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S3E4 Who?! Navigating Fertility After Cancer
58 Plays6 days ago
Summary
In this powerful episode, Erin shares her personal story of resilience as she navigated leukemia and its impact on her fertility. She candidly discusses the challenges she faced during her cancer treatment, the emotional complexities of egg donation, and the critical role of advocacy in oncology. Erin emphasizes the importance of preventative care and highlights valuable resources available to women facing similar health journeys. Her story is a beacon of hope and a call to action for women to prioritize their health and explore their options, even in the face of adversity.
Takeaways
-Erin had leukemia at a young age, impacting her fertility options.
-The technology for egg freezing has significantly improved over the years.
-Ongoing conversations about fertility are crucial for young adults with cancer.
-Understanding the financial and logistical aspects of egg donation is essential.
-Advocacy for fertility preservation is important in oncology care.
-Preventative care, including regular GYN visits, is vital for women's health.
-The HPV vaccine is a significant advancement in preventing cervical cancer.
-Patients should feel empowered to ask questions during medical appointments.
-Building a supportive healthcare team is crucial for navigating fertility issues.
-Keeping an open mind during the egg donation process can lead to better outcomes.
Links
Recommended
Transcript
Erin's Journey and Advocacy
00:00:00
Speaker
Hi, everyone. On today's episode, we get to hear the inspiring story of Erin Taylor, a woman who faced unimaginable challenges and turned them into advocacy for women's health. After receiving a cancer diagnosis as a teen, Erin takes us through her journey specifically about how her diagnosis impacted her fertility and ultimately led her to a career within patient advocacy around fertility, particularly within oncology.
00:00:28
Speaker
She tells us about how she ultimately chose egg donation as the way to build her family and the resources available to those navigating those decisions today. Her resilience and passion for preventative care offer hope and practical advice for women facing health challenges. This conversation is a testament to the power of advocacy, strength, and finding support during life's toughest moments.
Podcast Introduction
00:00:51
Speaker
It was an honor to speak with Erin and I'm grateful for her voice and care in this field. I know you will enjoy this episode.
00:00:59
Speaker
Me, you, and who? Who knew it would take more than two people to have a baby? In a world where infertility is no longer a taboo topic, this podcast will take you through all of the different aspects of surrogacy and egg donation through the lens of many who walk this journey in different ways. My name is Whitney Hall, and I am a two-time Surrogate Now Turned Surrogacy Coordinator for Egg Donor and Surrogate Solutions.
00:01:26
Speaker
the very agency I used when I chose to carry for two amazing families. With this podcast, it is our goal to help guide and support you as you learn about what it takes to grow a family in an alternative way, as well as hear inspiring and beautiful stories of how this path has changed lives forever. We can't wait for you to hear about just one more way happy families are created every day.
Fertility Challenges at 17
00:01:55
Speaker
hi erin I'm so glad you're here. yeah Oh my gosh, of course, of course this is so exciting um because I know you and I were chatting um before we hit the record button. But um I got to chitchat with Scott earlier this year, which was so fun for our Father's Day episode. So this is just so exciting to get to meet you so and talk to you. ah okay so Spoiler alert, um you know, Scott kind of gave us the the preemptive of how you guys, you know, got to where you are as far as building your family. But I want to hear from you, you know, what led you to having a donation be the way that you and Scott chose to build your family.
00:02:43
Speaker
Yes, so um when I was younger, like 17, 18 years old, I had leukemia. So this was a while ago, like back in 2001. And at that time, there really weren't a lot of advancements for, um you know, being able to store eggs where they would hold up.
00:03:01
Speaker
up um And I didn't have a partner at the time, so freezing embryos you know wasn't an an option. And um so before I went through my treatment for leukemia, um I did actually you know store some ovarian tissue ah and then went through treatment for leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant, which basically because of the high doses of chemotherapy, it caused premature ovarian failure.
