Pregnantish – Details, episodes & analysis

As part of our Going the Distance for Family series on the Pregnantish Podcast — featuring elite athletes opening up about infertility and modern family building — international soccer star Carli Lloyd, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, and one of the most decorated players in U.S. soccer history, shares the deeply personal story behind her IVF journey, and why she ultimately decided to go public with it.

In this candid conversation, Carli reflects on the disappointment of failed transfers, the mental toll of multiple retrievals, the isolation of struggling in silence, and the unexpected vulnerability of feeling like her body was “failing” her after a lifetime of peak performance.

She opens up about navigating fertility over 40, learning to surrender when hard work wasn’t enough, and leaning on her high school sweetheart and husband, Brian, throughout the journey. Today, the couple are parents to their daughter, Harper – a chapter Carli describes as the greatest accomplishment of her life.

Through Carli’s voice, we’re reminded that even champions have to learn how to let go; and why vulnerability is ultimately a sign of strength. 

This episode, presented by Fertility Out Loud, made possible by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, features a midroll interview with Women's Health Advocate and Fertility Out Loud Partner, April Christina, who shares her personal fertility journey story and how fertility coaching has helped her navigate her own path to parenthood. Learn more about fertility coaching at no cost and find additional resources at FertilityOutLoud.com.

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On this episode of the pregnantish podcast, we sit down with U.S. sprinter, Olympic 2024 Bronze Medalist and Athlos Champion, Brittany Brown, for an honest conversation about what it means to go the distance when your body is both your instrument and your battleground.

Brittany shares her unconventional path to the Olympic podium—and how that journey led her to speak openly about the realities women, especially Black women, face in medicine and in sport.

At the heart of this episode is Brittany’s experience living with endometriosis: years of debilitating pelvic pain, medical dismissal, and the long road to diagnosis. She opens up about realizing something wasn’t normal, the dead ends she hit searching for answers, and the alarming medical advice she received before finally being diagnosed in 2023 through the USOPC network. She also reflects on the emotional journey that followed- the relief at being validated, paired with difficult questions about fertility, egg freezing, timing, and access, even as an elite athlete in the middle of a competitive season.

Perhaps most powerful is Brittany’s honesty about the risk of telling the truth publicly. In a world where contracts, sponsorships, and perception matter, she shares the very real fear of disclosure and the unexpected reward: connection, community, and a flood of women and athletes also navigating infertility diagnoses. 

Presented by Tru Niagen, the episode also features a special mid-roll conversation with Dr. Yasmeen Nkrumah-Elie, Global Director of External Research at Niagen Bioscience, exploring mitochondrial health, NAD+, inflammation, and why cellular energy matters for both athletic performance and reproductive health.  Use code EGGS20 for 20% off at TruNiagen.com 

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In this special new year episode of the Pregnantish Podcast, team member Carolyn Kossow—whose studies focused on assisted reproductive technology and third-party reproduction—joins award-winning journalist and author of “Elusive Mommyhood”, Ginanne Brownell, to explore the evolving landscape of fertility. From the rise of "ethical IVF" and surrogacy and third-party reproduction trends around the world, to the long-overdue focus on sperm factors and male factor infertility, we examine how reproductive technology is advancing—and where access and policies still lag behind. With global population declines, shifting attitudes in countries like China (which once enforced a one-child policy and now supports IVF) and reproductive rights under threat in parts of the U.S., these conversations are now part of the zeitgeist– though still wildly misunderstood by the general public. 

As pregnantish celebrates 8 years as the first media platform to help people navigate infertility and modern family building, and marks over one billion reached globally, with our fertility focused content and education, we remain committed to storytelling as a catalyst for awareness, advocacy, and change.

Tune in as we unpack what’s next in the future of fertility—and why our voices are more important now than ever.

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What does it mean to lead a happy life and to achieve a state of well being despite our external circumstances?

In this holiday episode of the pregnantish podcast, Daniel Lerner, co-instructor of NYU’s most popular elective course “The Science of Happiness” explores what it means to live a truly fulfilling life - especially in the face of life’s challenges.

According to Dan, the goal isn’t always to feel “happy” but to find meaning, build resilience and embrace a new perspective on stress. He introduces the concept of ‘post traumatic growth’, revealing how life’s most difficult moments can spark profound personal transformation and why, even if we wouldn’t wish our tough circumstances on others, we can be positively impacted by the way we navigate and grow from these challenges. 

