What would you do if you found out the treatment you needed to build your family could cost $20,000, $40,000, or even $200,000 out of pocket? For most people, that number is the end of the road. For Elana Frank, it was the beginning of something bigger.

Elana is the founder and CEO of the Jewish Fertility Foundation, a nonprofit that has allocated over $3.25 million in fertility grants to more than 560 families, trained over a thousand community and healthcare leaders, and watched 377 babies come into the world as a result. But before any of that, she was a patient herself, navigating infertility in Israel, cycling through embryo after embryo, and fighting for a third child in a way that nearly cost her her marriage.

In this episode, Elana pulls back the curtain on all of it.

• What it was like to receive IVF for free in Israel and return to the U.S. to find almost no financial support
• The conversation in a JCC baby pool that sparked the founding of JFF
• A real breakdown of what fertility treatment costs, from IUI to IVF to donor eggs to surrogacy
• Why fertility treatment is a medical necessity, not a luxury, and what needs to change in the insurance landscape
• How JFF's grant program works, who it serves, and how to apply
• The emotional toll infertility takes on relationships, and what it looks like when partners are not on the same page
• What nurses and clinic staff can do right now to better connect patients with financial resources

Laura and Ashlee bring their nursing perspective to this one in a big way, reflecting on what they wish they had known about financial resources when they were working in the clinic, and why proactive education from care teams can change the trajectory of a patient's journey.

If you or someone you love is facing the financial and emotional weight of fertility treatment, this episode is for you.

Connect with the Jewish Fertility Foundation:

• Website: https://jewishfertilityfoundation.org/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishfertilityfoundation/

You've heard your doctor's perspective. You've heard your nurse's perspective. But what about the person who is literally holding your embryos in their hands?

For most patients, the IVF lab is a black box. You hand over your eggs, your sperm, and your hope, and then you wait. What happens on the other side of that door is rarely explained, rarely demystified, and rarely talked about with the kind of honesty that actually helps people feel less alone in the process. That changes today.

This week, Laura and Ashlee sit down with Dr. Joe, embryologist, lab director, and member of the leadership team at CCRM Fertility, who has spent nearly 40 years in the IVF lab. From his early days in London doing egg retrievals by laparoscopy in the middle of the night, to the cutting edge of AI-assisted embryo selection, Dr. Joe takes us on a full journey through the past, present, and future of reproductive science. And he does it in a way that is equal parts educational, eye-opening, and genuinely fun to listen to.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• What IVF looked like in 1988 and why it would shock you by today's standards
• The invention of ICSI and why it was one of the biggest revolutions in fertility history
• How embryos are graded, what the numbers and letters actually mean, and why a BB embryo is not a bad embryo
• Mosaic embryos, what they are, what they mean for your transfer, and why they exist in a gray area
• Why even a genetically normal euploid embryo does not always result in a pregnancy
• How AI is already being used in IVF labs and why it is being underutilized (the Betty Crocker cake mix analogy will make so much sense)
• Sperm selection and why Dr. Joe thinks this is one of the areas where AI can make the biggest impact
• The future of fertility science, including gametes from skin cells, non-invasive genetic testing, and where the ethical lines start to blur

Dr. Joe reminds us that the embryology lab is full of scientists who are rooting for you at every single step. When a transfer doesn't work, they feel it too. When an embryo doesn't fertilize the way it should, they want answers just as badly as you do. Opening that black box a little wider is exactly the kind of conversation this podcast was built for.

If you've ever stared at an embryo report and had no idea what you were looking at, if you've ever wondered what actually happens to your eggs after retrieval, or if you're just fascinated by where IVF is headed next, this one is for you.

What happens when the nurse sitting across from you has cried the same tears you are crying right now? Not because the job is hard. Because she has lived it too.

This week, Laura and Ashlee are joined by Megan Kukic, a fertility nurse, IVF patient, and founder of 412 Fertility Services. Megan occupies a rare and incredibly human seat in the fertility world: she has stood on both sides of the exam table at the same time. While navigating her own fertility treatment, she was pre-opping patients, assisting in egg retrievals, and having her blood drawn between shifts. Her story is one of duality, resilience, and a deep belief that the gap between clinical care and emotional support does not have to be as wide as it has become.

In this conversation, the three of them dig into what it really means to be seen inside the fertility system. They talk about the moments that led Megan to start her own business, the honest emotional weight of watching others succeed when you are struggling, and why sharing your story as a provider can change everything for a patient sitting across from you.