Ovarian Tissue vs. Egg Donation
00:03:29
Speaker
um And so I had this ovarian tissue kind of in storage and then you know fast forward you know Scott and I met and we got married and then we were ready to you know start thinking about a family and you know along like all of those years I had just been kind of checking in like with my GYN and you know had had just a couple of updates on things around fertility and Basically, what it came down to was that there was no way to confidently screen the ovarian tissue to make sure it has leukemia cells in it. Because the thought was like, could this tissue be reimplanted back in and then you know have the eggs you know come from from there to be able then to do you know i IVF. but
00:04:19
Speaker
you know really after kind of talking through it after all these years there just really wasn't a way you know to know because I had a blood cancer whether there could be some of those cells in there or not so for other people like sometimes that's an option because they know their cancer wasn't in that location um emia um so I was I was always glad we did it because you know I like the feeling of knowing like we did everything we could in the moment and then you just where the technology and the science goes.
Support and Advocacy
00:04:52
Speaker
So real quick, and I don't mean to interrupt. So just for those who, you know, when, so when I think of, um you know, I, I'll hear of, you know, someone who has breast cancer, for example, and they do have those conversations of, well, let's go ahead and do an egg retrieval or thing like that.
00:05:08
Speaker
Why, and I know you mentioned that it was technology was really the the big inhibitor for, you know, not doing an egg retrieval. what Help me understand the ovarian tissue, what exactly that method, the thought was behind that method.
00:05:24
Speaker
yeah yeah so so back in this would have been 2001 they didn't have like if they were at that time to have extracted eggs out the freezing quality and the viability just there it honestly like this freezing egg thing wasn't really something that was very successful at that time yeah And so that's where then this idea at that time was, let's take the tissue out and we'll freeze it. We'll have, you know, theoretically more with the tissue and see at a later date.
00:05:57
Speaker
what cool new things might be available to use that tissue. sure ah And then in in my situation, it just ended up not being an option where it could be used. um But I have heard of of other you know stories where people have been able to have it re-implanted and that that works for them. And then I think nowadays with the freezing of eggs you know being so much better, they just hold up so much better now with the techniques that they're using. that really tends to be more of more of a go-to option. Sure. Sure. That makes a ton of sense. So you're 17 when a doctor is basically approaching you about this. And I mean, I know for me at 17, I was absolutely not thinking about fertility at all. What, what were you even, I mean, not only are you, you have a diagnosis, you are battling cancer and now someone's talking to you about like future plans. How were you even like handling all of that?
00:06:49
Speaker
Yes, yeah, it was it was a lot. I'll have to say like my my family, my mom and dad were amazing. um Actually my mom who who brought it up and kind of asked that question about for me. And um you know, I think the other thing for me that was a little lucky is that the type of leukemia that I had was not very aggressive. And so I had time to be able to kind of sort through and process and make some decisions about some of these things. um I know some people don't don't have that and they're diagnosed and then just you know very quickly they have to you know move towards treatment. um So yeah it was I think honestly at that point with the age that I was it was just kind of a lot of my parents just kind of helping me get through these appointments and I was just kind of doing the next thing on the list and
00:07:40
Speaker
I honestly don't. I definitely know at that time at 17 or 18 years old, I really hadn't wrapped my head fully around at that time what all of this was. It was just like, we're going to do this and we're going to see if this gives you options in the future. um But that is such an interesting question because i um you know as a healthcare provider, I advocate a lot for young adults you know going through cancer care.
00:08:05
Speaker
And I always tell our medical providers that this is an ongoing conversation throughout someone's journey because it's not a one-time thing of fertility preservation. Over time, that understanding and those questions are going to develop. and having ongoing conversation at different points. um And their journey is really, really, really um really, really helpful. Yeah. And super important. I mean, because again, so you you froze the ovarian tissue. It ended not you know doing what you were hoping it for it to do. i'm And so then egg donation becomes that route. And I know, how when when did you kind of wrap your head around like, okay, this is going to be how I'm going to build my family if I want to have a family?
