Fertility Cafe

Why are we taught so little about something that happens every single month for decades of our lives?

In this episode, Eloise Drane sits down with fertility awareness educator and author Lisa Hendrickson-Jack to unpack one of the most overlooked truths in women’s health: the menstrual cycle is not just about getting pregnant. It is a vital sign.

From heavy periods and birth control prescriptions in her teens to becoming a pioneer in fertility awareness education and podcasting, Lisa shares how charting her cycle transformed her understanding of her body and ultimately her career.

This conversation goes far beyond basic sex education. It breaks down what is actually happening during your cycle, how ovulation impacts overall health, what hormonal birth control really does to the body, and why so many women feel confused or dismissed when something feels “off.”

“Your menstrual cycle is not an inconvenience. It’s information.” - Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

Guest Bio

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified fertility awareness educator, host of the Fertility Friday podcast, and author of The Fifth Vital Sign and Real Food for Fertility (co-authored with Lily Nichols, RDN). Lisa has been charting her cycle since age 18 and was one of the first voices to bring fertility awareness education to the podcast space in 2014. Today her work focuses on educating women directly and training health practitioners to use the menstrual cycle as a diagnostic and health tool.

This episode is for any woman who wants to understand her cycle more deeply whether she’s on hormonal birth control, recently come off it, or simply trying to make sense of what her body is doing every month.

What You’ll Learn

• What it really means when we say “the menstrual cycle is a vital sign”

• What’s happening hormonally from your period to ovulation to the luteal phase

• Why the 28-day cycle myth is misleading and what is actually normal

• How cervical fluid works, and why most of us were never taught about it

• The key role ovulation plays in bone density, mood, and long-term health

• How hormonal birth control suppresses ovulation and what that means for your body

Episode Resources

Fertility Friday Podcast fertilityfriday.com

The Fifth Vital Sign fertilityfriday.com/book

Real Food for Fertility (free first chapter) realfoodforfertility.com Lisa on Instagram @fertilityfriday

Related Episodes

Ep 129: Acupuncture for Fertility: Supporting Hormones, Cycles & IVF Success 

Ep 126: What Your OBGYN Isn’t Telling You

This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season.

Stay Connected

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe

More Resources

Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/

Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe

Get expert insights & updates

Chapters

(00:00:00) - The Fertility Cafe
(00:01:30) - Fertility Cafe: The Cycle
(00:02:13) - Unpacking Fertility Awareness
(00:03:00) - Fertility Awareness For Women
(00:09:12) - The Secret to Working Through Your Period
(00:12:19) - Meticulous Signs of PCOS
(00:16:39) - How to Tell When You're Expecting Ovulation (Cycle
(00:21:16) - How to manage your cycle? (28 Day Cycle)
(00:26:59) - What is the normal range of periods?
(00:29:09) - How Does Birth Control Work?
(00:36:05) - Ovarian reserve parameters post-ppill
(00:42:01) - Coming off the Pill
(00:47:54) - Trust Your Intuition
(00:49:58) - Lisa On Fertility: Real Food for Fertility
(00:51:56) - How to chart your cycle

How does egg donation actually work, and what do you need to know before you start?

In this solo episode, Eloise Drane, founder of Family Inceptions and a six-time egg donor, breaks down everything you need to know about egg donation. She covers the biology behind the process, the different types of donor arrangements (anonymous, semi-anonymous, known, and informational), how to choose the right program, and what the process actually looks like for both donors and intended parents.

Eloise also addresses the questions she hears most often: Is anonymous donation even possible in the age of DNA testing? What are the real risks for donors? How has cryopreservation changed the fresh vs. frozen debate? And how do you choose between a fertility clinic’s in-house program, a frozen egg bank, an agency, or going independent?

Whether you’re an intended parent who’s already decided to use egg donation or someone just starting to explore your options, this episode gives you the foundation you need.

“The egg donation process doesn’t need to be overwhelming, you just need the right information.” - Eloise Drane

This episode is for intended parents considering egg donation as a path to parenthood, and for women who are curious about becoming a donor and want to understand the full picture.