In this episode:

• What it is actually like to be a fertility patient and a fertility nurse at the same time
• Why the box of medications arriving at your door is its own emotional milestone
• The growing gap between clinic care and hands-on patient support, and what 412 Fertility is doing to fill it
• The difference between seeing a stranger's pregnancy announcement and watching someone you know finally get their positive
• Why it is okay to feel sad for yourself and happy for someone else in the exact same moment
• What happens when a provider shares their own journey with a patient, and why it matters more than you think
• How to stop living inside your statistics and start taking it one step at a time
• The case for mental health support as a standard part of fertility care, not an afterthought

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Fertility is not a linear journey. The emotions, though, are universal. This episode is a reminder that the people caring for you are human too, and that finding people who truly get it can make all the difference.

If you have ever felt like a number inside a system that was supposed to feel personal, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Megan and 412 Fertility Services at https://412fertility.com/

Breaking the Silence on Life After Infertility

What happens when fertility treatment ends and there is no baby, no roadmap, and no one talking about what comes next?

In this episode, we sit down with Lana Manikowski, certified life coach, bestselling author, and one of the most important voices in the fertility space today. After seven years of IVF and IUI treatments that did not result in a child, Lana found herself at the end of her journey with no established support, no follow-up from her clinic, and no community that understood what she was going through. So she built one. This conversation is raw, validating, and full of the kind of honesty that does not get enough airtime in fertility spaces.

We cover:

• What it actually feels like when treatment ends without a baby and why so many women grieve in silence
• The shame around choosing not to pursue adoption or donor eggs, and why that decision deserves to be honored
• How to survive Mother's Day (and any hard holiday) whether you are still in treatment or on the other side of it
• The jealousy no one talks about, and the reframe that changes everything
• Practical tools for navigating baby showers, family gatherings, and the moments that catch you off guard
• What fertility clinics and nurses are missing at the end of treatment, and what Lana is doing to change that
• How Lana turned a trip to Target into The Other's Day, now an international gathering for women without children

Your story is not over. It is just the beginning.

If you have ever felt invisible in the fertility conversation, if you are dreading a holiday on the calendar, or if you are trying to figure out what a fulfilling life looks like from here, this episode is for you.

Connect with Lana:

The Other's Day celebrations in Chicago, May 8 and 9: https://lanamanikowski.com/othersday

The "So Now What?" Podcast: IVF Failed You Podcast - Lana Manikowski Coaching

Lana's book, "So Now What?": https://lanamanikowski.com/book

Free resource for anyone navigating fertility treatment or moving forward without children: The Top 27 Things People Say When You're Childless (and How to Respond): https://lanamanikowski.com/thingspeoplesay

This episode is dropping during National Infertility Awareness Week, and we could not think of a more fitting week to bring you this conversation.

If you have ever felt like the system was not built for you, like you were too exhausted to fight, or like your voice was too small to matter, this episode is going to change the way you think about advocacy. We sat down with Barb Collura, founder of Vital Voices Consulting and former President and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, where she served for 18 years. Barb has spent more than two decades fighting for the rights of fertility patients at every level, from clinic hallways to Capitol Hill. And in this conversation, she brings all of it directly to you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Barb's own infertility journey and how a mental health provider changed the course of her life and career
• What 18 years of leading the nation's most prominent infertility advocacy organization actually looked like, including the wins, the losses, and the moments that still stay with her
• Why the stigma around infertility has not gone away and what it costs patients when they go quiet
• The difference between advocacy with a capital A and advocacy with a small a, and why your story is the most powerful tool you have
• What is really happening in fertility policy right now, what the threats to IVF access look like, and what patients in states without coverage can do
• The story of what happened on the ground in Alabama and why patients and providers showing up together made all the difference
• What Barb is building now through Vital Voices Consulting and why she believes the entire fertility industry needs to get off the sidelines

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The status quo is still not acceptable. But as Barb says, this is fixable. And it starts with doing something.

This episode is for every patient who has ever felt too tired to fight, every nurse and clinician who sees the gaps every single day, and everyone who believes that people deserve better on this journey.

Find us on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode moved you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it this week.

You've heard it from friends, family, maybe even your doctor: "just relax and it will happen." But what does the research actually say? And what if that advice is doing more harm than good?

