Optimizing Fertility: Recent Episodes
ELANZA Wellness
Expert guest interviews on all the things that can move the dial on our reproductive wellbeing and fertility: including lifestyle, science, technology, and relationships. Hosted by Brittany Hawkins and Catherine Hendy, founders of ELANZA Wellness.
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Ep. 12 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Marcia Inhorn, a Yale anthropology professor who specializes in the study of how patient experience fertility treatments.
Dr Marcia Inhorn is a medical anthropologist who specializes in reproduction and reproductive technologies. She is a professor at Yale University, and the author of many books and published research on gender, technology, and health.
Here she talks to ELANZA Wellness's Catherine Hendy about key findings from her research that are relevant to how people experience fertility journeys - and some of the ways in which clinics can make care more patient-centered and meet different patients needs.
Dr. Marcia Inhorn is a medical anthropologist and Professor at Yale University, specializing in the study of how people experience fertility technologies.
Find more resources for fertility by signing up for ELANZA's free weeklynewsletterwith fertility tips.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 11 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
In this episode, we hear from Emma Menzies, a fertility patient turned coach about what she wants fertility clinics to learn from based on her experiences.
Whilst working as a lawyer, Emma Menzies spent 6 years in what she calls a "relentless" fertility journey. Her efforts to manage this alongside the other demands of her life and career ultimately led to burnout.
Emma spoke to Catherine Hendy from ELANZA about what she experienced on her journey through fertility care and how fertility care providers can do better to support the mental and emotional needs of the people they treat.
Emma Menzies is a former fertility clinic patient and employment lawyer, who retrained as a coach and NLP practitioner. Emma's practice, Ready Steady Coach, focuses on fertility at work and facilitating career fulfilment for professional women experiencing fertility challenges.
Find more resources for fertility by signing up for ELANZA's free weekly newsletter with fertility tips.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 10 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
In this episode, we hear from Tom Smith, the founder and CEO of Dadi, a New York based startup that provides at-home sperm freezing kits.
Fertility is often pigeonholed as a women’s health issue: but data suggests male factor challenges could account for 40–50% of infertility, and it affects approximately 7% of all men.
Tom talks to ELANZA Wellness's Brittany Hawkins about why he started Dadi, why people use their at-home service, what the process actually entails and how this option has seen a surge in demand during the pandemic. He also talks about common causes of male infertility and what to watch out for, as well as what he believes most needs changing or innovating in reproductive healthcare to better meet people's family building goals.
Tom Smith is cofounder of Dadi, the temperature-controlled at-home fertility test and sperm collection kit. Note: if you wish to purchase a Dadi kit, enter code ELANZA at checkout to receive $25 off your order.
For more resources and support that take the fear out of fertility visit www.elanzawellness.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 9 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
In this episode, we hear from the Chair of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Lauren Berman about why good mental and emotional care is so important both from fertility clinics and patients perspectives, and how this has evolved during the pandemic.
Research shows there is considerable emotional impact when people experience fertility problems - and that getting the right support can make all the difference.
Dr. Berman talks to ELANZA Wellness's Catherine Hendy about common emotions experienced, the options, methods and professional support available and how people can access them, as well as advice for self-help or self-care for anyone facing fertility struggles.
Dr. Lauren Magalnick Berman has been a practicing clinical psychologist in the Atlanta, Georgia area since 1989. She has served as Clinical Faculty at Georgia State University Counseling Center, Administrative Director and Clinical Supervisor of Metropolitan Counseling Services and Adjunct Faculty at Argosy University. She Chairs the Executive Committee of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and she is on the Board of the Jewish Fertility Foundation. She is the owner of the Fertility Psychology Center of Atlanta.
Dr. Berman received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and her Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Emory University.
For more resources and support that take the fear out of fertility, visit www.elanzawellness.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 8 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
In this episode, a software-engineer-turned-coach explains how to apply tried and tested change methodologies to realize the life you want.
Mike Tamayo has nearly 30 years experience in the technology industry as an engineering leader and now as a Co-Active coach. Join us to learn how he helps people concept-model their lives and help them design a plan to optimally work through all stages.
