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Fertility preservation for those undergoing gender-affirming transition is an important area of reproductive medicine. In this episode, Anne and Ruby are talking with Dr. Lynn Davis about how fertility options may be dependent on age, the gametes involved (i.e. sperm or eggs) and the stage of gender-affirming care.
A diagnosis of cancer or other serious condition is bad enough — dealing with tests, treatments, insurance, uncertainty, as well as the illness — but knowing that the condition or its treatments can also cause infertility…. It just feels so horribly unfair.
The good news is for many, that diagnosis doesn’t have to equal the end of fertility. The landscape for patients has changed. In this episode, Ruby and Anne talk with fellow Seattle Reproductive Medicine provider and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lynn Davis about options for preserving fertility.
The Whole Pineapple welcomes back Dr. Lee Hullender Rubin, specialist in acupuncture and integrative East Asian Medicine, this time to talk about herbs and East Asian medicine in general.
The founder of Rosefinch Health, Dr. Lee is an award-winning doctor of acupuncture and a leader in the field of integrative reproductive medicine. She blends compassionate care with over two decades of clinical experience specializing in fertility, IVF support, pelvic and vulvovaginal pain, and cancer-related support.
Note: This episode contains news on the future of The Whole Pineapple podcast, so be sure to tune in!
In this episode, we hear the realities of being an athlete in a female body: not just the realities of dealing with a cycle or having a more limited window for having a family, but also the cultural limitations (just wait until you hear Nikki’s story about the “shared” ice/hot baths in Chicago, oooof). The biggest battles often aren’t against an opposing team.
In this episode, we hear from OL Reign players Lu Barnes and Nikki Stanton on the joys and challenges of being a professional athlete.
In this delicious snack, Ruby and Anne are chatting with Judy Simon and Angela Thayer about their new book, Getting to Baby: A Food-First Fertility Plan to Improve Your Odds and Shorten Your Time to Pregnancy.
OK, we knew the human gut had one of these, but the vagina too? What’s actually going on in there?
Microbiomes are incredibly diverse ecosystems: we are more bacteria than we are human. Yep. Read that again — there are more bacteria in us than human cells. You, my friend, are a moving, breathing microcosm that is incredibly cooperative when you’re healthy.
As nutrition often isn’t included in fertility advice or treatment in many places (looking at YOU, USA), this episode can be particularly useful for those who want to optimize their health and physical condition to support a healthy pregnancy.
As anyone born with a uterus will tell you, living in a body equipped with one of these and all that goes with it comes with a special set of challenges. And many of us don’t really know all we need to know, so think of this episode as a sort of Owner’s Manual.
So what do we need to know through the decades of our life?
Guest Dr. Amy Criniti suggests taking a look via tubal imaging, called an HSG. This procedure can give the doctor an idea of the status of the fallopian tube.
In this episode, Ruby and Anne talk with Dr. Amy Criniti, another member of the Seattle Reproductive Medicine team, about some of the questions (and myths) out there about ectopic pregnancies.
In this episode, Anne and Jamie are discussing exactly this topic, as Jamie announces a big and exciting change in her life (and yes, you’ll have to listen to find out what it is, but it’s good).
One big takeaway here is that there are two coping strategies most of us tend to fall into when confronted with big change: avoidance and control. Do we duck the change that’s coming until we realize we really can’t breathe with our heads in the sand? Or do we take control (maybe a bit too much, sometimes)? Or do we vacillate between the two, making ourselves and those around us a little bonkers?
Though attention generally focuses on the one hoping to get pregnant, partners are suffering too. They’re sad and scared and hurting, but their attempts to help are perhaps a bit clumsy because they often can’t understand the ramifications of fertility treatment on the body, the heart, and the psyche.
What do you do when you’re facing so much, and the one person you turn to in difficult times is dealing with their own concerns? What do you do when the person who is usually a big part of your solution is suddenly a big part of your problem? (or so you think…)
July 25, 1978 was a great day, and not just because July 25 is Ruby’s birthday. This particular day in 1978, the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born!
What can people who aren’t professional lobbyists do to make our voices heard?
