pregnant naturally. On her journey to conceive, after genetic testing, she was diagnosed with BRCA1, the breast cancer gene. In this episode, Amy shares some of this difficult journey with us and ho...

Ep 6: Breast Cancer and Fertility with Dr. Matthew Lederman

February 13, 2020 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Today we have the great pleasure of welcoming Dr. Matthew Lederman to the show! Dr. Lederman is an incredible doctor who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and BRCA. We get to hear about his journey in medicine, his family history in the field of fertility and his early interest in following this path. He tells us about his favorite parts of his job, some of the more difficult tasks he has to complete and why family is so important to him in work and at home. From there, he turns to h...

Ep 5: PMADS, and Perinatal Anxiety and Depression With Dr. Catherine Birndorf

January 14, 2020 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MB

Today on the show we welcome Dr. Catherine Birndorf, Co-Founder and Medical Director of The Motherhood Center of New York. Dr. Catherine is also co-author of the books, What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood and The Nine Rooms of Happiness, and associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine. She’s been featured on many national television networks and published in various magazines.

Ep 4: The Power of Raising Your Voice with Barb Collura

January 10, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MB

Today on the show we welcome Barb Collura. Barb serves as the President and CEO of RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association. Barb is a nationally recognized expert on infertility and the family-building journey, with a special emphasis on the personal experience of those struggling to build their family. She has worked for the World Health Organization on infertility definitions, and clinical guidelines worked with ACOG on their clinical definitions for infertility and served a four-yea...

Ep 3: Why Your Infertility Story Matters, with Ali Prato

January 09, 2020 08:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MB

After a brutal, four-year struggle with secondary infertility, Brooklyn-based journalist and mom-of-two, Ali Prato, launched Infertile AF. Infertile AF is an unfiltered podcast about all the different paths toward building modern families and having babies, or not. So far, the podcast has received over 55,000 downloads in over 50 countries and Ali’s goal is to reach even more people worldwide to let them know that they are not alone.

Ep 2: Real Talk with Rena Gower and Dara Godfrey, Co-Hosts of Fertility Forward and Fertility Warriors

January 08, 2020 20:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MB

Today on the Fertility Forward Podcast, we introduce your hosts Rena and Dara, and they share some background about their own struggles with infertility. Rena Gower is a licensed social worker here at RMA. She is currently a state advocate for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association where she lobbies for healthcare reform and improved insurance coverage for those needing infertility treatment. Dara Godfrey is a registered dietician at RMA. She supports patients’ nutritional goals at ev...

Ep 1: Optimizing Patient Care, with Dr. Alan Copperman

January 08, 2020 19:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

Today on the show, we welcome Dr. Alan Copperman. Dr. Copperman serves as our Medical Director here at RMA of New York. He is also the Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, as well as the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He is an experienced and respected clinician, has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters on reproductive medicine, and has co-authored hundreds of sc...

Ep 1: Real Talk with Rena Gower and Dara Godfrey, Co-Hosts of Fertility Forward and Fertility Warriors

January 08, 2020 19:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MB