Fertility + Hormones + Health + Lifestyle
Welcome to the blog
Emergency Contraception
Discussing emergency contraception, including your options and how emergency contraceptives differ from abortions.
Ovarian Cysts
All about ovarian cysts—what they are, when they are normal, and when they are problematic. Listen to get all of your questions answered.
Living in a Post-Roe World
This week Dr. Natalie Crawford explains what this could mean if you’re pregnant, trying to be pregnant, are experiencing a miscarriage, experiencing pregnancy complications, wanting to undergo ART, and more. She highlights concerns regarding access to contraception, and shares how her life and career have personally benefited from access to contraception. Roe protected far more than just abortions, and it’s time for everyone to get political; medical decisions should be made exclusively between a doctor and their patient.
Soy and Fertility
This week Dr. Natalie Crawford dives into her segment Fertility in the News and discusses Oklahoma’s pro-life legislature and what it means for reproduction care including assisted reproductive technologies. Later, Natalie discusses the controversial topic of consuming soy and its effect—or lack thereof—when it comes to fertility. Finally, Natalie answers your social media question during her segments, FFS—For Fertility’s Sake. Should uterine polyps be removed before embryo implantation? Does a shorter cycle correlate to a higher risk of preventing implantation? Will working out while implementing calorie restrictions decrease my success in trying to conceive?
Early Bleeding in Pregnancy
Natalie discusses the different causes of bleeding in early pregnancy and why it’s important to establish early prenatal care. Finally, Natalie answers your social media questions during her segment, FFS – For Fertility's Sake. When is the right time to consider IVF? What is a normal HCG level and what are the indications of a possible miscarriage? What is a chemical pregnancy? What is an SIS, and when do I need it?
Implantation
Natalie helps you understand the luteal phase and discusses what this phase means for understanding symptoms in your menstrual cycle, ovulation and pregnancy. Finally, Natalie answers your social media questions during her segment, FFS – For Fertility's Sake. How can you help fertility when diagnosed with PCOS? Can you take oral contraceptive pills to extend your fertility? Is it normal to feel cramps and bloating when ovulating? Don't forget to ask your questions on Instagram for FSS when you see the question box on Natalie’s page @nataliecrawfordmd.
Testing Your Fertility
Welcome to Season 2 of As a Woman: Fertility, Hormones, and Beyond. While the podcast you know and love has been around since 2019, this week Natalie takes the time to re-introduce herself and the mission behind this podcast as we head into a new season. She then dives into her first new segment, Fertility in the News, where this week she examines Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy’s interview with Politico where he speaks about African American maternal mortality. We know that Black mothers are not taken as seriously when it comes to their symptoms, and we can’t dismiss the impact that restricting contraceptive access and abortion will have on this mortality rate.
Natalie then jumps into today’s topic of fertility testing: if you should get your fertility tested, what exactly that means, and what you can do with the information collected. Lastly, she concludes with another new segment, FFS - For Fertility’s Sake, where she answers your questions submitted on social media! Is low sperm count reversible? How long after coming off of a long-acting reversible contraception should your be period be back to normal? These questions and more are answered in the Season 2 premiere of As a Woman: Fertility, Hormones, and Beyond!
Episode 134: IVF and Abortion
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks about reproductive rights and what my happen to IVF is abortion laws become state driven. Why are abortion and IVF linked? A draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicated that abortion rights will likely be overturned. If this occurs, many states have trigger laws in place which will immediately limit abortion access. However, what many people don’t understand is that some states also have language defining life at conception or fertilization - known as “personhood bills” and these personhood bills would place limitations on access to reproductive technology, such as IVF to conceive. Putting your thoughts on abortion aside, listen to what strict abortion bills may do for all reproductive rights, including for those with infertility.
Episode 133: Negotiation with Elizabeth Lemoine
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks about negotiations and contracts with Elizabeth Lemoine. JD. Many physicians are not ready to enter the world of legal negotiations, yet physician employment contracts are often written to protect the practice or hospital and not the individual physician. Learn what you need to know to protect yourself and enter your negotiation as educated as possible. Although this episode is geared to health care, contract negotiation can benefit everyone.
Episode 132: Should You Freeze Your Eggs? with Dr. Julie Lamb
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford, board certified OBGYN and REI as she interviews Dr. Julie Lamb about egg freezing and fertility evaluation. Dr. Lamb is the director of fertility preservation at PNWF and recently wrote her first book "Putting Your Fertility On Ice." Together they discuss advocacy for your own health, understanding your menstrual cycle and your fertility, what it means to get a fertility evaluation and egg freezing. Should you freeze your eggs? Learn more here.