00:08:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So we, um once we knew that we were ready to kind of build a family, we we met with um the fertility physicians and and just kind of had that that final conversation of like, we can't we can't use your tissue, that's that's off of the table. um And then, I mean, I think at that point, it was probably at least another year or two of us kind of gearing up to do this, because there's so much that goes into it. um We had to understand all the finances behind it, um had to understand what agencies were and how that worked, um you know how the donation worked, then how the IVF part worked. For us, honestly, it was probably at least a couple years in the making of just kind of figuring out logistically how we were gonna do all of these things. Sure, sure. What gave you, when did you know you were ready?
00:09:52
Speaker
Yeah, we, so we, um it honestly also came down to like location and when we were settled. um So we Scott and I met in Houston and then for his job, we actually moved overseas um to Africa for a couple of years. Oh my gosh.
00:10:09
Speaker
had a love a lovely time there. It was like a great adventure. And then um once we came back to the States, that's when we were like, okay, we're back or settled. That's really when we kind of started investigating things a little bit more. Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure.
00:10:25
Speaker
And eventually you found a donor in surrogate solutions. And I know Scott kind of told us about, you know, just that donor, like finding your donor and in in that whole process. But for you, as you were going through it, kind of what was your perspective? I mean, it sounds like you almost had peace with it because you had had kind of this long yes window of thinking about fertility.
00:10:53
Speaker
Mm hmm. Yeah, so was very much just excited, you know, for me that it was an option that was available. um I love the option that I would get to carry the babies, which just I also just I think was was really helpful. um And, um you know, was was just ready to build a family. And there there's so many different ways to build a family. We were just really ready to get started on our journey.
00:11:20
Speaker
Yeah, for sure, for sure. So obviously it was successful. Nolan and Evelyn are here and they're beautiful. And I know you guys are in just the thick of all of the fun that that is those sweet babes. But your life obviously was forever changed by that cancer diagnosis. And you know like you said, you are a healthcare provider specifically in oncology. Tell me a little bit about you know, that passion and then obviously the passion that you have when it does come to you looking at fertility when it comes to cancer treatments and things like that. Yeah. I mean, going through it, I think definitely steered me in that direction of oncology. I had always been interested in science um and then just, I met so many amazing physician assistants and nurse practitioners and got to learn
00:12:18
Speaker
ah about their job and so that's really kind of what steered me into that career um and I was really lucky to do um during school a clinical rotation at the hospital that I'm at now and it's just like all the pieces kind of fell together. They they had a job spot for me and and I've been at that same hospital ever since um so it's been a really nice fit.
00:12:42
Speaker
And um very early, like the first year or two that I was there, they have an advisory council at the hospital for patients um that are, you know, going through care or done with their care and then employees and then some of us who are both. um And so that was just a really great group to get involved in. And just their whole goal was just to advocate for young adults, you know, going through this, this journey.
00:13:11
Speaker
um to try to advocate that all of their needs were being met, one of which is fertility. And so, you know, what can we do to to help the patients themselves? What can we do from the employee side to make sure that these
Preventative Care Importance
00:13:26
Speaker
conversations are happening? How can we just help everybody to give them as many resources as we can? um And that I think being able for me to kind of advocate for that and share my experience kind of share the the why and the story behind it. I think when I tell this to other medical providers, I think it sticks with them a little bit more. um And then they see the outcome and I have this this great slide at the end with with like um a collage of all these pictures of Evie and Nolan. and
00:13:58
Speaker
success and all of that. And um I think it's just really nice to be able to kind of tell it from beginning to end, it you know, for other people that that, you know, this is a possibility. Yeah. What has been kind of that evolution that you have seen as a physician's assistant, you know, when having those conversations about specifically fertility and patient advocacy?
00:14:27
Speaker
I think providers are becoming more and more comfortable with talking about it. And I think it's on everybody's radar more, um you know, just because we're we're continuing to kind of push all of these resources out.
00:14:43
Speaker
um So I think the more conversations people have, the more comfortable they are doing it, um not just at that initial one, but, you know, at a follow-up visit a year or two later, you know, hey, you're done with your treatment. You know, how are you guys doing? um You know, ways to open up and leave that door open for talking about family building, if that's something that that they want to discuss further. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So obviously the the hope is that um when someone is discussing their family building, it isn't after they have had a cancer diagnosis. ah So as far as, you know I think one of the major one of the major things that you hear, especially kind of in you know the world of infertility is you hear a lot about cervical cancer and the aftermath of that and what happens during it and before. And you are talking about you know just your fertility and and family building and things like that.