In this episode, Laura and Ashlee sit down with Dr. Angela Lawson, a clinical psychologist and reproductive mental health specialist with over 16 years of experience. Dr. Lawson was formerly a Professor of OB/GYN and Psychiatry at Northwestern University, is a published researcher on the psychological aspects of infertility, and is the past Chair of the Mental Health Professional Group at ASRM. She has spent her career studying the relationship between stress and fertility, and her answer might surprise you: no rigorous research has ever shown that stress causes infertility. In this conversation, she breaks down the science, calls out the myths, and explains why blaming yourself for your stress is the last thing you should be doing.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the "just relax" advice is not supported by the research
• The real relationship between stress, cortisol, and fertility treatment outcomes
• How studies claiming stress impacts IVF success are often deeply flawed
• Why fertility clinics would look completely different if stress actually mattered
• The role PCOS, endometriosis, and prognosis play in skewing research findings
• How medical language like "miscarriage" and "incompetent cervix" subtly blames women
• Practical strategies for setting boundaries with well-meaning family and friends
• How to find a therapist who is actually trained in reproductive mental health
• Why the cortisol conversation on social media is misleading
• The truth about supplements, acupuncture, and other "relaxation" promises

Stress doesn't cause infertility. Infertility causes stress. And you deserve support that validates what you're going through without adding guilt to an already heavy experience.

This episode is for you if you've ever wondered whether your stress is the reason treatment isn't working, if you've been told to "just relax," or if you're looking for permission to let go of the blame. You are not the problem.

Connect with Dr. Angela Lawson:Website: drlawsonconsulting.comEmail: alawsonphd@gmail.com

Find a reproductive mental health professional through ASRM: asrm.org

You open the box, and it hits you.

Bags of needles. Four, five, maybe more medications. Some you refrigerate, some you don't. Some you mix, some you dial. Your instructions say one drug name, but your insurance sent something else. And suddenly, you're standing in your kitchen wondering how you're supposed to do all of this without a nursing degree.

In this episode, we break open the medication box with you and walk through everything your clinic might not have time to fully explain.

We cover:

• What FSH, LH, and your stim meds are actually doing inside your body (and why Ashlee calls your follicles "cookie monsters")
• The real deal on Menopur mixing, storage confusion, and why you can't prep it in advance
• What to do when your pen stops mid-injection and you didn't get your full dose
• Air bubbles, bruising, burning, and the fears TV put in your head
• The overfill trick that could save self-pay patients hundreds of dollars
• Trigger shot timing: what's precise and what's flexible
• Progesterone in oil: where to actually inject, how to warm it, and why you should never sit on a heating pad after transfer

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These medications have a purpose, every single one of them, and so does every tip we share here. Because navigating injections shouldn't feel like you're figuring it out alone in the dark.

This episode is for you.

In this episode of Fertility Nurses Unfiltered, Laura and Ashlee take on one of the most emotionally heavy parts of the fertility journey: the news no one wants to receive.

A canceled cycle. A failed transfer. A negative pregnancy test. A voicemail you are afraid to open.

These moments happen more often than clinics prepare their patients for and they can arrive at the worst possible times, in the most public places, with very little warning and even less support.

So how do you prepare for something like that? And what do you do when the call comes anyway?

In this conversation, Laura and Ashlee talk honestly about the devastating results that are a real part of fertility treatment, why the emotional weight of this journey is so often underestimated, and what both patients and clinicians can do to handle these moments with more care and intention.

They also talk through:

• how to take control of when and where you receive results
• why "no news is good news" can quietly spiral into anxiety if your clinic hasn't set expectations
• what to say and what not to say when someone you love gets hard news
• why jumping straight to "next steps" after bad news can feel dismissive and what to do instead
• how a failed transfer or canceled cycle is a real loss, even if the world doesn't always treat it that way
• the emotional toll on partners and support people, and why they are often forgotten in the fertility conversation
• why the number one reason people drop out of treatment is emotional and what that really tells us
• how to build a support system before the hard moments arrive, not after

Throughout the episode, Laura and Ashlee speak directly to patients, partners, nurses, and anyone supporting someone through this process. They are not here to sugarcoat it. They are here to make sure you feel less alone in it.

Their message is clear: whatever you are feeling is valid. Grief does not have to look a certain way to be real. And it is okay to ask for what you need from your clinic, from your support system, and from yourself.

If you have ever gotten a call that stopped you in your tracks, felt dismissed by your care team in a vulnerable moment, or wondered whether your emotional reaction to this process was "too much," this episode is for you.