Software engineers rarely come up with a perfect product at first attempt. Instead, iteration – or continually improving a product through collaboration, feedback and analysis – is essential to building a successful product that meets real-world needs. It’s less about following a set format and the “right” thing to do, more about discovering and refining the right steps for the situation at hand.
ELANZA’s Brittany Hawkins talks to Mike about how those experiences in his past career inform fresh perspectives in his coaching, how to identify your true values, current barriers, and how you can convert your goals into a blueprint for life.
Mike Tamayo has had a three decades long career in the technology industry as an engineer, leader, and coach, at companies ranging from startups to the Fortune 100. He helps clients with personal, leadership and executive coaching. Be the first to quote ELANZA to book a free 30 minute discovery session with Mike! www.miketamayocoaching.com.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 7 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
Ovulation tests aims to tell us when we are most likely to conceive and to help us get pregnant faster. But with many different options on the market, and some criticism from OGYNS and fertility doctors around at-home testing, how can we navigate what works and what doesn’t?
In this episode we hear from OOVA founder and biologist Dr. Amy Divaraniya, whose startup has reinvented ovulation monitoring with the launch of its non-invasive, lab-quality "fertility translator" kit.
Amy talks to ELANZA Wellness’s Catherine Hendy about how her own struggle to get pregnant left her frustrated with the one size fits all approach of traditional tracking, what we can learn by monitoring our hormone changes and patterns, and how she set about reinventing a test without the drawbacks of existing ovulation tests.
You can also watch a video version of this interview or read the full transcript posted in the ELANZA Community by clicking here.
Dr. Aparna (Amy) Divaraniya has a PhD in genetics and genomics from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of OOVA, a hormone measurement tool used to help women understand their fertility on a deeper and more comprehensive level.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 6 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
Sperm counts in Western nations have dropped by more than 50 percent in the last 40 years. And now scientists are warning that men may be less fertile in the aftermath of COVID-19. Are we facing a male fertility crisis?
About this episode:
We hear from Dr. Paul Turek, a world renowned urologist, men's reproductive health specialist and researcher who helps infertile men become fathers.
He talks to ELANZA Wellness’s Catherine Hendy about the truth about falling sperm levels in Western countries, whether COVID-19 infection may impact male fertility and what individuals can do to make better sperm and maximize chances of conception.
Dr Paul J. Turek MD, FACS, FRSM is a board-certified urologist, an internationally renowned expert in men’s sexual health and reproductive urology and founder of The Turek Clinic. Dr. Turek graduated from Yale College with highest honors (summa cum laude), Phi Beta Kappa, and attended medical school at Stanford University, where he also took top research honors. He completed his residency in urology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 5 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
The "gender data gap" in medical research is now well documented. But what is being done to close it? Hear from one of the organizations at the forefront of pioneering research, whose discoveries are leading to new treatments, cures, and better quality of life for women of all ages around the world.
About this episode:
Wellbeing of Women's Laura Neale and Dr. Ed Coats, a fertility specialist, talk to ELANZA Wellness’s Catherine Hendy about what the gender data gap means when it comes to reproductive health and advancements on the horizon that will help close it.
Many things we take for granted today emerged from research funded by UK-based charity Wellbeing of Women, including the use of ultrasound monitoring and the importance of taking folic acid in pregnancy, plus Sir Henry Kitchener’s ground-breaking discovery linking HPV to cervical cancer - all of which have positively impacted countless lives.
In this episode, they discuss ongoing vital research, how funding into health issues like endometriosis and recurrent miscarriage is allocated, and what individuals and companies can do to help advance scientific understanding in reproductive health.
Sign up for the ELANZA Newsletter ------>
Want to be the most educated patient, clinician or women's health leader you can be?
Sign up here to get free updates on the latest in Reproductive Health and Fertility straight into your inbox!
Once per week we send out a curated collection of discoveries, tips, stories and highlights from clinician and patient perspectives.
https://newsletter.elanzawellness.com/about
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 4 of the Optimizing Fertility podcast
Dr. Diana Chavkin has helped thousands of individuals and couples through fertility treatment. Now, she shares what she learned when she found herself on the other side of the desk as a patient facing her own IVF journey.
