FriedEggs Podcast

We are back for fall, and we have a very exciting, long-anticipated announcement to share on the podcast today. Amy gives us an update on her surrogacy journey, we talk about AOC freezing her eggs this past August, and Kayti has an unexpected announcement about their IVF timeline for baby # 2. Let’s connect!If this episode resonated with you, leave a rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube. It helps more people navigating infertility find the support and community they deserve. 💛The FriedEggs Podcast is hosted and produced by Kayti Christian and Amy Salke.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care.🎥 Photography by 20Twenty Productions.🎶 Show music by the magical Clayre. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by Lauren Makler, co-founder and CEO of Cofertility, to talk about the future of egg freezing, egg donation, and fertility access. Lauren shares the personal health journey that inspired her to build Cofertility and explains how the company is making fertility preservation more accessible through its innovative egg-sharing model (and also why she believes egg donation is fertility’s last taboo).We dive into the emotional realities of donor conception, the stigma surrounding donor eggs, and what it means to navigate grief and hope at the same time while building a family.Whether you’re considering egg freezing, exploring donor-egg IVF, or simply curious about modern family-building, we’re so excited to share this conversation about the many ways families are created today.About CofertilityCofertility is a human-centered fertility platform helping women freeze their eggs while helping other families build theirs.Through their innovative Split Program, eligible women can freeze their eggs at no cost by donating half of the retrieved eggs to intended parents. CoFertility also takes a modern approach to donor conception by prioritizing transparency, education, optional known donation, and limiting the number of families a donor can donate to.About Lauren MaklerLauren Makler is the co-founder and CEO of Cofertility. After being diagnosed with an extremely rare abdominal disease and facing uncertainty about her own fertility, Lauren experienced firsthand the gaps in fertility preservation and donor egg options. She later became a mother and launched Cofertility to create a more transparent, ethical, and accessible path to egg freezing and egg donation.Lauren has been recognized on the Inc. Female Founders 500 and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business lists and has become a leading voice in conversations around fertility access, donor conception, and reproductive healthcare.Follow LaurenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmakler/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmakler/More valuable nuggets in this episodeFertility Tracking & Cycle Health with Tempdrop: A wearable fertility tracker that collects overnight temperature data to help identify ovulation and cycle patterns, even with irregular cycles.Use code AFFRIEDEGGS for 10% off and a two-month premium app trial at http://www.tempdrop.com/discount/AFFRIEDEGGSPODFertility Financing with Sunfish: Helping make fertility treatment, IVF, egg donation, surrogacy, and family building more financially accessible. joinsunfish.comFertility Mental Health with Mavida Health: Mental health support designed specifically for fertility patients. Our episode with Dr. Sarah Oreck on fertility & mental health. Check out mavidahealth.com to learn more.Needle-Free IVF as a less invasive approach to IVF. A newer IVF approach discussed in previous FriedEggs episodes that may reduce the number of injections required during treatment. Talk with your fertility specialist about whether newer protocols may be appropriate for your situation. Learn more at needlefreeivf.com.Related Fried Eggs Episodes* Ep 32: Surrogacy 101 and how to find a surrogate with Carly Joseph* Ep 49: How to care for your mental health while going through IVF with Dr. Sarah Oreck, founder of Mavida HealthConnect With UsHave questions about donor eggs, egg freezing, infertility, or family building? Check out Cofertility on Instagram at @cofertility.If this episode resonated with you, leave a rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube. It helps more people navigating infertility find the support and community they deserve. 💛The FriedEggs Podcast is hosted and produced by Kayti Christian and Amy Salke.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care.🎥 Photography by 20Twenty Productions.🎶 Show music by the magical Clayre. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.friedeggspod.comIt's the moment we've all waited for: the embryo transfer. Do you tell your family and friends? Do you keep it a secret until you know if it worked, or until the end of the first trimester? In today's episode, we're talking about support systems, celebrating small joys, and the emotional labor that comes with sharing your infertility and IVF journey publicly.This is an extended, ad-free version of The FriedEggs Podcast for paying subscribers (aka members of The Broody Club). This podcast exists because of our listeners, and paid subscriptions let us spend more time on episodes, bring in expert guests, and create content that makes a difference for the infertility community. Learn more here.The FriedEggs Podcast is hosted and produced by Kayti Christian and Amy Salke.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care.Enjoy the episode here on Substack at www.friedeggspod.com. Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.🎥 Photography by 20Twenty Productions: https://20twentypro.com/🎶 Show music by the magical Clayre

In today’s episode, Amy shares her PGT-A results from her 5th egg retrieval! She also answers listener questions and shares notes from her conversation with her doctor after her egg retrieval. Today’s episode is brought to you by Tempdrop, a basal body temperature sensor with an accompanying fertility app to help you identify your fertile window. Use code AFFRIEDEGGS for 10% off your order.This is a free, shorter version of the episode for all subscribers. Paying subscribers (aka members of The Broody Club) can also listen to an extended, ad-free version of this episode (learn more here). This podcast exists because of our listeners, and paid subscriptions let us spend more time on episodes, bring in expert guests, and create content that makes a difference for the infertility community. The FriedEggs Podcast is hosted and produced by Kayti Christian and Amy Salke.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care.Enjoy the episode here on Substack at www.friedeggspod.com. Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.🎥 Photography by 20Twenty Productions: https://20twentypro.com/🎶 Show music by the magical Clayre This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe

