In this episode we welcome Lisa Rosenthal, President of the AllPaths Family Building Board of Directors. Lisa shares her deeply personal and often challenging six-and-a-half year journey through infertility, which began when she was 26 and "very naive" about conception. She recounts undergoing extensive fertility treatments, including being one of the first patients in the US to use Lupron injections. Lisa discusses the significant challenges of the time, noting that IVF success rates were only around 19% for the best candidates, and the personal struggle of balancing privacy with the need for support, often feeling "the nastiest, meanest, infertile person in the world". She famously made the decision to openly share her journey with 200 colleagues, a move that unexpectedly revealed 15 others in the same struggle, including two best friends who were unaware of each other's experiences, profoundly shaping her commitment to advocacy and transparency around fertility and family building challenges.

Lisa eventually achieved her dream of parenthood, welcoming three children. Her journey profoundly impacted her professional life, leading her to dedicate 37 years and counting to patient advocacy in this space. She highlights that despite advancements in science and technology, the biggest patient complaint remains not feeling seen and heard, emphasizing the critical need for a "human touch" in fertility care that often gets lost. Lisa shares valuable advice, encouraging those struggling to connect with trustworthy non-profit resources like AllPaths, emphasizing the importance of open communication and setting boundaries with friends and family during treatment, and promoting "radical self-acceptance" throughout the process. Her ambition for AllPaths is to triple its reach so that fewer people will say, "I didn't know you existed" when they needed support most.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

Infertility, fertility treatment, patient advocate, American Fertility Association, magazine, Lupron, IVF, pregnancy rate, pregnancy loss, advocacy, therapy, resources, support, boundaries, legislation, genetic testing, community support, isolation, board service, volunteer, AllPaths Board of Directors, First Fertility, support group, connection, communication, radical self-acceptance, unsolicited advice, for family and friends, family building, infertility support, fertility treatment, reproductive health, patient advocacy, IVF journey, emotional support, parenting journey, family growth, AllPaths Family Building, community support, fertility awareness, reproductive endocrinology, coping with infertility, parenting advice, emotional wellbeing, fertility resources, infertility stories, peer support groups, navigating family building

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