12% of American women have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. Infertility affects people from all walks of life - even fertility doctors.
Dr. Diana Chavkin knows that first hand.
The double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, who has developed world-renowned fertility programs in New York and Los Angeles, found herself struggling to conceive when it came time to start her own family.
In this episode, Dr Chavkin shares her personal fertility story with ELANZA’s Brittany Hawkins, explains how her experience has shaped her approach to treating patients now, and shares some tips, insights, and what she wished she'd known earlier.
Dr. Chavkin is a reproductive endocrinologist at HRC Fertility in Los Angeles. She earned her medical degree from New York University and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and her REI fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, after graduating from Barnard College, Columbia University with a degree in psychology and history. Dr. Chavkin has authored many research papers in renowned medical journals as well as book chapters and is active in multiple professional organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Chavkin is also a member of the ELANZA Wellness Community.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Ep. 3 of the Optimizing Fertility Podcast
Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and more…
Who hasn’t heard stories of people “giving up” trying to conceive, and then falling pregnant? Despite anecdotal evidence, proving a causal relationship between stress and fertility has long proven enigmatic for doctors and scientists. That is, until now.
About this episode
A new study has uncovered a "missing link" between the brain and the reproductive system. In this episode ELANZA’s Catherine Hendy speaks to the study's lead author Professor Greg Anderson, from the Anderson Laboratory at the University of Otago's Centre for Neuroendocrinology.
After over a decade of research into precisely how neurons in our brains could modulate reproductive function via the hormone system in response to stress, Professor Anderson’s team of researchers have some answers that could potentially lead to novel treatments for stress-related infertility.
We hear what exactly the link is, and what it could mean for people trying to conceive or planning to in the future.
You can read the full transcript of this interview here.
Professor Greg Anderson leads The Anderson Research Group laboratory at the University of Otago's Centre for Neuroendocrinology. His research focuses on how hormones and brains cells regulate fertility.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
Listen now
A nurse practitioner demystifies contraception and reveals the new options in market.
Molly Kenward, a nurse practitioner at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health, talks to ELANZA’s Brittany Hawkins about the family planning devices and medications on the market today, including the ones she is most excited to share with her patients. She discusses potential impacts on fertility, how to choose the right option for you and the development and adoption challenges of the Male Pill.
Molly is also happy to answer specific questions in the ELANZA Community!
Here’s how to ask:
Click here to access the community
Post your question on the forum using the topic Birth Control
Alternatively, direct message Molly using the chat feature (top right menu)
Note: The opinions in this podcast should not be considered medical advice or the views of UCSF Health. Please talk to your own provider or practitioner before taking medical care decisions.
Molly Kenward, NP, MSN is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health. Molly has over 12 years of experience working in healthcare ranging from critical care oncology to rural community health. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in Biology with honors in Neuroscience. From there she completed postgraduate training at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Global Health, volunteered for the British and American Red Cross across Africa and South America before returning home to the Bay Area to complete training at UCSF to become a family nurse practitioner. In her patient care, she emphasizes the well-being of the whole person and wants every individual to be informed and empowered in making decisions about their health.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com
The Optimizing Fertility Podcast
Hear the first episode now
A dating and relationship coach on science-backed strategies to find lasting love.
Research shows most of us still prefer to start a family within a committed partnership. So what does it take to find one if you’re single with a shortening timeline, and you’re growing tired of dating? Renowned dating and relationship coach Alexis Sclamberg joins ELANZA’s Catherine Hendy to reveal the strategies she uses with her clients and what “taking your power back” means.
Alexis Sclamberg is co-founder of Borrowed Wisdom, a company that offers online programs to inspire and empower individuals to manifest a life they love. A former lawyer, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and is an Instructor at Barnard’s Athena Center for Leadership Studies. Alexis contributes personal essays to publications including Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and The Huffington Post, and has been featured on the radio, including NPR.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.elanzawellness.com