This inspiring and informative conversation offers hope, actionable insights, and a fresh take on navigating the ups and downs of family-building journeys and other non-linear grief chapters.

This episode is supported by pregnantish, soon celebrating 8 years as the first media platform and community to help people navigate infertility and fertility treatments, and tell their stories.  Since inception, we’ve reached over one billion people with fertility news and content. Visit www.pregnantish.com and follow @pregnantish 

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October marks Pregnancy and Infant loss Awareness Month. Though research indicates that miscarriages impact 1 in 4 people, we know that that number is probably far greater as that reflects only what is reported. We also know that this experience is devastating, no matter how many people the experience touches.

Recorded live during our annual thought leader event in New York City, The Diversity of Infertility, this episode breaks the silence around stories of stillbirth, pregnancy loss, healing, and hope.

We dive deeply into the personal journeys of former ABC’s “The Bachelor” contestants — Whitney Bischoff Angel, the winner of season 19, and contestant Ashley Spivey of season 15 — as they share their experiences with pregnancy loss and stillbirth in front of a live audience. 

Whitney, the first fertility nurse in the Bachelor franchise history, opens up about her heartbreaking path through multiple miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and the quiet struggles faced by those in similar situations. 

Ashley advocates for stillbirth prevention, most recently with her call to support “The Shine for Autumn Act”, emphasizing the need for greater awareness, paid leave for parents grieving stillbirth, and enhanced societal support. She reveals the emotional impact of her own stillbirth with her son CJ, and the importance of capturing the fleeting moments.

Clinical Therapist Dr. Alice Domar, Chief Compassion Officer for Inception Fertility at the Prelude Network, joins to shed light on the staggering statistics surrounding pregnancy loss and the lack of psychological support available. She calls for societal rituals to acknowledge these losses, underscoring the need for open conversations about grief and healing.

While there may be no rulebook for loss, sharing our stories can pave the way for healing and connection.

This powerful episode is presented by the Prelude Network, a leading network of fertility clinics in North America with 90 plus locations providing compassionate care at every step of the patient journey. For more visit preludefertility.com.

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Those who watch the long running reality dating show franchise, ABC’s The Bachelor, know that the women on it go the distance for a chance at love; and former contestant Clare Crawley is no exception. 

Clare is best known as the Runner Up in Season 16 of the series, leading to her role as ABC’s Bachelorette in Season 18. She also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise twice and Winter Games, making her one of the most recognizable cast members in The Bachelor franchise. But in recent years, Clare has been known for something else – making headlines because of her fertility struggles.

She first came out with her vulnerable fertility story via Instagram, when she was finally expecting via gestational surrogacy by sharing, “I can tell you how hard it has been to hold the secret as I've shared the last 10 years of my life with you all. This is one journey, though, that Ryan and I have been keeping close to our hearts as we navigated the uncertain world of IVF and all that comes with it….” Clare concluded the post by thanking her fertility specialist, Dr. Aimee “The Egg Whisperer” for ‘helping miracles happen’.

Clare’s doctor, Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, joins our episode midroll to share more about how she worked with Clare and with other patients in her practice, many of whom are over 40 years old, and why she puts all of her patients on the clinically proven NAD plus boosting supplement, Tru Niagen.

Tru Niagen, the episode sponsor, was developed by ChromaDex, and their Scientific Director, Mona Rosene also joins the episode midroll break to share more on the scientific standards of Tru Niagen and why people navigating reproductive journeys and who want to support healthy aging may want to consider taking the supplement. 

Pregnantish listeners! If you want to try Tru Niagen, use EGGCELLS20 for 20% off at truniagen.com

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This month, July 2024, marks 46 years since the world's first IVF baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in the northwest of England. 

Since this historic day of Brown’s birth that made international headlines, the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies estimates that at least 12 million babies have been born as a result of IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies, making “science babies” ubiquitous, albeit still too often misunderstood by the general public. 

The guests on this episode, Ellen Weir Casey and Laurie Sirus, underwent in-vitro fertilization in the early days of IVF, in the early 1980s and 1990s respectively, when the general public, news, and media called babies born from this procedure "test tube babies" -- even though no test tubes were involved!