00:15:42
Speaker
What are maybe, what is kind of the importance of preventative care, pre-screening? What does that even look like? Hugely important. Yeah.
00:15:54
Speaker
ah Yeah. And you know, the um guidelines have changed a little bit, you know, over, over the years. But I think for a lot of women, you know, going to our GYN appointment sometimes is like the only appointment that we can see a doctor, you know? Oh, for sure. I am 100% guilty of that. I will see my OB ask me the last time I saw my PCP. Like, yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
And like, especially when we're young, I know so many people that like, you know, they had their like family doctor growing up, you know, then college and they move around and, you know, sometimes the OB is really their only, you know, touch point in in care. ah And so I would just really encourage everybody, even if that is your only touch point, really, really, you know, it's really important to keep those those visits, um you know, sometimes it's annual.
00:16:46
Speaker
sometimes it's every few years having a pap smear. So there's um you know some different guidelines and I think some of it depends on you know prior pap smear results. and family history, those kinds of things. But keeping that close relationship um with with the GYN for women's health is is so important. um You know, I can't tell you how many of of my friends I've known that have gone in and and have had their pap and they've caught something very early, um able to just do, you know, kind of something minimal as far as treatment and
00:17:21
Speaker
you know, then they don't have to do anything further. And and that's really when you wanna get this these things taken taken care of is, you know, catch them early before they turn into something um that requires, you know, more more ah treatment. Yeah, for sure. So really that pap smear is just hugely important as far as just catching things early in preventative care and, you know, and and things like that.
Advocating for Women's Health
00:17:46
Speaker
What age, is there,
00:17:49
Speaker
i And maybe this is naive of me, but is the Pap really kind of that first screen when it comes to looking for cancer, specifically cervical? What happens when there is an abnormal and you go from there? Yes, great question. Yeah. So the Pap smear is really the gold standard. You know, we actually, you know, look at those cells under the microscope and they can There's any changes there. And sometimes if they see changes, it's not actually cancer, but more of like a pre cancer situation. Sure. And that is where at that point, it's still kind of preventative. It's it's hey, we see these cells here. They're looking a little funny.
00:18:33
Speaker
um Sometimes they can do some procedures to go in and just remove those cells so that they don't turn into something more. There could then be some more close monitoring um you know that's done after that to keep a close eye for a number of of of years. um So um you know all of those things are are important. And then I think just in general for women's health, you know any changes in irregular bleeding, um you know changes in menstrual cycles, um you know abdominal pain that's unexplained. you know All of these types of things, um you know we should be seeing our GYN to help us figure those things out and make sure that there's not
00:19:18
Speaker
something else going on, not just with the cervix, but with the uterus or the or the ovaries and just kind of comp ah comprehensively for women's health, checking everything out. Yeah, for sure. I know. what What would you say are maybe some questions to ask specifically maybe to your doctor or ways really just words to kind of maybe explain what could possibly be happening because I know sometimes either women are embarrassed despite the fact that we all go through this or um it's so easy I think as a society we kind of I know for me like it was like oh I just kind of explain away weird cramps or you know just we're just kind of expected to just
00:20:04
Speaker
quote, deal with it essentially. So when it comes to advocating for yourself, what would you say, what what does that look like? What are kind of those words that we would use? What would you, what what tools are kind of best when you are going to that appointment?
00:20:18
Speaker
write things down have your and have your notebook or your notes in your phone and think about, um you know, what are these top things that you want to talk about with your provider? um I love that as a medical provider when I'm seeing patients and they come in the room and we kind of go through the, ah the you know, initial visit and just kind of general checklist of stuff. um Usually a point in the visit where they say like, and what questions do you do you have? um and And I love it when patients open up the phone and we can go you know one by one by one and make sure that we've had everything addressed. um The other thing too that's sometimes nice is usually there's like a nurse or a medical assistant that may ask some questions before the doctor or the provider comes in. and
00:21:04
Speaker
even sometimes giving them a heads up to say, hey, that you know these are my top two things you know that i that I really want to talk about. you know That can also be um helpful. um Because I feel like a lot of times now, especially with like medical records, there's a lot of just clicking boxes and things like that. sure alright And so just making sure that you have that time to really have a narrative, um that we're not just answering these yes or no questions, but that you're really able to to tell them a narrative of kind of what's what's been happening, you know how long it's been happening for, how frequent it is, how it's impacting your life.
