Are you at your wits end with seemingly normal test results, however fertility treatments aren't working? Or perhaps you've been told that there are only mild abnormalities, and yet still you're in "the 5%" of people who haven't conceived yet? In medical school, we were taught that we just needed to diagnose a problem if we wanted to treat it and cure the patient. And yet, the fertility world doesn't often seem to work this way. Please join me for a very insightful conversation with Dr. Ruth Odo...
Jul 31, 2025•54 min•Ep. 73
With the growth of the Love and Science community, it feels like we are always navigating a birthday in the group. This can be fraught with many complexities-- grief for where we thought we would be by now, cognitive dissonance of people wanting to celebrate us when we feel sad and angry, and also the sheer fact that our ovaries are getting older. I've known Dr. Jessie Mahoney for a long time, and in fact we are birthday twins. July is our birthday month. We decided to team up and share our wisd...
Jul 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 72
What do we do when the strategies which have worked for us in the past are no longer serving us? We have gotten so good at overfunctioning, and yet we are feeling burdened, depleted, and resentful of not just our jobs but the fertility journey. We also feel incredibly alone in our struggle. In today's episode, we discuss the following: overfunctioning and how to recognize it mindful self compassion healing in community permission to rest trusting ourselves navigating uncertainty why we need less...
Jul 17, 2025•56 min•Ep. 71
As a female physician, have you considered dropping to part time to make it all work? Have you tried a scribe or AI, or even "Thrive" courses (as I've done), yet you're still pulling out your hair and feeling like it will never get better? What if the charting piece were solved for you--would that make a difference in your fertility journey and your life in general? Dr. Mary Leung reclaimed 2.5 hours of her life each day by combining coaching tools and charting efficiency strategies. In this enl...
Jul 10, 2025•43 min•Ep. 70
In this evidence-based and wisdom-filled episode, we discuss how there are many ways to use science to start to feel better and achieve better fertility outcomes. We consider the following: awareness choosing your A team trusting the process connecting with your soul and allowing for transformation breathwork and the relaxation/parasympathetic response objective data to show it's working (heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, continuous glucose monitoring) other lifestyle medicine tools ...
Jul 03, 2025•52 min•Ep. 69
Today's episode goes into how support groups are the essential element to bridging people to parenthood. Ending isolation Renewing strength Celebrating the wins and sharing the burdens Gaining practical advice Creating a safe space for women physicians Focusing the next steps Creating massive results We are truly stronger together. Even if you are a massive introvert like me, the group is the only empowered way to endure your journey with ease, support, strength, and ultimately success. Support ...
Jun 26, 2025•28 min•Ep. 68
Download The Physician Fertility Roadmap - a 6-step, evidence-based plan to optimize your fertility over the next 6-12 months. https://support.loveandsciencefertility.com/The-Physician-Fertility-Roadmap My Loves, this conversation is going to change your life. Dr. Chrissie Ott is a Med Peds physician who spent nearly a decade on the path to conceiving her daughter. She generously shares her story with us, and I know you will see yourself in her story. Among many important topics, we discuss: suf...
Jun 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 67
Download The Physician Fertility Roadmap - a 6-step, evidence-based plan to optimize your fertility over the next 6-12 months. https://support.loveandsciencefertility.com/The-Physician-Fertility-Roadmap Have you ever wondered why your REI made a certain choice for you on your IVF journey? Or why they kept the same protocol or chose a different protocol which none of your friends have tried? Or why different REI’s have different recommendations on protocol selection? This is a question I get over...
Jun 12, 2025•37 min•Ep. 66
Navigating Father's Day can be incredibly challenging when you're on a fertility journey. Join me, Dr. Erica Bove, as I offer heartfelt support and practical strategies to manage your emotions during this tender holiday. From staying off social media to acknowledging your feelings, I guide you through strategies which have helped thousands of patients and clients just like you over the years. Let’s journey through this Father's Day together, embracing love, support, and resilience. Support the s...
Jun 11, 2025•9 min•Ep. 65
Have you ever felt like you were merely surviving on the fertility journey? What would it feel like to thrive instead? In this episode I reveal my top 5 strategies for navigating the fertility journey (and life for that matter) in a way that allows us to thrive instead of merely survive. We discuss: emotional sobriety a broader sense of identity healthy relationships the ability to set loving and flexible boundaries surrender If this is a struggle for you, I’d love to help! Book a consult call t...
