Healthful Woman Podcast

Dr. Fox speaks with Simi Hersko and Yehudis Grunwald from A Time, a nonprofit organization that helps women and families dealing with infertility as well as pregnancy loss, stillbirth, adoption, or IVF. A Time began as an emotional support and advice resource for families dealing with infertility, particularly within the Jewish community. Since then, the organization has expanded and is dedicated to supporting families, educating communities, and advocating for people dealing with infertility.

In the second episode of the mini series, Dr. Tara Shirazian joins Dr. Fox to talk about "Saving Mothers," a nonprofit which she founded to improve maternal health worldwide. In this episode, Dr. Shirazian explains her background and education and why she is passionate about global health. She discusses her experience as an OBGYN and why she “always cared a lot about the access [to healthcare] of the underserved communities.”

Host Dr. Fox welcomes Dr. Shira Billet, who since experiencing pregnancy loss herself counsels women and families through this trauma. Dr. Billet holds a PhD in philosophy and religion, and outside of her professional career has carved a niche for herself in helping others deal with the grief of losing a child. She and Dr. Fox also discuss the stigma regarding pregnancy loss and how the grief compares to a death. This episode is the first in a new mini series: “When Bad Things Happen in Pregnancy.”

In the fourth and final episode of the prenatal genetics mini series, Dr. Fox is joined by Dr. Rebarber to discuss two types of invasive prenatal genetic testing: CVS and amniocentesis tests. Through the episode, they explain why a mother would decide to undergo these tests, what they can detect, how they are performed, and why it’s just not that common for maternal fetal medicine specialists to offer CVS or amniocentesis tests.

In the third episode of the Prenatal Genetics series, Dr. Goldwaser and Dr. Fox discuss carrier screening. Carrier screening involves checking two potential parents’ DNA to see whether they have a genetic condition that could be passed on to a fetus, and is usually performed before a pregnancy. Dr. Goldwaser explains that most people are carriers for something, and why in most cases, this isn’t a cause for concern. They also discuss why parents may pursue genetic carrier screening and what to do if they are both carriers for a mutation.

Dr. Tamar Goldwaser returns to Healthful Woman for episode two of the Prenatal Genetics miniseries. She discusses aneuploidy screening, a test to check for the number of chromosomes present and whether a person has more or fewer than the expected 46 chromosomes. This can indicate a number of genetic conditions, and Dr. Goldwaser discusses the pre-test counseling that she performs with patients to understand why they want to have the tests and what their plans might be in the event of an abnormal result.

For the first episode of the Prenatal Genetics Mini Series, Dr. Tamar Goldwaser goes over the basics. She explains the difference between genetic counselors and medical geneticists and the ways they often work together, plus situations in which patients may seek genetic counseling or care from a medical geneticist.

Meet Dr. Jen Lam-Rachlin! Dr. Lam-Rachlin explains her background and how she got into medicine, including her initial interest as an undergrad studying organic chemistry, a research-heavy maternal fetal medicine fellowship, and how she decided to pursue Obstetrics and Gynecology after finding she liked every clinical rotation in med school.

Dr. Simi Gupta joins Dr. Fox to discuss fetal growth restriction, which refers to babies who are under the 10th percentile in size. Dr. Gupta has researched this condition and explains that while most of the time there are no health concerns, doctors can watch out for other signs that may mean the baby is at risk.

In this episode, Dr. Melka and Dr. Fox talk about delivering twins. It has become somewhat unusual in the U.S. for twins to be delivered vaginally. Dr. Melka and Dr. Fox talk about training obstetricians for this scenario, whether planned C-Sections are always best, and more.