The Whole Pineapple – Details, episodes & analysis

Change is hard, especially when they involve endings of things we’re sad to see go. And we’re definitely sad to see The Whole Pineapple go. 

In this very special, final (for now?) episode, Ruby, Anne, Jamie, and podcast producer Shannon Perry reflect on how difficult it can be to say goodbye. But as A.A. Milne says in the voice of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Given how hard this is, we’ve clearly been very lucky indeed. Then stay tuned for Jamie’s meditation on letting go so you can move forward.

This podcast has been a labor of love, and there has been a lot of joy in talking with amazing guests, hearing from listeners how much you’ve gotten from the episodes, and diving deeper into how fertility appears in research, books, and even popular culture.

We hope The Whole Pineapple has helped listeners learn more about the fertility journey and the options that exist for those who are having challenges building their families. But we also hope it’s helped open the discussion — the stigma that still exists around infertility, and the reluctance many of us feel when talking about bodies and reproduction can make it tough to talk. But these are necessary conversations, and sharing podcasts like The Whole Pineapple can be a gentle way to introduce the topic.

Finally, we have to say “thank you.” Thank you for listening and supporting this podcast. Thank you for sharing episodes and the things you’ve learned. Thank you for coming with us on this journey. Please know that the episodes will continue to be available, and our email, thewholepineapple@gmail.com is still live, if you have comments or questions.

We love and appreciate you. Have a delicious week.

Resources: 

Kahlil Gibran: On Joy and Sorrow

Find Jamie Mammenga on her website, Sound Perinatal and Fertility Counseling, PLLC: www.soundcounseling.org

Audiotocracy Podcast Production: audiotocracy.com

Sorry, folks, it’s official: it’s the end of sex.*

Henry “Hank” Greely, Professor by courtesy of Genetics at Stanford School of Medicine, Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law, and Director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences, is very interested in how new biomedical technologies impact assisted reproduction. He’s authored two books: The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction in 2016, and CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans, which published in 2021, and is Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center for Biomedical Ethics, among other impressive mouthfuls.

In this episode, Ruby, Anne, and Hank dive into the changes that are already happening in human reproduction — and the possible changes to come. In addition to the scientific challenges, what are the ethical and legal questions we’ll need to tackle as the landscape changes?

Many of us became aware of genetic questions with Dolly the cloned sheep and the controversy over stem cells and how they might be used to repair damaged bodies. But Hank took the question even further, asking, What happens when we can make eggs and sperm from skin cells? Does that signal the end of human reproduction as we know it?

Hank can pinpoint the origin of his curiosity to October 19, 2010 in Muenster, Germany — a conference talk on how induced pluripotent stem cells (iPscs) could be used to make other cells, including, the speaker said off-handedly, sperm and eggs. Wait, what?

Science fiction? Maybe not.

If you’re curious about the possible future of fertility (and sex), this is the episode for you. Be sure to check out the book as well. There’s not only theory about what the future could hold but also a well-researched history of how we’ve gotten here 

As always, please rate and review, and most of all, share the episode and show with anyone you think could benefit. 

*Spoiler: New technologies might mean the end of sex for reproduction and the start of sex purely for pleasure. So the news isn’t bad after all. 

Learn more about Hank Greely on the Stanford Law School Directory: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/henry-t-greely/

Find more episodes from Ruby and Anne at https://thewholepineapple.com.

Resources mentioned:

Purchase the book from the Harvard University Press: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674984011

Episode 29: My Embryos are Mosaic? https://thewholepineapple.com/episode-29-my-embryos-are-mosaic-interpreting-your-pgt-results/

OK, we knew the human gut had one of these, but the vagina too? What’s actually going on in there?

Microbiomes are incredibly diverse ecosystems: we are more bacteria than we are human. Yep. Read that again — there are more bacteria in us than human cells. You, my friend, are a moving, breathing microcosm that is incredibly cooperative when you’re healthy.

Don’t panic. Katy Bradbury is back to explain what all this means and how we can use this knowledge to be healthier.

Things to know:

• A healthy gut is NOT free from bacteria. We need the friendly bacteria to survive. Yes, it’s a bit icky to think about, but it’s important. 
• “Bad” bacteria is opportunistic, like weeds in a garden, says Katy. You need to keep your “good bacteria” healthy and plentiful so the bad can’t get a foothold.
• We want a diversity of good bacteria in both the gut and the vagina, but these are not the same critters. Lactobacilli are best for the vagina, so knowing how to protect lactobacilli by keeping the vaginal environment at the right pH is a good thing.
• This is important for fertility but also for avoiding infections like yeast infections and UTIs, so care is a life-long need.
• Douching and using other “cleaning products” is NOT vaginal care unless you have a specific medical reason. These products disrupt the natural vaginal pH and aren’t necessary for this self-cleaning organ.

There’s so much good information in this episode, so please give it a listen and share with others. While it may be difficult to overcome the traditional shame around our bodies, this shame is, frankly, not helpful. Sharing information and talking openly are the best way to erase the shame and be healthier.