Jun 05, 2025•29 min•Ep. 64
Have you been struggling with your weight along the fertility journey? Perhaps someone has even suggested a GLP-1, however you were worried about how this might affect your timing and potentially your future pregnancy? Dr. Sarah Stombaugh debunks a lot of myths in this evidence-based conversation. We discuss the following: GLP-1s and the different half lives / recommendations for discontinuing prior to pregnancy Other weight loss medications which can be used as adjuncts during the bridge to tre...
May 29, 2025•51 min•Ep. 63
Have you ever looked at an IVF calendar and wondered how you are going to make it all work? In today's episode, we discuss: The typical appointment schedule for oral cycles, IVF, and frozen embryo transfer protocols Creative solutions for getting to all of your appointments while still working as a physician The champion's mindset which is the real driver to make this all possible Hopefully this episode will help you to believe you are worth it, come up with creative solutions, and bridge you to...
May 22, 2025•20 min•Ep. 62
If weight concerns on the fertility journey are taking up your mental space, do not miss this episode. Dr. Toomer generously shares her own journey of navigating type 2 diabetes, an elevated BMI, and a potentially fatal diagnosis of heart failure early in her career. She discusses how being an early adopter of a GLP-1 literally saved her life. She gives an overview of GLP1’s and shares her thoughts about when a patient with fertility struggles could consider starting one. Even if you have not st...
May 15, 2025•57 min•Ep. 61
Encore of the 2024 Mother's Day episode. Today we explore how to approach Mother's Day, which is this coming weekend. We discuss how our expectations can set us up for additional suffering, and how to handle triggers in the best way possible. We invite you to connect with your feminine divine energy and to acknowledge the women in your life who have mothered you, even if you do not share a biological connection. Similarly, we invite you to consider the many ways you may already connect with this...
May 08, 2025•29 min•Ep. 60
There's no way around it: Mother's Day is complicated for most people, especially while on the fertility journey. Truly, most people approach this day with trepidation and dread, however this robs us of our power. In today's episode, we discuss the following: Why Mother's Day is so painful My Top 10 strategies to make Mother's Day more tolerable How to hold the tension of unrealized dreams and still acknowledge progress A few stories of hope since last Mother's Day The longer I live, the more I ...
May 01, 2025•44 min•Ep. 59
For many of us, when things get stressful, the first thing we do is lean on old habits of body loathing and disordered eating. This becomes especially challenging on the fertility journey, however, when we know that egg health and the ability to ovulate depend on our nourishing ourselves. This is further complicated by the weight gain which accompanies the fertility journey for most people. Although it is multifactorial, the many consecutive months (and sometimes years) of being out of our typic...
Apr 24, 2025•40 min
Have you ever felt like sex is a chore while on the fertility journey? Or like you are so stressed about when to have sex and when to abstain, that any notion of an enjoyable and life-giving sex life is gone? If so, listen to today's episode with Dr. Sadaf Lodhi, a board certified OBGYN who focuses on sexual health and intimacy in her concierge gynecology practice. In this mind-blowing episode, we discuss: newer models of sexual response and responsive desire navigating sex as work and reframing...
Apr 17, 2025•44 min•Ep. 57
Have you ever felt that your fertility journey is longer than you thought it would be? Or like you didn't realize how much inner strength and resilience you would need to keep showing up every day as a physician patient? My patients and clients know that I mark off the steps of an IVF journey like miles in a race. I see so many parallels between long distance running and the wisdom we need to make it through the fertility journey--loved, supported, and in tact. Today Dr. Quirk (a certified runni...
Apr 10, 2025•49 min•Ep. 56
Have you ever wondered how your REI chose your specific protocol, and how they think about reducing your chances of getting OHSS? Some people are more at risk for OHSS than others, and a lot can be done on the front end in terms of prevention. We have learned so much about OHSS prevention and treatment over the last 10-15 years. In this episode, I share my thought process when thinking about how to balance safety and success, and how to get people back to living their lives sooner. Support the s...
Apr 03, 2025•16 min•Ep. 55
We are told that the rate limiting step in IVF is usually embryo creation. However, we are also learning that the uterine environment needs to be optimal to allow for an embryo to implant and thrive. In this episode, I cover the following: the definition of adenomyosis why we should care as pertains to fertility treatment imaging findings suggestive of adenomyosis clinical situations in which lupron suppression could be considered My goal is to empower you with knowledge and for you to have the ...
