Building your family

The TUSHY, BALLS, and ANGEL methods are just a few of the acronyms that Dr. Aime Eyvazzadeh has created to help patients understand the procedures important for them to complete to enable them to understand their diagnosis.

In this week's episode, she talks about these procedures, discusses how she counsels patients about various treatments from egg freezing to ovarian aging, and explains why she recommends certain supplements and ...

This week's guest, Kristin Duncan, shares her thoughts about being a single mom by choice, the difficulties for single women in fertility treatment, and much more.  

Here are a few of the topics Kristin discusses in this week’s episode:

• how important it is to advocate for yourself at your fertility clinic • why being a single mom is not as "difficult" as people think • how remembering that "things change" can be so helpful • not ...

If you have been wondering about what's happening in the political and social landscape in the fertility field, you will appreciate this week's episode.  Barb Collura, the CEO of RESOLVE, discusses how our modern society has arrived at a time when science and so many social issues have progressed, except that our reproductive rights may erode further if we do not take action now.

At RESOLVE.org, there are many ways to get involved,...

The benefits of disclosing to children about their origins, early and often, is no longer up for debate.  We know that children, and their parents, are often curious about their donor, and for medical or emotional reasons, may have an interest in connecting with them at some point in their lives. Typically, people search for their donor on 23 and Me and hope that they will be able to connect with the donor when their child becomes ...

You may know Colton Underwood as a football player or the reality TV star from The Bachelor, or from his Netflix special when he told the world that he could no longer hide and came out as a gay man.  The Colton Underwood you will meet on this week's episode is a warm, gentle man who has finally found himself, real love, and cannot wait to be a father.  

If these hurdles weren't enough, he also struggled with male factor infertilit...

In this podcast, we frequently delve into the realm of third-party reproduction. However, today we're taking a fresh perspective on the pregnancy journey. Donor conception isn't the perfect fit for everyone, and for some, it simply isn't an option. So, let's explore an alternative approach.

Meet Dr. Gleicher and Dr. Barad, partners at the Center for Human Reproduction in New York. Their focus over the years has gravitated towards w...

The good news is that we've discovered that disclosing early and regularly is most beneficial. Moreover, it's never too early nor too late to disclose. However, if you browse online comments about late disclosure, you'd doubt the validity of the latter statement. Those who struggle with early disclosure often face ridicule online, exacerbating feelings of guilt, sadness, and anxiety, making it even more challenging to disclose.

Thi...

Dr. Shahine and I agree that there is so much misinformation on the internet. We also agree that the fertility journey is lonely and that people need support. So, we decided to team up and create a double podcast and bust some myths! Yes, you will get support and clarity on both of our channels.

Among other things, we will discuss:

• Sex positions and getting pregnant • Stress and infertility • Disclosure to donor-conceived childre...

Have you ever imagined what goes on inside the head, and home, of a single mother by choice?  I have!  I have talked to many of the people I see about how they chose their donor, how they decided to close the door on a partner (at least for now), what worried them, and how they do it all!

In this week's episode you will meet Lesley Bogad. She is a professor and has dedicated a lot of time to deciding how she would manage all of the...

Comedian, actress, author, and podcast host, Robin Hopkins, joins us this week to talk about her journey and parenting advice.  Her struggles with her donor choice took her across the country and to other countries, her discomfort with donor conception turned into love and gratitude and her fears and concerns were all resolved. She now parents her two children with the values she holds dear and the lessons she has learned through h...

In a previous episode, I discuss a wide range of fertility tips.  This week, I wanted to give you some ideas that can help you get through treatment. 

After decades in the field of fertility, I have found that there are helpful ideas to consider, and actions to take, to make the journey better and easier.  The three tips presented in this video are a few of the ideas that people don't typically think about, so I wanted to share the...

Joseph Tito is a Canadian influencer and author of the dad diaries.  He is a happy married man and the father of two beautiful twin girls.  But life was not always this way.     While going through a breakup, Joseph pursued donor conception and surrogacy alone in a foreign country. He had no idea how his story would end, but he had no other choice. He did not have the funds to pursue a surrogacy journey in the US or Canada, his hom...

Oprah’s film pick, Eggs Over Easy, was directed by this week's guest, Chiquita Lockely, who is a ray of sunshine and hope.  She has created a platform for fertility treatment for women of color and has been a leader in advocacy and support in her community. 

In this episode, Chiquita dove into big issues like inequality for people of color, why black men are reluctant to donate their sperm, cultural issues that the black community ...

I hope you enjoyed part one of this two-part series on surrogacy. If you have not yet seen part one, I urge you to watch it. It is full of useful information to help you have the best relationship with your surrogate. This is important for you, and for your surrogate, but it's also important to be able to have a beautiful journey that you can document for your future child to treasure forever.  For more information on chronicling y...

For two consecutive weeks, I will be talking about surrogacy.  This first episode will cover some ways to optimize your relationship with your gestational carrier. This is incredibly important.  It is important for all involved to have a meaningful journey, and those positive experiences can be documented and used as part of your child’s narrative (for more information see My Lifebook https://familybuilding.net/product/), Last, if ...

Nicole Gomez Fisher is the writer, director and producer of the feature film “Sleeping with the Fishes” and “The Good Egg” which was inspired by her fertility journey and decision to use donor eggs to build her family.  Her films have been featured on HBO and are available on Amazon Prime Video. Nicole has also acted and worked on many other films and television shows, but her favorite role, by far, is mom.

In this week’s podcast y...

Chloe Melas is a reporter for the Today Show, an author, and an advocate.  In this episode you will hear about all of her incredible pursuits and most of all, her infertility journey, which led to her two beautiful boys.  After much heartache, Chloe decided to open up about her experiences to People magazine, CNN and now to us.   Chloe recounts her treatment failures, marital struggles and battle with feelings of depression and anx...

The gold medalist joins us on the show to share her difficulties through her five year journey to have a baby, including all of the losses and treatments she endured.  Tara reflects on how the attributes that made her an international superstar also made fertility treatment more difficult, how she and her husband Todd, struggled with their different perspectives and through their hurts, developed a greater closeness.

She opens up a...

Most of us know that if you used a third party to help you build your family, or if you are adopting, it is essential to share this with your child. We also know that "early and often" works best for the children and the parents.  Talking to your child early and often helps your child integrate their sense of who they are from the beginning.  It has also been shown to help children have better relationships with their parents and t...