If you've built your entire career on pushing through, and now feel like your body is the one thing you can't outwork, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science Fertility podcast, Dr. Erica Bove examines why female surgeons face infertility at meaningfully higher rates than their peers, even after age is accounted for, and what's actually happening physiologically during years of long cases, overnight call, and chronic sleep disruption.

You'll learn why a demanding OR schedule can register in the body as a stress or famine response, how unprocessed trauma from the job may be connected to conditions like endometriosis, and a set of practical strategies for protecting your fertility while still practicing surgery.

If you've ever felt more exhausted after a shift than a patient could ever know — and more alone in your fertility journey because of it — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science Fertility podcast, Dr. Erica Bove turns to emergency medicine physicians specifically, unpacking why the combination of shift work, hypervigilance, and trauma exposure makes building a family while working in the ER uniquely hard.

You'll learn how the same instincts that make you excellent under pressure at work can work against you during fertility treatment, practical strategies for protecting your sleep after a hard shift, and how one physician used data on physician pregnancy outcomes to advocate for a schedule change that changed everything.

If you're an OBGYN who spends her days delivering other people's babies while quietly grieving the one you don't have yet, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science Fertility podcast, Dr. Erica Bove — an OBGYN and fertility specialist who has lived this exact intersection — speaks directly to the unique pain of practicing obstetrics while navigating your own infertility journey.

You'll learn why this specialty can make the fertility journey harder than almost any other, how one physician learned to protect her peace when colleagues weren't the support she needed, and the simple mantra — "I am them, just not yet" — that helped her find steadier ground.

If you've felt intimacy quietly slip away somewhere in the middle of fertility treatment, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Love & Science Fertility podcast, Dr. Alexandra Stockwell — physician, intimacy expert, and bestselling author of Uncompromising Intimacy — joins Dr. Erica Bove to talk about what happens to a marriage when sex becomes a medical protocol instead of a source of connection. You'll hear an honest conversation about receptivity versus passivity, the small acts of affection that quietly disappear during treatment, and why the fertility journey — as hard as it is — can become an opening for a deeper kind of intimacy than you've had before.

If you've ever felt like your fertility clinic didn't have a box that fit you, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science Fertility podcast, Dr. Erica Bove sits down with Dr. Dina Wilson, a hospitalist physician in Oregon, to trace her eighteen-year path through misdiagnosis, six IVF cycles, and complete embryo arrest before finally becoming a mother.

You'll learn why "shelving" fertility treatment during training can carry a hidden cost, how one overlooked protocol — in vitro maturation — can change the outcome after everything else has failed, and how to set boundaries at work that let you actually show up for your own care.

If you've ever assumed his workup could wait until yours was further along — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science podcast, Dr. Erica Bove sits down with Dr. James Kuan, board certified urologist and founder of Sexual Medicine for Men in Seattle, for a candid conversation about the partner who's often standing quietly on the sidelines of fertility treatment.

You'll learn why erectile dysfunction shows up more often during treatment than most couples expect, what actually happens in the parking lot on retrieval day, and why bringing him fully into the process — not just the collection room — changes the outcome for both of you.

If you've been telling yourself you'll rest once things calm down — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science podcast, Dr. Erica Bove sits down with Dr. Jessie Mahoney, physician coach and founder of Pause & Presence, for a birthday conversation about control, self-kindness, and what it actually takes to slow down as a high-achieving physician.

You'll learn why surrender is a physical experience as much as a mental one, what a stress fracture and a spinal fracture taught two doctors about listening to their bodies, and why putting rest — and friendship — on the calendar isn't optional, even when everything else feels more urgent.

If your thyroid labs have been labeled “normal,” but you’re still struggling to conceive — this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Love & Science podcast, we break down the real relationship between thyroid function and fertility, including why standard lab ranges don’t always tell the full story.

You’ll learn when TSH levels may still be impacting ovulation, implantation, and early pregnancy — even when they fall within the “normal” range — and why thyroid antibodies can be an overlooked but important piece of the puzzle.

If you’ve ever wondered whether surrogacy could be part of your fertility journey—this episode will open your eyes.

Today, I’m joined by Dr. Alyssa Small Layne, a board-certified OBGYN and minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon, who shares both her professional expertise and deeply personal journey through infertility, loss, and ultimately becoming a mother through surrogacy.

In this episode, we cover:

• What surrogacy actually is (and what it’s not)

• Who may need a gestational carrier

• The emotional reality of infertility, miscarriage, and loss

• How Dr. Alyssa navigated IVF, pregnancy complications, and hysterectomy

• The true cost of surrogacy—and how to do it more affordably

• Independent vs agency surrogacy (what most people don’t know)

• Timeline, process, and what to expect step-by-step

• Common misconceptions about surrogacy

• How to know if surrogacy is right for you

If your period is late… your ovulation feels unpredictable… or your fertility treatments aren’t going as planned—this episode is for you.

Today, we’re breaking down LH surges and ovulation dynamics, especially in busy, high-achieving women. Because ovulation is not just “on or off”—it exists on a spectrum, and even subtle disruptions can impact your ability to conceive.

If you’ve ever looked at your fertility labs and felt confused by your FSH level, this episode is for you.

Today, we’re breaking down what FSH actually means, why timing is everything, and how estradiol plays a critical role in whether your results can even be interpreted accurately.

In this episode of the Love & Science podcast, Dr. Erica Bove is joined by Dr. Vanessa Calderon for a deeply honest conversation about infertility, miscarriage, secondary infertility, surrender, and what it means to stay empowered when the path to parenthood does not go according to plan.

Dr. Vanessa Calderon is a former emergency medicine department chief, educator, trauma-informed master coach, speaker, retreat leader, podcaster, and founder of Alderaan Co. Her work centers on helping women come home to themselves, reconnect with their power, and create lives that feel aligned, resourced, and deeply authentic.