Change is hard, especially when they involve endings of things we’re sad to see go. And we’re definitely sad to see The Whole Pineapple go. 

In this very special, final (for now?) episode, Ruby, Anne, Jamie, and podcast producer Shannon Perry reflect on how difficult it can be to say goodbye. But as A.A. Milne says in the voice of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Given how hard this is, we’ve clearly been very lucky indeed. Then stay tuned for Jamie’s meditation on letting go so you can move forward.

This podcast has been a labor of love, and there has been a lot of joy in talking with amazing guests, hearing from listeners how much you’ve gotten from the episodes, and diving deeper into how fertility appears in research, books, and even popular culture.

We hope The Whole Pineapple has helped listeners learn more about the fertility journey and the options that exist for those who are having challenges building their families. But we also hope it’s helped open the discussion — the stigma that still exists around infertility, and the reluctance many of us feel when talking about bodies and reproduction can make it tough to talk. But these are necessary conversations, and sharing podcasts like The Whole Pineapple can be a gentle way to introduce the topic.

Finally, we have to say “thank you.” Thank you for listening and supporting this podcast. Thank you for sharing episodes and the things you’ve learned. Thank you for coming with us on this journey. Please know that the episodes will continue to be available, and our email, thewholepineapple@gmail.com is still live, if you have comments or questions.

We love and appreciate you. Have a delicious week.

Resources: 

Kahlil Gibran: On Joy and Sorrow

Find Jamie Mammenga on her website, Sound Perinatal and Fertility Counseling, PLLC: www.soundcounseling.org

Audiotocracy Podcast Production: audiotocracy.com

Sorry, folks, it’s official: it’s the end of sex.*

Henry “Hank” Greely, Professor by courtesy of Genetics at Stanford School of Medicine, Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law, and Director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences, is very interested in how new biomedical technologies impact assisted reproduction. He’s authored two books: The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction in 2016, and CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans, which published in 2021, and is Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center for Biomedical Ethics, among other impressive mouthfuls.

In this episode, Ruby, Anne, and Hank dive into the changes that are already happening in human reproduction — and the possible changes to come. In addition to the scientific challenges, what are the ethical and legal questions we’ll need to tackle as the landscape changes?

Many of us became aware of genetic questions with Dolly the cloned sheep and the controversy over stem cells and how they might be used to repair damaged bodies. But Hank took the question even further, asking, What happens when we can make eggs and sperm from skin cells? Does that signal the end of human reproduction as we know it?

Hank can pinpoint the origin of his curiosity to October 19, 2010 in Muenster, Germany — a conference talk on how induced pluripotent stem cells (iPscs) could be used to make other cells, including, the speaker said off-handedly, sperm and eggs. Wait, what?

Science fiction? Maybe not.

If you’re curious about the possible future of fertility (and sex), this is the episode for you. Be sure to check out the book as well. There’s not only theory about what the future could hold but also a well-researched history of how we’ve gotten here 

As always, please rate and review, and most of all, share the episode and show with anyone you think could benefit. 

*Spoiler: New technologies might mean the end of sex for reproduction and the start of sex purely for pleasure. So the news isn’t bad after all. 

Learn more about Hank Greely on the Stanford Law School Directory: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/henry-t-greely/

Find more episodes from Ruby and Anne at https://thewholepineapple.com.

Resources mentioned:

Purchase the book from the Harvard University Press: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674984011

Episode 29: My Embryos are Mosaic? https://thewholepineapple.com/episode-29-my-embryos-are-mosaic-interpreting-your-pgt-results/

Fertility preservation for those undergoing gender-affirming transition is an important area of reproductive medicine. In this episode, Anne and Ruby are talking with Dr. Lynn Davis about how fertility options may be dependent on age, the gametes involved (i.e. sperm or eggs) and the stage of gender-affirming care. 

Dr. Davis started her educational journey with a double major in Biology and Psychology from the University of Virginia, followed by her MD from the University of Colorado and OB/GYN residency from Harvard. She concluded her training with her REI Fellowship at Stanford University, where she also completed a postdoctoral Fellowship at the Stanford Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, and served as Clinical Instructor in the Department of OB/GYN.

Dr. Davis developed and now leads SRM’s Fertility Preservation Program, a specialized approach that assists those who need assisted reproductive technology to efficiently delay family building.

Sometimes it’s a question of timing. For example, those born with testicles do not begin producing sperm until puberty (a process known as spermatogenesis). So if an individual with testes chooses to go on gender-affirming puberty blockers, they may not yet produce sperm. While puberty blockers can prevent bodies from undergoing unwanted physical changes (development of facial hair, lower voice, etc.), it may also mean little or no sperm to freeze for fertility preservation. 

For those who have undergone natal puberty, it is possible to interrupt gender-affirming hormones in an attempt to resume spermatogenesis and freeze sperm for later use. However, there is a chance the process may not result in viable sperm. The experience coming off gender-affirming hormones also needs to be considered; for some, it can be a distressing, dysphoric experience. 

Options for those with ovaries are also dependent on puberty and stage of gender-affirming treatment. Dr. Davis discusses the options for ovary stimulation, egg retrieval, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and all the nuanced considerations along the way.

Be sure to tune in for this important and fascinating conversation. 

 You can learn more about Dr. Lynn Davis and reproductive endocrinology at www.seattlefertility.com. 

You can also find Anne and Ruby there. Hear more episodes of The Whole Pineapple at thewholepineapple.com.