When it comes to infertility, there are a lot of common misconceptions. It would be impossible to list them all here, because even in today’s age of transparency around fertility issues and treatment, there are still just so many misguided ideas. But it all starts with the definition of the term itself. The word “infertility” suggests that someone is just completely lacking in the ability to be fertile — to conceive a child. So when someone hears or even receives that diagnosis, their head may go straight to “I can never get pregnant." A lot of...

Another day, another Internet myth about women’s health that needs to be debunked. In our post-Roe world, where abortion and birth control access are under very real threat, it’s essential that we dispel this one. The myth in question is about Plan B — according to several people on social media, this emergency contraceptive can cause infertility. One TikTok, for example, features a creator pretending to pop multiple pills as the text overlay reads “Finding out that taking a certain amount of Plan B can make you infertile.” The TikTok is clearly a joke (the creator...

As you research how to navigate IVF as an LGBTQIA+ couple, you’ll come across some key differences. The IVF journey itself still has its expected touchstones — like medications, doctor’s appointments, and costs — what is unique is how and who navigates each part.  “The biggest difference for LBGTQIA+ couples is that they need to include a third party in the process,” explains Dr. Sydney Chang of CCRM Fertility. “For same sex female couples, this is a sperm donor. For same sex male couples, this requires both an egg donor and a gestational carrier. The couples must decide whose...

So, you’re finally ready to start a family: You’ve checked all of the boxes that fit into your plan, whether that’s a committed relationship or secure finances (or both!). There's nothing left to do but try to conceive!Cut to about six months later, and your at-home pregnancy tests are still negative. The last thing you had on your TTC bingo card was infertility, but here we are. There’s no sugarcoating the fact that infertility sucks, but it is quite common. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 5 (19%) of married women are unable...

So you’ve decided to do pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on your embryos during IVF, and now that you’ve gotten the results back, you find out some of your embryos are mosaic. You’ve heard of “normal” and “abnormal” embryos before, but what is a mosaic embryo? Can mosaics be transferred and still result in a live birth? We spoke with Dr. Michael Guarnaccia of Pinnacle Fertility in New York City to learn more.  What is a mosaic embryo? A euploid embryo is normal, meaning all of the cells in the embryo have the right number...

In April 2024, the Center of Reproductive Health (CRH), a fertility clinic based in Nashville, closed its doors due to an inability to pay its employees. The facility’s owner, Jaime M. Vasquez, M.D., has since been sued by the Tennessee Attorney General.  According to a statement from the Attorney General’s office, the clinic’s “abrupt closure” left numerous fertility patients in a lurch: The future of their care, access to medical records, and security of their frozen eggs, sperm, and embryos was now a huge question mark.  Just a few weeks later after the clinic shut down,...

Whether you're trying to conceive at home or preparing for an egg retrieval, ensuring that you’re nourishing your body with the proper nutrients — and the right amounts of them — is essential to promoting egg quality while also supporting healthy ovarian function. Since the vast majority of us don't get what we need from diet alone, fertility supplements can be especially useful. Some of the top nutrients to consider include folate, vitamin B12, vitamins C, D, and E, zinc, selenium, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids, which can typically be found in prenatal multivitamin supplements. But...

These days, it’s pretty easy to find articles online that walk you through numerous fertility protocols, from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to egg freezing. But what about all the questions that pop up for each step of those protocols? Like, say, what’s it like to take Ganirelix — a hormone medication administered during ovarian stimulation? Can you really be sure you’re getting correct, medically informed answers from the internet? Unfortunately, it’s just as easy to stumble upon articles that contain misinformation, especially if you’re asking Dr. Google. Enter Roon, a free platform comprised of short-form video content providing accurate...

If you’re familiar with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), you might have heard the terms “euploid” for genetically normal embryos and “aneuploid” for those with the incorrect number of chromosomes. Those with a mix of normal and abnormal cells are called “mosaic” embryos.  Deciding whether to transfer a mosaic embryo can be challenging, as it involves considering a complex mix of factors. To help you make an informed decision, we spoke to Dr. Robert Straub, a reproductive endocrinologist who’s been with Reproductive Biology Associates in Georgia since 2003. Dr. Straub specializes in ovulation induction and IVF, management...

If you’ve perused TikTok recently, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a video suggesting that matcha can lead to infertility. Take, for example, the trend of women recording themselves drinking matcha lattes alongside text saying that they heard matcha can cause infertility. These videos are all in good fun, a way for creators to tell their audiences they are actively avoiding pregnancy in a tongue-in-cheek way. But, as always, we need to be careful of the kind of information we create and consume online. As we all know by now, social media can be a...