Navigating Egg Donation & Healthcare Decisions
00:21:40
Speaker
um you know I think those are all really important things for providers to be able to to you know under understand fully what's what's going on. Yeah, for sure. For sure. No, that's that's super helpful. I think the the best advice I ever heard someone say was, hey, you're you're there. you're paying for you know You're paying for that appointment. So take the time. Don't feel rushed. like you You're there. It's OK. That appointment doesn't last. shouldn't It's not supposed to last just five minutes. like take the Ask those questions.
00:22:10
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. What age should an individual start getting screened? when it kind just And how often should those screenings occur? I know you said it kind of varies sometimes, but when when should someone start?
00:22:26
Speaker
Yes, so I believe it is still when they're sexually when they begin sexual activity okay is when you start seeing a GYN and then after that it will just depend on the age and like prior pap smears how often they want you to come come for for visits. And then just obviously, if anything comes up in between those visits, don't feel like you've got to wait until your next visit. If something is new or changing, reach out to them so that that it can, that you know, and talk to them about it. And then they can decide, oh, is it something we can talk through over the phone, do a telehealth visit? Do we need you to come to the office?
00:23:09
Speaker
All of those sorts of things can be worked out. Yeah, for sure. For sure. No, that's so great. Have you seen, I know you said, you know, the PAP is kind of that gold standard. Have you, in your experience, what kind of advancements have you seen, especially when it does come to preventative, but then also, okay, you do have a diagnosis. What are, you know, what are some, been some of those advancements that you've seen over the the course of time? Yeah.
00:23:35
Speaker
Probably the biggest advancement that we've seen recently with cervical cancer has been the vaccine. Being able to prevent HPV. I mean, HPV is is the main driver behind cervical cancer. right and so ah to protect people from that virus from the beginning is huge. And and so, um um you know, being being sure, you know, if if you're of that age where you should have that that vaccination done, that's that's key. um And then there have been, you know, I work more in the um hematology side of things. um And so I don't know too many specifics around the cervical side, but I think it's usually more of like a multidisciplinary approach where they can
00:24:23
Speaker
Is it something that we can surgically address? Is it something that needs um more of a um so ah systemic approach like chemotherapy or immunotherapies? Sometimes there's something called brachytherapy, which is where they put um some radiation kind of close to the sites of the cells. um So there's a lot of different ways that that they can work with it. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. And yeah, definitely. um Gosh, I remember when that HPV vaccine first came out. So yeah, no, for sure. I mean, really, the name of the game is prevention, 100%.
00:25:07
Speaker
What would you say, what are maybe some resources that you would recommend um for those who want to learn more about either preventative care or care or really just where to start when it comes to you know just their own you know women's health?
00:25:21
Speaker
Yes, so um the American Cancer Society is a great place to look to for guidelines, you know, standard guidelines, um you know, and you can kind of look to see like what your age is and family history and that'll kind of give you a rough idea of what things, you know, you should be doing from a preventative um um perspective. um and And then, you know, I think, um you know, also having a like cup a PCP is also really helpful as well, too. Yes, not just your OB. will be it's But they also are internal medicine.
00:26:02
Speaker
And so you know just thinking to you know just you know about your overall health um you know is also going to help you. It was one of the things you know that I thought about when we were going through kind of the IVF journey is the healthier I am and my body is, you know the healthier and hopefully better this whole journey is going to go to be for
Open Mindset in Fertility Challenges
00:26:22
Speaker
us. Yeah, for sure. For sure.