According to Sean Tipton, you can do exactly that – you can make your voice heard. Register to vote and then vote. Talk to candidates for political offices, especially when they’re in an election season, as they’re most likely to listen at that time. You have a right to be heard, so get in there and get talking.
Content warning: there are mentions of abortion, incest, and rape in this episode.
Advocacy is on the menu for today’s episode — and to quote our Season One guest Lara Hayden in episode 13, listen up to learn how we can all “be prepared, not scared.”
In this episode, Jaime and Anne discuss how emotions need wiggle room, they need to move. You can’t just push emotions away and expect them to stay gone. Complaining to a patient friend, writing it out in a journal, pummeling a punching bag — those things can allow you to vent rather than explode, stop catastrophizing, and get that feeling of being in control back.
In this episode, reproductive psychology expert Dr. Julie Bindeman tells her story. It is a roller coaster that will probably feel all-too-familiar to many: miscarriages, bad news from the ultrasound, medical professionals who don’t have a proper sense of urgency (to put it politely, though we’re screaming on the inside).
Content Warning: This episode focuses on pregnancy loss and termination of pregnancy for medical reasons. If you’re not in the right headspace to hear this episode, we suggest you skip ahead and come back if and when you’re ready. Please take care of you.
Worst-case scenarios suck. There’s no way around that. But one way to make it suck slightly less is to be sure everyone involved is invited into the tough conversation about termination of pregnancy (TOP) for medical reasons. When the bad news is fresh is a really tough time to make a decision; having a planned path can at least remove some of the pressure.
As you listen to the episode, you’ll hear about “functional” cysts that have a job to do and are good things to have. So if you hear the word “cyst,” that’s not necessarily cause for alarm.
In this episode, Dr. Casperson, Ruby, and Anne talk about how participants can improve their sex lives.
In this episode, Dr. Casperson talks with Ruby and Anne about how couples can work together toward good, satisfying, enjoyable sex. As the doc says, you don’t say, “I don’t like movies” when you only watch horror films, right? So maybe it’s time to try some different varieties.
Did you know: We can take cells from the outside of an embryo and test them?
Formerly, “embryo biopsies” were done only if there was a risk of serious disease like cystic fibrosis. It wasn’t routinely done because taking a cell or two from an embryo that is only 8 cells brought with it the possibility of damaging the embryo.
Content Warning: There is discussion of animal testing some listeners may find difficult.
So, what actually happens in the lab with the sperm and eggs and embryos? Well, life in the lab has changed as technology has evolved.
If you don’t qualify for a Roaring Adventures grant, don’t despair! The organization can help you find resources elsewhere. Do be cautious, however; you’re sharing a lot of personal information and often paying a fee when you apply for a family grant. Make sure the organization you’re approaching is legitimate.
Seven long years and nine devastating losses before finally having a daughter inspired Mollie to help military and first responders with family building. Why this population in particular? First, her daughter’s story includes ties to the military, and second, this population tends to suffer infertility at higher rates than civilians. And often fertility treatments — even for our military and first responders — are not covered (or fully covered) by insurance.
How do you feel when fertility issues come up at work? Someone puts a baby photo on their desk, a colleague is pregnant, invitations to a baby shower or to contribute to a baby gift float around — these can be hurtful for those dealing with fertility challenges, but asking someone to put their baby photos away or refusing to participate in a celebration are often just not an option.
So what can you do to get “better functional coordination” in the very complicated network that is the pelvic floor? Well, first, it’s important to know what you’re working with, says Abby. (NOTE: The best way to do this is work with a PT so you learn all the things correctly!) But one way to start is to pay attention to your breathing. Where is the expansion and contraction happening?
Many people believe that pelvic floor issues are limited to people who have had multiple pregnancies, but that’s just not true. Everyone can benefit from being in tune with that part of their body and checking with a PT for the right way to keep the pelvic floor healthy (hint: not just Kegels, and NOT CRUNCHES).
In this special episode, a Whole Pineapple listener shares her journey and struggles through secondary infertility.
There are lots of special concerns in this situation: when you have a first, people don’t worry about asking when you’re going to have another the way they might hesitate to ask about a first. There’s guilt about potentially having a “lonely only.” And what about as parents age, is it “wrong” to leave all the responsibility of caretaking on one child?