Ellen became Colorado's first IVF mom and Laurie delivered twins via IVF a decade later after grappling with the decision to pursue treatment due to the fact that it was still considered a somewhat experimental procedure, and since she knew the Catholic faith prohibited it.  

This episode also features an interview with Laurie’s daughter, Abigail Sirus, who has a new appreciation for the incredible lengths her parents went to to have her and her brother now that she works in the fertility industry and since she and her partner, Stephanie, will one day explore building a family with Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Dr. Sasmira Lalwani, Senior Medical Director Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health at Ferring Pharmaceuticals, the episode sponsor, also joins the show's midroll to discuss Ferring's commitment to driving forward positive change in ART with their research and programs like Fertility Out Loud, a platform and social media community which provides resources and tools to help you along your fertility journey. Visit fertilityoutloud.com for more information.

This episode "Happy Anniversary IVF" celebrates not only Brown's birthday, but all the birthdays made possible thanks to IVF.

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Actor Kimiko Glenn has been performing since she was young, with recognizable roles as the voices of Izzy in My Little Pony and Baby Shark Brooklyn, and the star of Waitress on Broadway. She’s also known for her role as penitentiary inmate Brooke Soso on the popular Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, for which she received three ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Now at 34 years old, Kimiko is embracing a new role: a woman taking charge of her fertility and freezing her eggs with two back-to-back egg retrievals this year. She wants others to see and learn the good, the bad, the ugly and the possible when it comes to undergoing fertility treatments and preserving your fertility. 

This episode explores why it’s important to elevate the conversation about fertility and advocate for your health, what Kimiko wishes for her future when it comes to her dating life, family and career, and why being able to access treatments like egg freezing is so important.

This episode also features an interview with IVF mom Vanessa Suker, Manager of Strategic Partnerships at PatientFi, a flexible financing platform and solution, that sponsored the conversation. PatientFi is designed to fit every fertility treatment patient’s needs, so that they can get started with treatments like egg freezing or IVF without being delayed by cost. To learn more, visit patientfi.com/fertilityfinancing

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If you’re navigating or considering undergoing fertility treatments like IVF, and are confused by all the tests and information out there, you are not alone. Sometimes in this process, we feel like we are given too much information and not enough information at the same time! 

This podcast episode, in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) 2024, is a spotlight on why we should advocate for our reproductive health and know our options.

Dr. Vrunda B. Desai, FACOG, the VP of Medical and Clinical Affairs at CooperSurgical, joins Andrea in studio to share how CooperSurgical is accelerating what’s possible to help people build their families sooner, and how tests like PGT-A, PGT-M, and PGTai can revolutionize the embryo selection process. She is a Physician, Researcher, Educator and Medical Affairs leader at CooperSurgical and is a Board-Certified Ob/Gyn with fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery. Dr. Desai is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine. She’s seen first hand how many options current fertility treatment patients have when trying to build or expand their families.

This episode also features back Sydney Sharon, Social Media and Community Manager at California Cryobank by CooperSurgical, who shares how she and her wife Brit chose their sperm donor and why representation matters when we talk about infertility and modern family building. 

Thanks to episode sponsor CooperSurgical – a fertility and women’s health company, that puts time on the side of women, babies and families at the moments that matter most – for supporting this conversation. For more, visit coopersurgical.com 

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World figure skating champion and sports commentator, Tara Lipinski, is known for breaking records and winning awards throughout her competitive skating career, including being the youngest athlete to win a gold medal at just 15 years old at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. 

But, in the last year since Tara achieved another big dream and became a mom via gestational surrogacy, after five years of struggling to conceive, failed IVF cycles and devastating miscarriages, more have heard Tara’s voice as a passionate advocate in the infertility community with a goal of spreading awareness and education. 

In honor of Surrogacy Awareness Month and Endometriosis Awareness Month, both of which touched Tara and pregnantish podcast host Andrea's lives, this episode is about persevering in the face of challenges, the truth about resilience and endurance on the rink and in life, and why fertility education is so important.

This conversation is supported by All Families Surrogacy, a premier surrogacy agency that supports all families by providing unwavering guidance to all surrogates and hopeful parents, regardless of their cultural identity, location or financial status. Whether you're interested in pursuing surrogacy or being a potential surrogate yourself, find out more at https://allfamiliessurrogacy.com

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