Ladies, We Need To Talk

For some women, the dream of having a child of their own is priceless. They invest their time, money, and energy in fertility treatments in the hope that by the end of it all, they'll have a baby.
But what if after endless rounds of IVF treatment and many thousands of dollars there's no little one to call your own? It can be almost impossible to let go of the hope of parenthood, so who decides how many cycles of treatment a woman should go through, and how do patients know when to draw the line?
Yumi Stynes is joined by two women to talk about the sacrifices they made to access IVF; skipping holidays, dipping into Superannuation and delaying career changes in order to continue treatment. And she sits down with Senior Research Fellow, Dr Sarah Lensen to unpack the booming business of IVF in Australia.
Further information:
Black Dog Institute is looking for people who are currently having IVF, have had IVF in the past, or are supporting someone through fertility treatment to share their experience.
They want to learn more about the emotional impact of IVF and how support can be improved.
If you take part, you'll be asked to complete a 30-minute online survey.
To learn more and see if you're eligible, visit the link https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/research-studies/help-us-improve-mental-health-support-during-ivf/
The closing date for the survey is 29th November 2026.
This episode will answer questions like:
How expensive is IVF?
What are the success rates of IVF?
Are there risks doing IVF?
Who can use IVF?
Are IVF add-ons helpful?
Should I try IUI before IVF?
Can I use my Superannuation to do IVF?
What to listen to next:
No more nice: Amy Remeikis wants you to stop people-pleasing — ABC listen
Is egg freezing all it's cracked up to be? - ABC listen
What to read next:
Heroin chic is back. Here's how to talk to your kids about it — ABC NewsThis episode contains references to IVF, In Vitro Fertilisation, ICSI, superannuation, pregnancy, fertility, infertility and IVF add ons.

Ever stayed quiet to keep the peace? As girls we're told to "play nice" and not rock the boat.
But author Amy Remeikis reckons being nice comes at a cost. When she was assaulted on a Brisbane street in her 20s, she was shocked by how many people passed by without helping. It made her question how a culture of civility makes us reluctant to intervene.
Amy has been "contrary" throughout her career covering politics. For her, telling it like it is trumps being liked. She wants others to follow her lead. To stop being "nice" and start being decent.
More information:
Screw Nice is published by Hachette Australia.
This episode will answer questions like:
How are girls conditioned to be nice?
Are there consequences for women who aren't nice?
Are there advantages to refusing to be nice?
Why is Amy Remeikis refusing to be nice?
Is there a cost to being nice?
Can you ever be too nice?
What to listen to next:
Ultra-thinness is back: how to talk about our bodies — ABC listenWhat to read next:
Heroin chic is back. Here's how to talk to your kids about it — ABC NewsThis episode contains references to assault, sexism, civility, bystander effect, niceness, politeness and journalism.

Celebrities and everyday women are shrinking before our eyes. So how do we have conversations about our bodies when they're the source of renewed scrutiny?
Yumi Stynes sits down with Olympic gold medallist Libby Trickett, journalist Demi Lynch and psychologist Janet Lowndes to discuss why thinness is becoming the cultural norm again and how we can push back against this narrative.
They unpack the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, the impact of social media and how to talk to your kids about body image when their role models keep getting thinner.
This episode will answer questions like:
Should we talk about people's bodies?
How can we talk about bodies without critiquing them?
What is diet culture?
How can I avoid looking at ultra-thin bodies?
Are GLP-1 affecting diet culture?
Is anti-fatness on the rise?
What is FATernise?
Why are celebrities getting thinner? 
What to listen to next:
"No one really talked about it:" Myf Warhurst on menopause and her ADHD diagnosis — ABC listenWhat to read next:
The secret to happy long-term relationships — ABC NewsThis episode contains references to thinness, weight, diet culture, GLP-1, eating disorders, social media and fatness.

Getting an ADHD diagnosis while going through perimenopause helped explain the quiet bubbling rage and feelings of inadequacy that Myf Warhust had been dealing with her whole life.
Discovering she had ADHD mid-life has been life changing for Myf but like so many women, she questions why it took so long to be diagnosed in the first place.
She's channelled those feelings into her new book, Middle Rage where she explores the bullsh*t women have been experiencing for a millennia.
Yumi Stynes sits down with the Spicks and Specks team captain for a candid conversation about this new era of her life, one that's free of dating apps, managers and men who send her dick pics.
More information:
Middle Rage is published by Hachette Australia.
This episode will answer questions like:
How does menopause affect women?
Can menopause affect ADHD?
Why didn’t people talk about menopause?
Why are women getting diagnosed with ADHD later in life?
Why did Myf Warhurst write Middle Rage?
Is Myf Warhust still on Spicks and Specks?
What is Myf Warhurst doing now?
Is Myf Warhurst a feminist? 
What to listen to next:
The secrets to a happy relationship (they're not what you think) — ABC listenWhat to read next:
The secret to happy long-term relationships — ABC NewsThis episode contains references to Myf Warhurst, rage, misogyny, menopause, perimenopause, ADHD and Eurovision.

What's the key to a long-lasting, happy relationship?
Grand gestures and date nights might cause a momentary flare, but successful couples know there's more to it than that.
How do they fight, divide the load, and keep their intimacy hot when life gets busy and deeply unsexy?
Yumi Stynes speaks to women about how they found love that's stable, healthy and fun. And clinical psychologist Ms Gemma Cribb talks through the foundations that all happy couples build their relationships on. You'll be surprised!
This episode will answer questions like:
Can you be happy in a long-term relationship?
What makes a relationship last?
How can you support your partner?
How do I know if my partner's happy?
What to listen to next:
Our bodies, our choice. But are abortion rights under threat? — ABC listenWhat to read next:
The women 'quietly quitting' their marriages — ABC NewsThis episode contains references to relationships, partners, marriage, intimacy, children and mental load.