What You’ll Learn

• The biology behind egg donation and the key terms you’ll encounter

• The four types of donor arrangements anonymous, semi-anonymous, known, and informational and what each means today

• Whether true anonymous donation is still possible given advances in genetic testing

• What qualifies someone to be an egg donor, and what the real risks are

• How to choose between a frozen egg bank, fertility clinic program, egg donation agency, or independent route

• Why the fresh vs. frozen cycle debate has largely been settled by advances in cryopreservation

• How Eloise’s own donation journey led her to found Family Inceptions

Episode Resources

Family Inceptions familyinceptions.com

Related: Ep 144: Becoming an Egg Donor: The Real Process 

Start Your Family-Building Journey

If you’re considering building your family through surrogacy or egg donation, visit familyinceptions.com/start to talk with our team.

This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season.

Stay Connected

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe

LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe

More Resources

Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/

Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe

Get expert insights & updates familyinceptions.com/resources

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Fertility Cafe Archive: Egg Donation
(00:01:00) - Many myths and misconceptions about egg donation
(00:02:00) - What is Egg Donation?
(00:06:29) - What type of Egg Donation arrangement should you go with?
(00:16:21) - E egg donation: risks, complications, and options
(00:18:32) - Compensation for egg donation and frozen embryo transfers
(00:22:01) - Choosing the Right Egg Donor

Thinking about becoming an egg donor? Before you take the first step, here’s what the process actually looks like from your first application to the day you receive your compensation check.

In this solo episode, Eloise Drane a six-time egg donor herself and founder of Family Inceptions takes you through the entire egg donation journey in detail. She covers how to choose the right program, what medical screening and monitoring really involves, the legal agreements that protect you, and what compensation looks like at every level.

Eloise doesn’t sugarcoat it. She talks about OHSS, the emotional weight of the decision, what anonymity actually means in the age of 23andMe, and the questions most potential donors don’t know to ask until it’s too late.

If becoming an egg donor is calling you, this is the episode to start with.

“She is a kind and compassionate human being who wants to give a family a part of herself so they can feel whole.” — Eloise Drane

This episode is for women who are curious about egg donation and want an honest, detailed look at the process before they decide whether it’s right for them.

What You’ll Learn

• How to decide if egg donation is right for you and how to get clear on your ‘why’

• The qualifying criteria every egg donor must meet

• The four types of egg donation programs and how to choose between them

• What the application, matching, and medical screening process looks like step by step

• The medications you’ll take, what to expect, and what OHSS actually is

• Legal agreements: what the Egg Donor Agreement covers and why you need your own attorney

Episode Resources

Family Inceptions 

Thinking About Becoming an Egg Donor?

If becoming an egg donor is something you’re exploring, visit https://familyinceptions.com/egg-donors/ to learn what’s involved.

This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season.

Stay Connected

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe

LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe

More Resources

Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/

Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe

Get expert insights & updates thefertilitycafe.com/resources

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Fertility Cafe Archive
(00:00:26) - Egg Donor Chat
(00:01:19) - E egg donation 101
(00:02:57) - Are You Ready to Build a Family With Egg Donor?
(00:03:51) - What Does an Egg Donor Look Like?
(00:12:30) - Donor Selection: What Happens If You Get Chosen?
(00:17:18) - Oocyte Donor Process
(00:21:13) - E egg donation: Anonymous, Semi-Anonymous or
(00:27:24) - Donor Compensation
(00:29:25) - Becoming an Egg Donor

Should you freeze your eggs? It’s one of the most searched fertility questions online and one of the most misunderstood.

In this solo episode, Eloise Drane cuts through the noise and gives you an honest, grounded look at egg freezing: what the process actually involves, what it costs (financially and emotionally), who it’s right for, and what the conversation often leaves out.

Egg freezing has moved from a niche medical intervention to a mainstream choice but popularity hasn’t made it simpler or more accessible for everyone. Eloise explores how the technology evolved, what a real cycle looks like, and why access and equity still matter in this conversation.

