Brave & Curious with Dr Lora Shahine

Can you be too old to conceive? What does it really mean when celebrities have babies over 50? And when fertility treatments like IVF, donor eggs, frozen eggs, and embryo transfer make pregnancy possible after menopause, how do we decide when it is safe, ethical, and medically appropriate?
In this episode of Brave & Curious, Dr. Lora Shahine explores one of the biggest and most emotionally loaded questions in reproductive medicine: when is it too late to have a baby? Using the latest 2025 American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines as a starting point, Dr. Shahine breaks down advanced reproductive age, age-related infertility, IVF success with own eggs versus donor eggs, pregnancy after menopause, and the very real health risks that can come with pregnancy over 45 or 50. She also looks at paternal age, sperm health, and why age matters for both partners when building a family.
Listeners will understand that there is no one-size-fits-all answer—only thoughtful counseling, informed consent, and brave conversations about the risks, benefits, and possibilities of family building at an advanced reproductive age.
In this episode you'll hear:
[00:56] Age & Fertility overview 
[01:41] Record-breaking pregnancy stories
[02:37] Why does it get more difficult to get pregnant as we get older?
[07:52] Health risks of pregnancy
[09:15] Men: reproductive age and health of pregnancy
[10:07] Ethical considerations
[11:13] 2025 ASRM guidelines
[13:42] Next steps
Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books
Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Can acupuncture really support IVF success? When should you start fertility acupuncture if you're trying to conceive? And how do you know whether an acupuncturist is truly trained in fertility care, or just really confident with a sign on the door?
In this episode of Brave & Curious, Dr. Lora Shahine welcomes Hannah Pearn, a fertility acupuncturist based in London and host of the podcast. Together, they explore how acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and Western fertility treatment can work side by side to support patients through IVF, embryo transfer, egg quality concerns, endometriosis, PCOS, recurrent pregnancy loss, male factor infertility, and the emotional stress of trying to conceive.
Listeners will learn what to expect at a first fertility acupuncture appointment, how acupuncture treatment may change during different stages of IVF, what questions to ask when choosing a practitioner, and why the evidence around acupuncture and fertility is promising but still complicated. 
Dr. Shahine and Hannah also answer listener questions about needle fear, PGT-A testing, microbiome testing, follicle count, and the balance between doing everything you can and remembering that infertility is never your fault.
In this episode you'll hear:
[1:09] Fertility acupuncture basics
[7:28] Hannah's acupuncture path
[11:18] Finding specialists and Questions to Ask
[29:46] Acupuncture meets IVF
[34:34] Needle fear
[36:58] PGT-A testing
[42:43] When to start
[47:31] Can you boost your egg count?
[50:38] Microbiome testing
[54:46] Evidence and acupuncture
Resources mentioned: 
donttellmetorelax.coc.uk
@donttellmetorelax on IG
 
Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books
Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Can a hormonal IUD affect your fertility later? If you used a progestin IUD, should you take it out months before trying to conceive? And how do patients make sense of fertility advice when even doctors are debating the evidence in real time?
In this episode of Brave & Curious Dr. Said Daneshmand joins Dr. Lora Shahine for a thoughtful, nuanced conversation about hormonal IUDs, endometrial lining, uterine adhesions, and fertility planning. 
Their conversation is sparked by a recent online debate in the reproductive medicine community. Dr. Shahine and Dr. Daneshman explore what is known, what is still being studied, and why clinical experience matters alongside published research.
Listeners will learn how levonorgestrel IUDs may affect the uterine lining in a small subset of patients, what current research says about return to fertility after IUD removal, and why "rare" does not mean "impossible." 
This episode offers reassurance, context, and practical guidance for anyone using an IUD, planning pregnancy, navigating infertility, or trying to make informed decisions about contraception and reproductive health.
Ongoing Research Study through UCSF: FeRTILE Study  is being done to learn whether long-term use of an intrauterine device (IUD) affects how long it takes to become pregnant. By taking part, participants may help researchers learn more about fertility and birth outcomes after IUD use. Learn more here.
In this episode you'll hear:
[0:40] What is the IUD and Fertility Controversy?
[1:11] IUDs: Benefits and Context
[7:43] What We're Seeing in Our Practice
[15:25] Dr. D's Research on IUDs and Endometrial Lining 
[20:45] Reflection on Topic 
[33:56] Future Research Plans
Resources: 
Studies mentioned
Abel 2021 J Assist Reprod Genet
Carr 2021 Contraception
Peipert 2022 Am J OBGYN
Dr. Daneshmand Instagram
Fertilitea with Dr. D Podcast
 
Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books
Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Could your sleepless nights, mood swings, joint pain, or "I just don't feel like myself" feelings be connected to perimenopause? Do you really need hormone testing to know what is happening? And is menopause hormone therapy actually as scary as we were once told? 
Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch, hosts of OvaryActive and co-authors of Estrogen, Interrupted, join Dr. Lora Shahine for this episode of Brave & Curious. Their conversation opens up a thoughtful, funny, and myth-busting conversation about menopause, perimenopause, hormone health, and why women deserve to understand their bodies.
They also explain the difference between menopause and perimenopause, why symptoms can start years before periods stop, why hormone labs often do not tell the full story, and how symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, anxiety, vaginal dryness, weight changes, itchy ears (yes, we said "itchy ears"), burning mouth, and joint pain can all fit into the bigger picture.
Perimenopause is often a "story-based" diagnosis rather than a single lab result, and treatment options are available. This conversation will walk listeners through all of that and more. Listeners will feel informed, validated, and ready to ask better questions.
In this episode you'll hear:
[0:24] Meet The Doctors of Ovaryactive Podcast
[10:45] Defining menopause and perimenopause
[14:55] Common Symptoms (More than Hot Flashes)
[18:37] Why labs fall short
[23:07] Unusual menopause symptoms
[28:05] Diagnosing perimenopause and menopause
[32:17] Non-hormonal treatment options
[42:18] The WHI study
[50:45] Breast cancer risk and Hormone Therapy
[59:51] Talking to your doctor
 
Resources mentioned: 
perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube 
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
 
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
 
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

 
Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books
Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!
 
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

What if the "final frontier" of fertility care is not IVF technology, but the aging ovary itself? Can science help improve egg quality, mitochondrial function, and reproductive lifespan? And how do patients sort through what is proven, what is promising, and what is still very much in the "ask your doctor before you try this" category?
In this episode of Brave & Curious, Dr. Lora Shahine welcomes reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Roohi Jeelani for a fascinating conversation about ovarian rejuvenation, age-related fertility decline, and the future of fertility treatment. 
Together, they discuss why age remains one of the biggest factors in IVF success, how egg quality changes over time, and why topics like oxidative stress, mitochondrial health, inflammation, and lifestyle optimization are becoming such important parts of the fertility conversation.
In this episode you'll hear:
[1:07] Meet Dr. Roohi Jeelani
[2:32] Age and fertility
[4:23] Egg quality basics
[8:06] Sleep and fertility
[9:35] Stress and cortisol
[14:58] Movement and PCOS
[16:54] Nutrition for fertility
[18:51] Trimester zero prep: Small, sustainable changes
[29:25] CoQ10, Inositol, Melatonin
[35:38] NAD and egg quality
[43:56] GLP-1 fertility questions
[47:22] Peptides and PRP
[55:33] Ovarian rejuvenation research
[1:01:04] Future fertility medicine
Resources mentioned: 
onto.health
@roohijeelanimd on Instagram | LinkedIn
@onto-health-co on LinkedIn
Your Leggings Could be Causing Infertility? with Dr. Lora Shahine on YouTube
Can CoQ10 Improve Egg Quality and Sperm Health for TTC? with Dr. Lora Shahine on YouTube
Does Growth Hormone Improve IVF Outcomes? with Dr. Lora Shahine on YouTube

Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books
Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.