78. Infertility and Modern Medical Options

Elizabeth (Liz) Vaysman Liz is an attorney with Foster + Bloom Family Formation Law Group, a national law firm with attorneys in 20 states that specialize in adoption, assisted reproduction, and immigration law. Licensed in NY, NJ, and PA, and has extensive experience in adoption and assisted reproductive technology, representing surrogates, intended parents, and donors in their family planning goals.  She previously worked in-house for a national leading surrogacy agency, at a regional law firm working in traditional matrimonial law, and started her legal career working for an adoption agency. Lives in Philadelphia, went to law school at American in DC and undergrad at Temple University in Philadelphia.  You can reach her at [email protected] and connect with her at linkedin.com/in/lizvaysman/. https://fosterbloomlaw.com/attorney/elizabeth-vaysman   CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast    

Ashley Hanna-Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she writes about mental health to advocate for change and inspire hope. In 2016, she wrote The Afterglow, a mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum that supports parents with postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2017, she published I Gave Birth to My Heart, a collection of poems about the secret anguishes and innumerable joys of reinventing oneself after postpartum depression. When she isn't counseling clients or volunteering with Postpartum Support International, Ashley loves to experiment in the kitchen and spend as much time outside as possible in San Diego, where she resides with her family. In Her Own Backyard is her first novel. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C, is a clinical psychologist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer working in North America and Israel. A child and adolescent psychologist by training, she is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, where she offers foundational and advanced EMDR trainings that examine the intersections of EMDR and perinatal mental health in depth. She is the editor of the forthcoming EMDR for Reproductive, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (Springer, in press) and, with Deborah Davis, Ph.D., the co-author of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child: The Emotional Journey (Fulcrum, 2004) and Intensive Parenting: Surviving the Journey Through the NICU (Fulcrum, 2013). She has also contributed book chapters on perinatal loss, EMDR treatment, and trauma-focused care for NICU families. Her perinatal work grew out of her own perinatal journey, which began in 1995 and carried her through infertility, twin pregnancy, prolonged hospital bed rest, the NICU, and years of raising NICU graduates. Her mission is to bridge the gap between child psychotherapy and perinatal-focused psychotherapy, and to bring effective trauma-focused treatment to families. Her workshops and trainings are listed at www.touchstoneinstitute.org. She can be reached at [email protected]. Short version (approx. 110 words) Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C, is a clinical psychologist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer working in North America and Israel. A child and adolescent psychologist by training, she is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal Training, where she offers foundational and advanced EMDR trainings at the intersection of EMDR and perinatal mental health. She is the editor of the forthcoming EMDR for Reproductive, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (Springer, in press) and, with Deborah Davis, Ph.D., the co-author of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child (Fulcrum, 2004) and Intensive Parenting (Fulcrum, 2013). Her work bridges child psychotherapy and perinatal-focused psychotherapy, bringing effective trauma-focused treatment to families. www.touchstoneinstitute.org | [email protected] CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Ilana B. Ressler, MD Double Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist & Infertility Specialist, Illume Fertility Dr. Ilana B. Ressler is double board certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. She earned her medical degree at Case Western Reserve University and completed her residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her residency, Dr. Ressler was awarded the Professional Dedication to Residency Award in 2009 and the Overall Excellence in Gynecologic Care Award in 2010. In 2013, she completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Cincinnati. In 2016 and 2017, Dr. Ressler was chosen by her peers at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine to receive the Fertility and Sterility Star Reviewer Award. She is consistently named a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly and is also a former member of the editorial board of Fertility and Sterility, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's premier international journal for those who treat infertility and reproductive medicine. She has also been an expert reviewer of the latest gynecologic surgical studies and has written literature reviews for the Society of Reproductive Surgeons. Dr. Ressler launched the Pies for Prevention program in her Westchester community to benefit Sharsheret, in support of women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer. She also serves as Medical Advisor for Yesh Tikva, which was established to create a Jewish community of support for those experiencing infertility. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Dr. Elissa Hellman is an experienced board-certified OBGYN.  She received her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and completed her residency at Northshore University Hospital in Long Island in OBGYN.  Dr. Hellman has been in clinical practice for 15 years with a recent move from Milwaukee, WI to Israel.  She is also the physician at her self-named telemedicine gynecology practice focused on the health needs of Jewish women (www.drelissahellmanmd).  Through this platform, she offers one on one consultations to address gaps in knowledge and education many Jewish women face as they go through their reproductive years.  She also developed two educational courses Girls Growing Up, a puberty course for Jewish girls and The Kallah Curriculum, for Jewish brides who want to feel as prepared as possible in all aspects of women's health and reproduction as they can.  Instagram (@drelissahellmanmd) is where she hangs out and tries to have a little fun spreading evidence-based information about all the stages of womanhood- with a Jewish twist! CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast

Dr. Braverman is a Clinical Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Braverman is the Associate Director for the Educational Core for OB/Gyn. She is a health psychologist with a specialty in medical health management, infertility counseling, and third party reproduction issues. She received her M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Braverman has lectured internationally on treatment issues and reproductive medicine before medical and patient audiences. Dr. Braverman has published in medical journals about the psychological aspects of infertility, issues involved in the decision to end treatment, and psychological issues involved in using third-party donors. Dr. Braverman received the Timothy Jeffries Memorial award in 2011 for outstanding contributions as a health psychologist from the American Psychological Association and the 2021 Suheil J. Muasher, M.D., Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Dr. Esther Rollhaus is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice in Riverdale, NY and via telepsychiatry to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Florida. She has a particular interest in women's mental health, infertility and pregnancy loss, and pregnancy and postpartum mental health. Esther received her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She completed general adult psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center. She has pursued post-graduate training in reproductive and women's mental health via Postpartum Support International, Project Teach, and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Eling Tsai (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian, New York State Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist, and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist.  In her work, Eling creates a nonjudgmental space to help people find peace in their relationship with food. Using a Health at Every Size® (HAES®) and Intuitive Eating informed approach, she works with her clients to improve their well-being, body image, and outlook around food while working towards nutrition-related goals and managing a range of medical conditions. She has a special interest in disordered eating, eating disorders, and diabetes, as well as helping families create a positive feeding environment at home.  Eling believes a positive and energizing relationship with food and body should be a right for all people. CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Dr. Davoudian is a board-certified Health psychologist with expertise in reproductive mental health. She provides psychotherapy to patients who are pregnant, postpartum or seeking fertility treatment. Dr. Davoudian also offers psychological consultations for individuals utilizing third-party reproduction as well as assessments of gamete donors and gestational surrogates. Her research interests include psychological aspects of third party reproduction and has served as a principal investigator on a study examining posttraumatic stress among fertility patients. Glorisel González Viera, MD, is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, where she practices as a Reproductive Psychiatrist at The Women's Place at Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women. Originally from Puerto Rico, she completed her Psychiatry residency at Ponce Health Sciences University, serving as Chief Resident, followed by fellowships in Sleep Medicine at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System and Women's Mental Health at Baylor College of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests center on the intersection of sleep and women's mental health across the reproductive lifespan, with a particular focus on perimenopause and menopause. She also conducts research in reproductive loss and atypical forms of grief. Dr. González Viera is passionate about advancing evidence-based care, educating healthcare professionals, and improving access to specialized mental health care for women.   CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast  

Pamela Klein is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified sex therapist. Her specialty is in helping individuals and couples with all kinds of relationship problems. Couples come to see her at various stages of their relationship and they come in with a wide variety of issues. Pamela's specialization in sex therapy differentiates her practice from others. She helps people with sexual dysfunction, low desire, sexual pain and other problems. Her treatment is tailored to the needs of each client and she utilizes practical methods to help make changes in a short period of time. Pamela Klein has received her certification in sex therapy at the NYU Program for Human Sexuality. She has also been trained in Mindfulness, Somatic Intervention and Emotionally Focused Therapy. She has a private practice and is working remotely with clients.    CONNECT WITH DVORA ENTIN: Website: https://www.dvoraentin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvoraentin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@misconceptionspodcast