Mar 27, 2025•27 min•Ep. 54
I'm feeling all the feels--grateful, inspired, empowered. In this episode, we celebrate together! I discuss the wins that clients of mine have experienced, not just in terms of pregnancy success, but also in terms of living more empowered, joyful lives. What would it look like if you, too, could overcome limiting beliefs, access joy and lightness, and end the rumination loops which currently rule your mind? I also discuss the following techniques to facilitate these transformations: embodiment a...
Mar 20, 2025•37 min•Ep. 53
How many times has a test result or bad news completely destroyed your day or week? It's human nature to allow external events to influence our emotions and moods. However, there may be more tools available to help us through these times than we currently realize. At Love and Science, we talk a lot about embodiment, feeling our feelings, and calming our nervous system. And yet, so many of us were never taught these tools for navigating life's "messy middle." What if we could access our inner pea...
Mar 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 52
How are you feeling on the scale of overwhelm? Do you find yourself second guessing seemingly simple decisions such as what to eat and when (or when not) to have sex? If so, you're not alone. Every day I am asked dozens of questions about how not to mess up an IVF cycle. In this episode we cover decisions about the following: Food Alcohol Sex Illness Travel My hope is that I can empower you to understand what is in the realm of normal, and what not to stress out about. The bottom line is to list...
Mar 06, 2025•28 min•Ep. 51
In this motivating and inspiring conversation with Dr. Sara Ionescu, we discuss: maintaining an exercise routine while undergoing fertility treatments mindset shifts which can help expand our definition of exercise tips for exercising consistently, and also within the guidelines of your fertility doctor how we can increase our tools for navigating the fertility journey with mindful movement, and not depend on vigorous exercise alone for stress reduction how this process can upgrade our identity ...
Feb 27, 2025•43 min•Ep. 50
Today we discuss a sad and sensitive topic: how to move forward after being diagnosed with a miscarriage. We discuss: the epidemiology of miscarriage the treatment options once a miscarriage is diagnosed special circumstances such as euploid embryos and pregnancies of unknown location potential next steps in terms of testing and/or treatment finding emotional support to deal with the grief and move forward along the fertility journey Support the show As always, please keep in mind that this is m...
Feb 20, 2025•39 min•Ep. 49
Have you ever worried about being THAT patient, with too many questions and off-putting your REI? You don’t want to be a “difficult patient,” but you also feel you’re not quite getting what you need in terms of your fertility care. How do we navigate being physician patients—transitioning from being responsible for everyone’s care, and yet finding a safe space to let go and trust another physician (or physicians) to take care of us along the journey? If this resonates with you, listen to this ep...
Feb 13, 2025•22 min
Perhaps you’ve been told the maxim that you need 2-3 euploid embryos per desired live birth before you can start transferring embryos. In this controversial episode, I challenge that thinking and provide my more nuanced view of this important and complicated topic. Let us all move toward an abundantly practical mindset. Support the show As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice. If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult...
Feb 06, 2025•32 min
Please join us as we discuss how understanding our bodies can uplevel our fertility journey, wherever we're at in the process. We discuss: How understanding our bodies can increase our fertility both inside and outside of traditional fertility treatments How lifestyle changes can lead us to our highest fertile potential How sharing the work of cycle awareness can bring couples closer and create a shared vision Misconceptions about natural fertility Medications as a way to augment or simulate a m...
Jan 30, 2025•46 min
Have you ever wondered if you have diagnosable anxiety or depression? Have you ever considered starting medications, however you didn’t want to negatively affect your fertility journey in any way? Have you ever wished that you weren’t bounced between physicians who had no good answers when it came to mood disorders in the preconception period (of course these people were well meaning, but didn’t quite know how to answer your nuanced questions)? If you answered yes to any of those questions, be p...
Jan 23, 2025•49 min
We have a very special guest today, Rosanne Austin. She is a former prosecutor turned fertility coach through a transformational journey when she was able to align her mind and body and conceive her son, against all odds. We will discuss: her own fertility journey embodiment and how to experience joy balancing the feminine and masculine energies in a way which allows us to be receptive how the fertility journey can be an invitation to evolve as a human and become the parent our future children d...
Jan 16, 2025•58 min