Whether you’re seriously considering it or just trying to understand your options, this episode gives you real talk and the clarity to make a decision that’s actually right for you.

“Your timeline, your body, and your decisions deserve clarity and care.” - Eloise Drane

This episode is for women at any stage of life who are weighing egg freezing as an option and want honest, practical information before making a decision.

What You’ll Learn

• How egg freezing evolved from a last-resort treatment to a proactive choice

• What a real egg freezing cycle looks like, step by step

• The true cost of egg freezing financial, physical, and emotional

• Who egg freezing tends to work well for, and who it may not be right for

• Why access to egg freezing remains unequal despite growing mainstream interest

• How to think through the decision clearly, on your own timeline

Episode Resources

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

FertilityIQ

Stay Connected

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe

LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe

More Resources

Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/

Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe

Get expert insights & updates thefertilitycafe.com/resources

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Fertility Cafe Archive
(00:00:26) - Fertility Cafe
(00:02:06) - What Egg Freezing Is Really Like
(00:02:57) - E egg freezing: How it works, costs, and accessibility
(00:11:40) - The Financial Reality of Egg Freezing
(00:13:50) - Access Equity in the Business of Egg Freezing
(00:16:21) - E egg freezing: The decision to freeze your eggs

Does your employer cover IVF, surrogacy, or egg donation? Most people have no idea what fertility benefits they’re entitled to, or how to ask for them.

In this episode, Eloise Drane sits down with Brooke Bartholomay Quinn, COO of Carrot Fertility and fertility benefits expert, to explore how companies are building fertility and family-building benefits into their packages, what those benefits actually cover, and how employees can advocate for themselves if those benefits don’t yet exist at their workplace.

They cover why family-building benefits have taken so long to become standard, how many current offerings still fall short on inclusion, and what it looks like when an employer gets it right.

If you’re navigating surrogacy or egg donation and wondering whether your employer could help cover the costs, this episode is essential listening.

“Fertility benefits aren’t a perk. They’re a signal of who your employer thinks deserves to build a family.” – Brooke Bartholomay Quinn

 Guest Bio

Brooke Bartholomay Quinn is COO of Carrot Fertility and a fertility benefits expert with extensive experience helping companies build family-building support programs for employees navigating IVF, surrogacy, egg donation, adoption, and more.

 This episode is for intended parents and anyone exploring family-building who wants to understand whether their workplace benefits can help offset the cost.

 What You’ll Learn

Why fertility and family-building benefits have lagged behind other workplace benefits

How many current fertility benefit offerings still aren’t fully inclusive

What employers gain by offering family-building support

How to start the conversation with your HR team or employer

What employees should ask when reviewing their benefits package

 Episode Resources

Brooke on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/brooke-bartholomay-quinn

A History of Employer-Sponsored Healthcare – griffinbenefits.com

 Related Episodes

Ep 35: Infertility Epidemic 

 

Start Your Family-Building Journey

If you’re considering building your family through surrogacy or egg donation, visit thefertilitycafe.com/start to talk with our team.

This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season.

 Stay Connected

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe

 More Resources

Learn more about surrogacy & fertility – https://familyinceptions.com/

Listen to past episodes – youtube.com/@FertilityCafePodcast/playlists

Get expert insights & updates – thefertilitycafe.com/resources

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Back in the Fertility Cafe Archive
(00:00:52) - Fertility Cafe: Season 3
(00:03:33) - A Question for Parrot's Lead Employee
(00:04:44) - Carrot Fertility: What is it and how does it work
(00:11:04) - Employment Benefits: The Need for Infertility Coverage
(00:17:03) - The need for more inclusive language in fertility care
(00:18:50) - Carrot Family Plan
(00:22:10) - Is Google's Family Building Benefit Endangering Parenthood?
(00:24:45) - Carrot Fertility: The Ideal Company for Family Forming Benefits
(00:28:28) - Clinical Fertility Care Is Ending
(00:29:37) - Fertility Cafe