More Discussion with Meirav Zur
Using Humor to Cope with Infertility with Meirav Zur
In this snack, Ruby and Anne look at several examples of fertility “tropes” that show up again and again in drama, and we reckon a lot of them will feel familiar to you.
Our environment can turn genes off and on, so it’s not “nature vs nurture,” it’s “nature AND nurture.” How genes and our environment work together or at odds has real impact not just on our individual health but potentially on our offspring and theirs!
Ruby and Anne are having this critical nature/nurture conversation with Kent Thornburg, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
In this episode Anne and Jamie Mammenga talk about how to gently, politely extricate yourself from a situation where you don’t feel safe or supported. Whether you went to get more nachos you really didn’t want, or remembered a task or meeting you urgently needed to attend to, Anne and Jamie said to give yourself permission to walk away.
In this snack, hosts and guest are tackling specifics around frozen embryos: who do they belong to, how did the Dobbs decision change the laws, do people need to be shipping their embryos to states that are more aligned with their needs and beliefs?
Is sperm from sex “donated”? Welcome to a crossover episode with podcaster Ellen Trachman, host of I Want to Put a Baby in You. Lawyer by trade, reproductive technology advocate at heart, Ellen Trachman is the founder and managing attorney at Trachman Law Center LLC.
Puberty in reverse – Welcome to menopause! Like those tumultuous adolescent years, you may feel like a tourist in your own changing body. And it’s not necessarily a fun destination, with hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, and the longer-term dangers of osteoporosis and increased heart disease risk.
In this snack, Ruby, Anne, and guest genetic counselor Rachel Donnell tackle the question: What’s wrong with a commercial test? Answer? There’s nothing wrong with it, as long as you treat it as a fun way to learn more about yourself, and NOT as a medical diagnosis.
In this episode, Ruby and Anne are talking with one of SRM’s genetic counselors: Rachel Donnell. Rachel is a certified genetic counselor with 7 years of clinical experience in the infertility setting and a whole lot of experience explaining genetics and genetic testing to patients.
PGT or “preimplantation genetic testing of embryos” – even the name is complicated. But, as we’re having a genetic counselor come in to talk about testing and what the results mean, we thought a little primer on the science would help everyone understand the longer episode better.
In this short snack, Ruby and Anne talk about what IVF or in vitro fertilization is, and how it works if you and your fertility provider decide it’s the best treatment path for you.
Patients know that advocating for themselves can be necessary to getting the best medical care, but it can be really difficult for some to be understood when they express themselves — hence this very important conversation! Neurodivergent peoples may communicate their discomfort differently, so it’s truly helpful if clinics are more educated and neurodiversity-friendly.
In this conversation with Dr. Kristen Chambliss, Ruby, Anne, and Dr. Chambliss tackle many of the misconceptions rooted in our culture when it comes to a diversity of neurotypes.
One way to start feeling better is, honestly, to take a break. Take some time off from fertility treatment – it can be a few weeks, a cycle or two, whatever amount of time you need – so you can come back ready, refocused, and with more resilience in your tank.
Shelbi Day and Rebecca Willman are back with Anne and Ruby for this short snack about family advocacy. Some BIG changes happened in United States law in 2022: The Dobbs decision (aka the reversal of Roe v Wade overturning the Federal right to abortion), the many state-level laws that followed, and The Respect for Marriage Act.
Luckily we have two experts from the nonprofit organization Family Equality here to talk about the hard work their organization is doing to move toward both legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ families. In this week’s episode we are chatting with Shelbi Day and Rebecca Willman.
Anne and Ruby have a book review for you; actually two book reviews, based on your recommendations! You voted on these books a while back, and our hosts read them, enjoyed them, and are excited to share.
One of our wonderful listeners sent us a question to ask if others experience what she called “Pink Line Addiction.” While “Pink Line Addiction” is a great band name, this concept of frequent home testing can really impact your life.
Ruby and Anne take apart these notions of women and hysteria, that great uber-diagnosis that explained All The Things. Except it didn’t.
Anne and Ruby share some science behind why music is so powerful in helping us manage Big Emotions like fear, uncertainty, and joy. Anne and Ruby have (quite) different musical tastes and are drawing from different perspectives.