00:26:25
Speaker
Is there any advice that you would want to give as either a healthcare professional or mom via egg donation to anyone who is thinking about this journey, coming from it from a place of, you know, having a diagnosis, just what advice would you give?
00:26:46
Speaker
Keep an open mind. you know i it's It's something that in some ways can be very technical and um and and kind of hard to wrap wrap your head around. And sometimes we think we are on a certain path or have a certain approach to something. And then as we learn more about the process,
00:27:07
Speaker
We have to change things up a little bit. um I can give an example of that. when When we first started our search for an egg donor, I was very much focused on um someone who had physical attributes that were very similar to me. sure And as we got more into it, um I realized that that's, of course, a piece of it. But then maybe um how many times somebody has donated so they have that skill set of like how to take all of the medications or, um you know, did they have a successful donation and how many eggs they got? You know, once I started learning about all of these things, my um
00:27:50
Speaker
kind of list of priorities of things in my head that I was looking at with egg donors changed a little bit. ah I would just say as you learn more about the process, be open to kind of making some some adjustments. um I think the other example is when we were trying to decide some of the embryos to to implant and you get these grade, like almost kind of like you would grade a diamond. Like they have a...
00:28:18
Speaker
things. And again, it was like very technical getting in the weeds. I remember like staring at this report. And, and um so I like reached out to to the fertility team and they were like, we're just gonna have you talk with the um um the embryonologist. Yeah. It was so great. And once I talked to them, I realized like I was splitting hairs at that point. Like,
00:28:42
Speaker
and the weeds on it. And just to hear that from somebody who that's their area of expertise. um She basically was like, we you know, what do you what do you want, and whatever you want, whatever you pick, it's going to be great. And that also really helped to like set me at ease so you know if you have these types of questions just feel free to ask like talk to the experts you know don't feel like it always has to be you doing more and more and more resource you know research on google because sometimes that just gets way too much yeah and go back to your team and just kind of talk it through with them and sometimes they can help to kind of steer you in the right direction Yeah.
Conclusion and Gratitude
00:29:25
Speaker
Well, and I mean, I say, I feel like I say agnoseum on here, but I mean that building that team is so important. And that I mean, that is your team. Those are your trusted advisors. Those are the experts in, you know, whichever field um they are in and relying on them and trusting in them is just, gosh, that's half the battle. um But yeah, why go to Dr. Google when you've built this team? Exactly. But it's so hard when it's like 3am and Dr. Google is right there. and
00:29:55
Speaker
down as much as you love it. Well, so, um, Scott may have given you the heads up, but I have my one last question for you for anyone who knows me. And I know you've seen me, you know, sipping on, sipping on my coffee this whole time, but I coffee and I, we have a very close and definitely codependent relationship on each other.
00:30:22
Speaker
And so I always like to ask the question, what filled your cup today? Literally or figuratively, what was the thing that filled your cup?
00:30:33
Speaker
ah So, um literally, um cup of coffee this morning. We love um Phil's coffee from when we lived in California. We have that, we have like a little subscription service and I love my Phil's coffee um in the morning. yeah And then what was actually great um figuratively today is I got to go in to my son's elementary school and read some books with some of his class today. He's in and that was just the best to get to read with him and then to read with some of his friends in school. Oh, I love that. It's fun to be the special surprise guest. Yes. Oh, I love that. That's beautiful.
00:31:20
Speaker
Well, Erin, I really just thank you so much for your time and your expertise and your vulnerability and sharing your story. I mean, both you and Scott, um, just, I know you guys are doing so much, um, beyond just what you do day to day and, you know, just with your family. And, um, we are just so grateful for you and I'm so grateful for you and, um, just being able to lend your expertise and, um, and share everything, um, for our listeners. So thank you so much.
00:31:48
Speaker
Thank you so much for having me. We're happy to do this and share the story. So thanks again. Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Me, You, and Who. We appreciate your time and hope you enjoyed our discussion today. As we wrap, we would like to remind you of some of the ways that you can stay connected with us and be part of the Me, You, and Who podcast community. Firstly, if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.
00:32:18
Speaker
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00:32:33
Speaker
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00:32:57
Speaker
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