THE FERTILITY EDITION

This discussion should not be taboo. We should be having these conversations more openly without shame and without judgement. With more and more women of color putting our careers first and having children later in life than past generations, the topic of fertility and reproductive health is real. I invited Women’s Health,  Fertility Expert, Virologist and Medical Director, Dr Cindy Duke of Nevada Fertility Institute, to lead this dialogue so that together, we can change this narrative. Talk about reality check, even for me!

Click the audio link above or the Apple Podcasts and Spotify ones below to delve into the full episode. Warning: Grab a notebook. You will want to take notes.

SHOW NOTES

Dr. Cindy Duke on….

00:00:00 - Check out our new theme tune. ‘Driving Me Crazy’ produced by @Rheimidi (look up his work on Instagram). Preview the full length at the end of this episode.

00:04:04 - Introducing Dr Cindy Duke.

00:04:50 - The meaning behind her name.

00:07:45 - How she fell in love with the world of Fertility.

00:11:09 - Some facts on uterine fibroids and its impact on black women

00:13:03 - What is a fibroid and what does it look like?

00:21:10 - Why fibroids are so rampant among black women and its link to vitamin D deficiency and its impact on fibroid growth.

00:25:10 - Link to relaxer use and fibroids in black women.

00:27:14 - The tell-tale symptoms of someone suffering from fibroids

00:28:50 - The disparities. Black women aren’t taken seriously by the medical community when they show up with their symptoms and therefore aren’t tended to quickly enough (versus non-black females) for treatment.

00:32:24 - Listen up: if you are experiencing any of these abnormal periods, get a physician to look in your womb and address the situation.

00:33:28 - The fear of forced sterilization among Black American women.

00:35:35 - I share my curious experience of finding out whether I have fibroids or not.

00:43:34 - The difference between a myomectomy and hysterectomy.

00:45:15 - Call-in Q1: Returning fibroids after myomectomy. What can we do differently to slow down or eliminate the growth of fibroids outside of surgery?

00:53:15 - Top tips for women who plan to have children after the age of 37.

00:55:17 - Environmental issues that affect our egg quality and egg count. Dr Duke breaks down the number of eggs women have over our lifespan. Mind blowing.

00:57:37 - Egg freezing as your backup plan.

01:00:00 Call-in Q2: The egg freezing process. Am I giving up on the traditional way of having kids? What is the ideal age of egg freezing for successful results.

01:08:50 - What men need to do to boost their reproductive health.

01:13:40 - Dr Duke advises we when should schedule our 1st appointment with a fertility physician.

01:22:00 - Call-in Q3: For someone with low egg count, what should they do to keep them healthy?

01:28:02 - Call-in Q4: Irregular periods? How much of a concern should this be?

01:31:00 - Her go-to beauty essentials

01:34:00 - Where to find Dr Cindy Duke. @drcindymduke on social media and www.drcindyduke.com. Look for her new ebook “Infertility in the time of COVID-19”.

01:36:00 - The lightening round. Everyone’s favourite bit. A series of quick questions on popular culture.