Queer Fertility Planning and Support with Guest Laine Halpern Zisman, PhD

Perinatal Wellbeing - The Podcast about Prenatal, Pregnancy & Postpartum Health

Content Warning: Fertility Challenges, grief and loss

Hello and welcome to Perinatal Wellbeing episode #8. Today we’re going to talk about Queer fertility journeys and processes. My guest today is Laine Halpern Zisman, PhD, a Toronto-based queer doula who specializes in queer fertility support. She is also a queer culture and communications scholar and has published and taught on a range of topics related to queer theatre & media, activism & trauma, and critical queer feminist theory. Laine is also the LGBTQ+ Support Co-ordinator and Doula at Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario where she helps people find resources and supports from fertility planning to the postpartum period. Laine and I cover a lot in this episode. Laine guides us through various fertility planning considerations, fertility treatments and processes as well as how to cope with change and grief and the importance of self-advocacy throughout this process. And so much more! You can find her on instagram: @queerconceptions.

Highlights:

3:20 - Laine’s work

4:57 - What is involved in the fertility planning

5:19 - Learning to cope with change and anxiety through the fertility journey

10:25 - Lack of inclusivity in fertility clinics

13:05 - Options in queer fertility journeys

15:20 - Anonymous vs open-ID for sperm or egg donations

19:03 - CMV status testing

21:06 - Choosing a fertility clinic

25:08 - Choosing a method

27:40 - Creating a fertility plan

29:41 - Giving yourself permission to take a pause

31:56 - Creating your support network

32:57 - Transitioning from care during fertility treatments to pregnancy care

42:30 - Coping with grief and loss throughout the fertility process

49:07 - Support for non-gestational parents

50:57 - How the Pandemic has affected fertility journeys

52:59 - What do you think is missing from the space of Perinatal Support for people in the Queer community?

54:33 - How do we help to break down barriers?

58:27 - Understanding and using pronouns

Resources:

Check out Laine on Instagram @queerconceptions for information on fertility planning and journeys as well as questions to ask and think about on your fertility journey.

Take a look at Birth Mark’s Seed and Sprout program for 2SLGBTQIA families here https://birthmarksupport.com/seed-sprout

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [e-mail]

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