Ep. 60 | Carrot Fertility: Employer Provider Benefits with Brooke Bartholomay Quinn Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise gets to talk with Brooke Quinn of Carrot Fertility about the inclusion of employee benefits that offer fertility care and family building support such as adoption and surrogacy. It's important for both employers and employees to understand the advantages and costs of including fertility care and benefits packages. We want to encourage employees to ask abou...
Jan 28, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Ep. 59 | Advocacy Groups: Highlighting Important Organizations There are so many charitable organizations out there, it can be hard to know which ones to turn to in times of need, or in times of abundance when you are looking to share your generosity. On today’s episode, Eloise highlights 12 non-profit organizations that are changing lives in the infertility, reproductive health, and trying-to-conceive community. From large-scale national organizations to more localized support groups and specia...
Jan 21, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Episode Summary On this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise gets to talk to Anna Flores Locke about her experience with embryo donation and her journey of infertility as a Latina woman. Anna struggled for years with infertility in isolation and heartbreak, not knowing where to turn. Since her experience, thankfully, many changes have been made to provide women with counseling and support to assist them in the process of fertility treatment and embryo donation in particular. We hope this conversati...
Jan 14, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Ep. 57| Unique Populations of Intended Parents Families come in all shapes and sizes these days. The notion of a “traditional” family makeup with a mom, dad, and 2.2 children is becoming the exception rather than the rule. In today’s episode, host Eloise Drane takes a look at what it takes to navigate fertility when you don’t quite fit the mold of what society thinks a traditional family should look like. How can third-party reproduction help single intended parents? LGBTQ+ intended parents? Int...
Jan 07, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Ep. 54 | Disparities in Fertility Care for Minority Populations with Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise gets to talk with Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey to discuss disparities in fertility care in minority populations. There are particular barriers to caring for and noticeably poor treatment outcomes for black and brown women. We're highlighting health disparities that prevent family building through fertility, diagnostics, gynecological surgery, fertility preserv...
Dec 17, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Ep. 53 | Aftermath of Infertility (PTSD) Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise focuses on infertility, pregnancy loss, and mental health issues like PTSD, anxiety, and postpartum depression. If you feel that any of these topics would contribute to negative feelings or upset, go ahead and skip this one. I know it’s a heavy topic right around the holidays, but I also feel strongly that through education and open discussion about these difficult topics, we can help provide comfo...
Dec 10, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Ep. 52 | Fertility Journeys for Women with Demanding Careers with Dr. Hala Sabry Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, we get to talk about a topic with a very special guest: fertility journeys for women with demanding careers. Every fertility journey is a process of getting to know ourselves. A process where new fears, doubts, and unknowns pop up that we didn't know we had until now. The stress of wanting to grow a family while maintaining a career can add to the difficulty. That d...
Dec 03, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Ep. 50 | Fertility Insurance with Jason Smith Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise gets to talk with Jason Smith, the Founder and President of International Fertility Insurance. He and his team now provide hopeful parents, as well as agencies, with the solutions required—with unparalleled service. We dive into what surrogates and intended parents should look out for with insurance plans, and how to ensure adequate coverage throughout the entire pregnancy. Jason Smith is the ...
Nov 19, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Ep. 49 | Social Surrogacy Episode Summary Today we're going to dive into the nitty-gritty of the topic: what is social surrogacy? Who could this be right for? If anyone. And what are the real ethical concerns about the topic? On this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise talks about a subject that she’s never really spoken about, social surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy is an amazing opportunity for intended parents who are otherwise unable to have a baby of their own. It's a form of third-party repr...
Nov 12, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Ep. 48 | Kellee Stewart Episode Summary In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise gets to talk with Kellee Stewart about proactive fertility, egg freezing, and the importance of checking your fertility status. Kellee will also be discussing the unknowns and the remaining challenges to a fully claimed proactive family-building experience. With the advent of egg freezing and more widely available modern fertility testing, women may now take a more proactive approach to their fertility. Kellee Stew...