Today, we’re joined by Angela Rastegar, Co-Founder and CEO of Sunfish (www.joinsunfish.com), a fertility fintech company focused on making family building more financially accessible and a lot less overwhelming.We talk about the surprising and hidden costs of IVF, and how the financial side of fertility care can feel just as overwhelming as the treatments themselves. Angela shares how Sunfish is helping patients navigate their options more clearly, including those using donor eggs or sperm, surrogacy, reciprocal IVF, and increasingly, people looking to freeze their eggs.We also get into what shifts when you don’t have to carry all of that financial stress alone, and how better tools and guidance can make the entire experience feel more manageable.We know you’ll appreciate this conversation with Angela as much as we did. If you’re comfortable sharing, we’d love to hear how the financial side of IVF or fertility care has impacted your own journey — drop your thoughts in the comments below. xAbout Angela Rastegar:Angela Rastegar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sunfish, a fertility fintech company focused on making family building financially accessible and predictable. Angela brings a rare combination of venture capital fluency, healthcare operating experience, and deeply personal “lived experience” to the fertility space. She previously founded and exited two companies and served as a venture capital investor at Village Capital, focusing on early stage health tech and fintech businesses.Angela holds a BA in Human Biology and an MBA from Stanford University. Her commitment is deeply personal: she has navigated her own fertility journey, which solidified her belief that everyone deserves a “Family Planning Advisor”. She is now a leading voice on how data autonomy and financial innovation can democratize reproductive rights. She resides in Los Angeles with her family, continuing her own journey while helping thousands of others start theirs.*About Sunfish:Sunfish is a trusted guide for anyone navigating IVF, surrogacy, egg/sperm donation, or fertility preservation. They help self-pay IVF patients with transparent pricing, bundled discounts, and a partial money-back guarantee.Sunfish provides personalized financial plans using proprietary software to estimate costs for each Program. If actual costs exceed projections, eligible patients may receive a partial refund under program terms. Sunfish is not a medical provider. Terms and conditions apply.*Resources:💰 Sunfish financial planning calculator: https://www.joinsunfish.com/ivf-financial-planning💰 Database of grants and discounts for fertility care: https://www.joinsunfish.com/grants🥚 **Newly launched egg freezing packages: https://www.joinsunfish.com/success-program/egg-freezingInstagram (@joinsunfish)https://www.instagram.com/joinsunfish/The FriedEggs Podcast is hosted and produced by Kayti Christian and Amy Salke.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care.Enjoy the episode here on Substack at www.friedeggspod.com. Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.🎥 Photography by 20Twenty Productions: https://20twentypro.com/🎶 Show music by the magical Clayre This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe

We’re back!! 💛 Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 50 (how did that happen?!). We’re so, so glad you’re here.After a 2 month-ish “break” (read: planning, recording, and recording some more), we’re finally back at the mic for a long overdue catch-up!In episode 50 of the pod, we’re sharing about all the things that have been happening for us this spring, e.g., Amy’s egg retrieval and ongoing insurance saga, Kayti’s plans for an IVF cycle later this summer, and Amy’s progress toward finding a gestational carrier match.Since this episode is dropping during National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), we also want to share a few organizations we love that are doing incredible work in this space. This community is the reason we’re here — your stories, your honesty, your resilience, your willingness to keep showing up for yourselves and for each other.If you’re listening, you’re likely living this, or loving someone who is. And we want to say this clearly: the more stories we share, the louder we become. The louder we become, the more we normalize these conversations. And the more we normalize them, the closer we get to better access, better care, and better systems for all of us. We all deserve comprehensive, proactive, and compassionate fertility and women’s healthcare. Be sure to check out these organizations—and give them a follow for more education and to show your support.* RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association empowers people navigating their fertility journey through trusted information, community support, and grassroots advocacy that make family-building options accessible to everyone.* Sunfish: an LA-based organization helping self-pay IVF patients with transparent pricing, bundled discounts, and a partial money-back guarantee.* Cofertility: an LA-based company reimagining a more ethical and transparent egg-freezing process, and providing a ton of education around the process.* Babyquest Foundation, BabyList IVF Grants: Providing financial assistance through fertility grants to support the high costs of IVF (in vitro fertilization), gestational surrogacy, egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, and embryo donation. ✨BONUS✨ research astronaut and IVF warrior extraordinaire, Kellie Gerardi, has generously funded a grant to help more families welcome their own space baby.* Paid Research Opportunity: If you’re about to start an IVF cycle, you may be eligible for a research study led by Auburn University and Purdue University on how treatment affects work and daily life. Compensation up to $70. Participation is fully online and confidential. Learn more and see if you’re eligible: tinyurl.com/workandIVFGot an organization supporting and advocating for fertility and women’s health care? We’d love to share it! 🧡And finally (but certainly not least!!) we have to shout out our wildly talented, magical, all-around iconic friend Clayre for our new show music. Check her out on Spotify. We’re obsessed. 💫 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.friedeggspod.comFrom the archives: Today's bonus episode is a flashback to October 2024, the day of Kayti's embryo transfer. After recording an episode for the pod, Amy and Kayti talk about how the transfer went, Kayti's valium nap, and whether she plans to test early or not. For more content, visit www.friedeggspod.com

Today, we’re joined by Dr. Sarah Oreck, founder of Mavida Health and a reproductive psychologist specializing in infertility, IVF, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health. We talk about the emotional impact of infertility and fertility treatments, why mental health care is such a critical — and often missing — part of reproductive healthcare, and how therapy and emotional support can improve the fertility journey.Dr. Oreck shares expert insight from her clinical work, common struggles she sees in patients going through IVF, and practical ways to support mental health during fertility treatments.Follow Dr. Oreck on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahoreckmdLearn more about Mavida Health: https://www.mavidahealth.com/⭐️ If the pod has helped you feel less alone in infertility or IVF, please follow and rate us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps more people find support!💌 Join the worst club with the best members: friedeggspodcast.substack.com🎶 music by Fog Chaser🎥 photography by 20Twenty ProductionsDisclaimer: This episode is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized care. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.friedeggspod.com/subscribe