Ready to learn more? Listen up!

More about Katy Bradbury: Katy is founding member of the Fertility Nutrition Centre, a clinical advisor at Fab Fertile, a content provider for women’s health platform Xena, and a clinical supervisor for nutritional therapy students at the University of West London. You can find her at Katy Bradbury.com. Be sure to check out the robust back catalog of episodes from her podcast Fertility and the First 1000 Days: katybradbury.com/podcast

To hear more from Anne and Ruby, find all their episodes at thewholepineapple.com.

Cue the mood lighting, Marvin Gaye, and high thread count sheets. Let’s talk about sex! 

On today’s short snack we’re covering some juicy stuff you’ve always wanted to know about sex, but (maybe) are afraid to ask your fertility doc. Like should you actually stay horizontal after sex to increase chances of pregnancy? Does a clitoral orgasm have any bearing on fertility rates? How often should you have sex if you’re trying to get pregnant? And can you get pregnant while you’re menstruating? 

Also, did you know Ruby coined a sex position in Taking Charge of your Fertility??

Let’s get it on!

Have you had COVID-19? At this point in the pandemic, the chances are quite high. So what does the virus mean for your reproductive health?

On today’s short snack, we welcome back Dr. Marah Hehemann – who is a fellowship trained surgeon, researcher, educator and patient advocate specializing in the fields of urology, reproductive health, and sexual health – to talk about the direct impacts of COVID-19 on sperm health. 

How does covid impact the testicles and penis? How does a high fever impact sperm? Is there an association between Covid-19 and erectile dysfunction? 

Get all our questions answered on this bite-sized episode. 

Ps. Before you even have a chance to wonder, YES, the COVID-19 vaccine is absolutely safe for testicular health and sperm production.

We spend a lot of time on the Whole Pineapple talking about eggs, ovaries, and tubes. And for good reason! But today, we’re giving some attention to another vital ingredient in the reproduction recipe: sperm. 

Despite our habit of looking to the egg side to locate issues, sperm is often a major factor in infertility (50% of the time, in fact!). So we’re taking you on a trip into the urologist’s office with Dr. Marah Hehemann. Marah is a fellowship trained surgeon, researcher, educator and patient advocate specializing in the fields of urology, reproductive health, and sexual health. Not only is she incredibly credentialed, she is also very attuned to high-sensitivity topics and supporting patient-centered conversations.

So, what can you expect from a urology visit? What can a semen analysis tell you? Is there actually a correlation between sperm count and virility? What should you eat to optimize penile and sperm health? What should you do if you’re experiencing erectile dysfunction? There’s a load to talk about.

Amanda Ellis and her husband had made the decision not to have any more biological children. As luck would have it, another option fell into their laps. 

On this week’s short snack, we’re sharing an incredible listener story about one of the many ways to build a family. If you’ve thought about third party reproduction, or you simply want to hear a heartwarming story about a special set of sisters, you won’t want to miss this treat of an episode.

If you’re currently doing fertility injections, or are considering it, you may have some anxiety about giving yourself shots. Feeling nervous about needles is normal. 

So on today’s short snack, we’re delighted to have another Mindful Moment with friend of the pod, Jamie Mammenga, who is here to share some tools to help ease the stress. She also guides us on a meditation to help reduce fear. Whatever is holding you back, this episode will help you let go of your fear, and leave you feeling refreshed and empowered.

Imagine this: you’re standing in the Italian countryside when a tanker truck goes by. You catch a whiff of something odiferous, but it can’t be… or could it be? Is that truck full of pee?

It turns out we can thank some happy accidents, chance encounters, hamsters, and the urine from hundreds of Catholic nuns for our modern fertility medicine. Why and how? In today’s episode, we’re looking back in time for the stories behind the pharmaceuticals.  

Who discovered hormones? How was Clomid first synthesized? When and how were injectables introduced? And do we really share the same steroid receptors as sea sponges, jellyfish & worms? (Hint: Yes, yes we do). If you’re curious where your medicine comes from, buckle up for a wild ride!

References:

Letrozole for Female Infertility - PMC (nih.gov)

The strange story of a fertility drug made with the Pope’s blessing and gallons of nun urine — Quartz (qz.com)

Microsoft Word - s015approval.doc (fda.gov)

Follistim - Food and Drug Administration

The strange story of a fertility drug made with the Pope’s blessing and gallons of nun urine - Quartz

Microsoft Word - 2_9.docx (nih.gov)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(17)31697-7/fulltext

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S2661318219500026

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)02308-4/fulltext

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4769851/

https://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(10)60937-6/pdf

On today’s short snack, we’re going past ovulation into the luteal phase of your cycle. Which means it’s time to talk about progesterone! Progesterone is the hormone that signals your uterus to turn into a nice comfy place for an embryo to implant. 

Supplemental progesterone can be an important part of fertility treatment. It’s also one of the most common, confusing, and controversial topics of  conversation in the fertility world. So, how do you know if you should take it? What’s the goldilocks timing? And are there side effects?

Anne even has one of her special songs to explain things.