Episode 131: Who Is Your Fertility Doctor?
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks about what it means to be a "fertility doctor" and things you should look at when deciding who to see. The practice of medicine is changing, and the fertility industry is no different. Learn about who is managing your fertility treatment cycles, who is doing your fertility procedures, and more. The truth is that many fertility clinics are not being transparent about who patients are seeing, leading to poor patient care and outcomes. You deserve to be the one in charge of your journey, but please make sure you know who you are seeing.
Episode 130: Clomid vs Letrozole
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she reviews the basics of commonly used fertility medications to treat infertility - clomid and letrozole. These medications work similarly, but are different, and it is important for you to know why you might be prescribed one. Learn more about ovulation induction for FHA or PCOS, treatment for unexplained infertility, side effects and risks.
In support of National Infertility Awareness Week please consider supporting Resolve www.resolve.org
Episode 129: Lifestyle and Fertility, with Dr. Ashley Eskew
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she discusses lifestyle and fertility with Dr. Ashley Eskew. As fertiltiy doctors, they know what is important on how your life can influence your fertility. Listen as they review diet, supplements, exercise, stress, and more if you are trying to conceive, undergoing fertility treatments, or struggling with infertility.
Episode 128: Doctors and Friends, with Dr. Kimmery Martin
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she discusses writing, doctoring, and following your passion with Dr. Kimmery Martin. Dr. Kimmery is an emergency medicine doctor-turned novelist whose works of medical fiction have been praised by The Harvard Crimson, Southern Living, The New York Times, and People magazine, among others. Her latest novel, Doctors and Friends, is available now.
Episode 127: Fertility Fraud, with Eve Wiley
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks with Eve Wiley. Eve uncovered a life changing family secret about her genetic identity. Eve’s story thrust her into an advocacy role for donor conceived rights and women’s reproductive rights. She has successfully lobbied to change the laws in many states to protect those using artificial reproductive technologies, and continues to advocate for more accountability within the industry. You want to hear this discussion of fertility, the law, and donor conception.
Episode 126: Optimizing IVF, with Dr. Anate Brauer
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks with board certified fertility doctor, Anate Brauer MD about IVF, fertility, and life as a fertility doctor. Listen to her talk about what to know when you are choosing a fertility doctor, how to optimize your IVF cycle, and what you should be doing.
Episode 124: Ovulation
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks about the menstrual cycle, ovulation, and fertility awareness methods. Learn more about calendar tracking, ovulation predictor kits (opks), basal body temperature (BBT), and luteal progesterone measurements. Listen as she answers your top ovulation questions to help you get pregnant naturally.
Episode 123: COVID, The VAX, and Your Period
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she talks about the latest research on both the COVID Vaccine and a COVID infection on your period. Your period is a reflection of your reproductive health, and intense immune responses or infections can certainly be stressful to the body and alter our normal hormone function. Current DATA: 19% of people after a COVID infection have a cycle change in length. People who received the vaccine had on average a cycle length of 1 day longer than prior to vaccination. If you received both vaccines in one cycle, 10.6% of people had a clinically significant cycle change of 8 days or more as compared to the baseline rate of 4.3% in the unvaccinated. In those receiving the vaccine, your period returned to normal after 1-2 cycles. TLDR - your chance of having a period change is more from a COVID infection vs vaccination, and if you have period changes for more than 1-2 cycles after a vaccine please see your doctor to investigate other etiologies of amenorrhea.
Episode 122: Goals and Growth
Join host Natalie Crawford, MD as she talks about setting goals for the new year to foster growth and change. Listen to her talk about goal setting, understanding your why, making a plan, giving yourself grace, forgetting bad behaviors and setting yourself up fro success. Learn to allow yourself space to grow by cultivating at atmosphere of self acceptance and challenging the norm. You are enough, you deserve to be happy.
Episode 121: Supporting Your Mental Health, with Dr. Nichelle Haynes
Join host Dr. Natalie Crawford as she discussed the importance of addressing and taking care of your mental health with Dr. Nichelle Haynes. Nichelle is a reproductive psychiatrist and CEO of Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic in Austin. Throughout the past 2 years, many have suffered from an increase in anxiety, depression and chronic stress. For those struggling with infertility - this has been even worse. Listen as Nichelle talks about coping strategies for you to prioritize your own mental health.