The Retrievals

Serial Productions & The New York Times•nytimes.com

C-sections are the most frequently performed major surgeries in the world. So why do so many patients feel severe pain during them? Season 2 of the award-winning podcast “The Retrievals” is an investigation into this underreported problem — and the new effort to solve it. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter. Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com

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Episodes

S02 Episode 1: The Case

Clara is a labor and delivery nurse, so she has a pretty good idea of what to expect when she delivers her own twins at the same hospital where she works. But she wasn’t prepared for this. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. To find out about ne...

Jul 10, 2025•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1

Trailer: The Retrievals, Season 2

Jun 26, 2025•3 min

S01 Episode 1: The Patients

This episode explores the harrowing experiences of women undergoing egg retrieval at a top fertility clinic, who suffered unimaginable pain when a nurse substituted their fentanyl with saline. It delves into the patients' subsequent self-doubt, the medical staff's dismissive reactions, and the clinic's failure to acknowledge the true cause of their agony, exposing deeper issues surrounding how women's pain is perceived and handled in healthcare.

Jun 29, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer: The Retrievals, Season 1

The patients in this story came to the Yale Fertility Center to pursue pregnancy. They began their I.V.F. cycles full of expectation and hope. Then a surgical procedure called egg retrieval caused them excruciating pain. Some of the patients screamed out in the procedure room. Others called the clinic from home to report pain in the hours that followed. But most of the staff members who fielded the patients’ reports did not know the real reason for the pain, which was that a nurse at the clinic ...

Jun 21, 2023•3 min

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