Nov 05, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Ep. 47 | Paying for Fertility Care Episode Summary Join host Eloise Drane for an honest look at the financial side of fertility. It’s not always easy having a baby. Millions of people struggle with their fertility for a variety of reasons, and while technology and medicine have advanced to make parenthood possible for nearly anyone, it still remains inaccessible to a lot of intended parents because of the cost. Fertility care and third-party reproduction can be very costly, but there are ways to...
Oct 29, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Ep. 46 | Military Family Building with Ellen Gustafson & Katy Bell Hendrickson Episode Summary Today on the Fertility Café podcast, Eloise gets to talk with Ellen Gustafson & Katy Bell Hendrickson about fertility for military families. They share their journey that led them to be activists for change to help military service members and their spouse receive the fertility services they need. Ellen Gustafson is a social entrepreneur, author, activist, and, most importantly, Mom and Militar...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 46
Ep. 45 | When Third Party Reproduction Goes Wrong In today’s episode, host Eloise Drane tells several tales of third-party reproduction gone wrong. With over two decades of experience in the infertility industry, Eloise often feels like she’s seen it all! And yet, every once in awhile stories come across her news feed that have the power to surprise her. Eloise looks at a variety of situations, from clinic equipment malfunctions to questionable actions on the part of doctors and surrogates. She ...
Oct 15, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Episode Summary On this episode of Fertility Cafe, Eloise gets to talk to Lori Metz who is a licensed Clinical Social Work/Therapist and certified case manager. She works with individuals, couples, and families and specializes in relationships and fertility. She is the creator of I Dreamed of You: The Story of an Egg Donor Baby a children's book about egg donation written for a young audience to introduce the essential conversation of honest and honored origins and has her own podcast, LOVE: , ℎ...
Oct 08, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Episode Summary On this episode of Fertility Cafe, Eloise dives into the topic of bodily autonomy in surrogacy and egg donation arrangements. Much of the opposition to surrogacy as a practice stems from a misunderstanding of what it means to be a surrogate today in America. Modern gestational surrogacy involves a mutually agreed-upon relationship with clear boundaries and complete respect and autonomy given to the surrogate mother. Eloise explores the nuances of bodily autonomy and offers her wi...
Oct 01, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Episode Summary Fertility care is ever-involving. For many, medical treatments are not covered by their insurance. Coverage for infertility and fertility preservation can currently be disallowed by insurance companies. Many insurance companies have fertility coverage classified as cosmetic or elective. On this episode of Fertility Cafe, Eloise gets to talk to Mollie Walker and Chelsea Caldwell. Two ladies who took up the fertility-care torch as advocates to help change the fertility landscape. T...
Sep 24, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Episode Summary On this episode of Fertility Cafe, Eloise dives into the complicated question: what’s happening with supply and demand in the world of third-party reproduction? COVID-19 has certainly had a drastic effect on the availability of surrogates, egg donors, and sperm donors, yet at the same time, the demand for these crucial pieces to the third-party reproduction puzzle has only increased. Can it all be blamed on the pandemic, or is something else going on here? Eloise explores several...
Sep 17, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Dr. Lori Marshall is the medical director and a founding partner of Pacific Northwest Fertility in Seattle as well as Clinical Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at University of Washington School of Medicine. She serves as the director of the Pacific NW Fertility Center for Collaborative Reproduction, overseeing its donor egg bank, and donor egg, gestational carrier, and donor embryo programs.
Jun 18, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Following her own very personal experience as a parent through gestational surrogacy in 1990, Darlene first served as a contract coordinator in a reproductive law firm. She learned about the legal aspects of egg donation and surrogacy while coordinating documentation for intended parents, donors, and surrogates during the legal contract stages. Darlene started to successfully connect high-profile clients with egg donors and surrogates in 1998—and did so with absolute confidentiality. In 2000, Da...
Jun 11, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Richard Vaughn is a parent via surrogacy and egg donation and is the founding principal of International Fertility Law Group, a law practice focused exclusively on assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Links for more resources Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be honored if you took the time to rate and review our podcast! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Jun 04, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 38
This episode is about surrogate partner involvement. The husband, wife, or committed boyfriend or girlfriend of a would-be surrogate has an important role to play which cannot be overlooked. In this episode, we talk all about how surrogacy is a shared experience and what partners should expect when the lady in their life becomes a gestational surrogate. We Discuss Topics Such As: Despite this episode being all about partners, you do not need to be married or in a committed relationship to become...
May 28, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Today I have the pleasure of speaking with….Maya Grogel, Jennifer Vesbit and Gina Davis of Empower Donation. These are three women united, on a mission to normalize embryo donation as a family building option. Together they have founded Empower Donation, an education company dedicated to increasing awareness, empowering choice and fostering understanding for everyone involved in embryo donation. Links for more resources Documentary: One More Shot Support and Education Rate, Review, and Subscribe...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 36
More and more Americans seem to be struggling with infertility these days. Is this a matter of increased awareness? Certainly, more people are talking openly about their struggles than ever before. But can the numbers really be chalked up to less stigma around the conversation of infertility. On this week’s episode, host Eloise Drane dives into what the science says about the increase in fertility issues in the United States. Studies point to an alarming decline in the average male’s sperm count...
May 14, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Our guest today is Chiquita Lockley, Executive Producer and Director of Eggs Over Easy. Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility is a documentary film about black women fertility, family building choices, and maternity care. Links for more resources Blog: Why Many Black Women are Silent About Their Struggle with Infertility...
May 07, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In today’s episode, host Eloise Drane gives her insight into the ins and outs of choosing an IVF clinic. With over two decades of experience in the infertility industry, Eloise has seen it all! From state-of-the-art clinics to single practitioners who offer highly personalized service, she’ll discuss what to look for, what to avoid, and how to evaluate success rates when shopping for a fertility clinic. Eloise covers questions and topics such as: Links for more resources Rate, Review, and Subscr...
Apr 30, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Sasha Ottey is Founder and Executive Director of PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. Serving 55,000 members, PCOS Challenge is the leading patient support and advocacy organization for people with PCOS. Sasha started PCOS Challenge after she was diagnosed with PCOS and experienced great dissatisfaction with the availability of support resources for women with the condition. Links for more resources Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be honored if you took the t...
Apr 23, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Everything you never knew you needed to know about surrogacy! On this week’s episode, we’re spilling the tea on all the strange facts, surprising details, and interesting tidbits about surrogacy. We asked our surrogates, past and present, our staff, and our buddies in the field to share what they wish they knew before beginning a surrogacy journey. From what not to do during the application process (hint: don’t assume a particular answer will disqualify you!) to the surprisingly common “crying h...
Apr 16, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Erin is a freelance writer and a donor conceived rights advocate. At age 35, she found out from her parents that she was conceived using donated sperm. It was all a shocking experience and it inspired her to create the community and resource “We Are Donor Conceived”. Erin wanted other donor-conceived people to benefit from the resources she had amassed in her own search. Links for more resources Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be honored if you took the time to rate and review our podcast!...
Apr 09, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 30
On today’s episode of Fertility Cafe, we explore everything you need to know about surrogacy for gay parents. With advancements in assisted reproductive technology and expanded access to family-building resources for the LGBTQ community, it’s fully possible for gay men to have their own biological children. More gay men are turning to parenthood via surrogacy than ever before. Host Eloise Drane dives into how surrogacy works for gay men and what they can expect from the process. We cover the ent...
Apr 02, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 29
On this episode we have two lesbians chatting about non-traditional families. Jaimie Kelton and Robin Hopkins, the creators and hosts of the popular podcast If These Ovaries Could Talk, realized the world needed to know there was more than one way to make an LGBTQ family. Links for more resources Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be honored if you took the time to rate and review our podcast! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to ...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 28