BioNews Review: The Golden Egg

I was asked by BioNews - the flagship publication from the Progress Education Trust (PET) - to review The Golden Egg, a podcast which looks at ProFaM , the controversial new venture that offers ovarian tissue freezing to postpone the menopause. It asks the question: how did we end up here? It examines the pushing of boundaries between scientific advances and the ethical questions they raise, and the redefining of boundaries of who can procreate and how.

Moreover, it observes that amongst all this boundary-pushing, a lot of people made a lot of money: from the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first baby born through IVF, in 1978 to a global industry expected to be worth $40bn by 2027.

It’s a really thought-provoking listen, and I’m delighted to have got the opportunity to express some frank and honest views in my review - from IVF add-ons to fertility MOTs and egg freezing, to the medicalisation of women’s bodies to fix societal problems (and lots of men getting very rich off the back of this).

Read the review

BioNews: Podcast Review - The Golden Egg

Listen to the podcast

You can listen for free online, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify.

More from this series

This podcast is part of Tortoise Media's Big Egg' series, a really brilliant investigation into the dark side of the fertility industry (full disclosure: I was interviewed for Egged On, a piece all about IVF add-on treatments). Tortoise is members-only, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial for access.

Tough Love: How to Survive and Thrive with medical infertility

I had the honour of being interviewed by my dear friend Federica Leonardis, who has started a new podcast called Tough Love, where she brings together stories that tell people that life after trauma is possible.

Whether that’s as a victim of circumstances or of the malice of others, this podcast explores how you can still have a marvellous life:

Have you ever wondered how, after tragedy hits, some people are able to move forward and thrive? In each episode of Tough Love, I'll interview a guest who has been through a traumatic experience such as medical infertility, divorce, abuse, the loss of a spouse, addiction, anorexia, a cancer diagnosis, a prison sentence. I will listen to their story and ask questions. I'll concentrate on the strategies and the daily habits they implemented that helped them rebuild their life and move beyond trauma. Tough Love celebrates human resilience, the amazing strength people display every day to live through what life has put in their path and move forward with courage and integrity.

How do you come to terms with the loss of something you never had? In this episode, we spoke about my journey through infertility and pregnancy loss, about the tyranny of hope, the healing power of dark humour and why sometimes hell really is other, well-meaning, people.

You can listen to the show online, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts - and do check out the other episodes for some incredible insights into a wide range of devastating and challenging life experiences.

Period Story Podcast: I Really Wish I Had Paid More Attention To My Cycles When I Was Younger

Listen to "Katy Lindemann: I Really Wish I Had Paid More Attention To My Cycles When I Was Younger" on Spreaker.

“Period Story is a podcast where in each episode, I sit down with a guest to talk about their period story, we get behind some of the myths and misconceptions about periods, and so much more.

Each episode features a notable and interesting person talking about their first period, the way they learned about periods and menstrual health, what they know now that they wish they knew back then and everything in between.”

— Period Story Podcast

Thank you to Le’Nise Brothers for inviting me onto Period Story Podcast; a fantastic podcast that does exactly what it says on the tin - really important conversations that take on taboos around menstruation:

Katy shared her journey through infertility and pregnancy loss, what she learned about her body, her inspiration for Uber Barrens Club and of course, the story of her first period.

Katy talks about reading the fabulous Judy Bloom book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret? as a period rite of passage. She also shares the moment at the school gate that prompted her mum to make sure she understood the birds and bees 😄

Katy says that she went on the pill because she wanted to control her period and talks about what prompted her to eventually come off the pill and get diagnosed with lean PCOS.

We had a very candid discussion about what this diagnosis meant for her fertility journey at the time, what happened next and why Katy wishes she had paid more attention to her menstrual cycles when she was younger.

Katy says that she started Uber Barrens Club because she only ever saw one narrative of infertility, after people have been successful. She says that she wanted to write a different story and take back the word barren, reclaim it and make this silent sisterhood more visible.

Katy says that you don’t have to do this alone. She believes we should reach out, read up, learn about our bodies and not be afraid to ask questions. I love that!

For more info & a transcript of our conversation check out Period Story Podcast

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The Fertility Forum @ RCOG

On 30th March I was delighted to attend the Fertility Forum, an event hosted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in collaboration with the British Fertility Society and the HFEA, to bring the public and fertility professions together for a day of talks, seminars and discussions for anyone affected by fertility issues. The sessions covered a broad range of topics in a non-commercial setting - the focus was on providing accurate, evidence-based and unbiased information, where no one was trying to sell you anything.

You can watch videos of the presentations from the day here on the new RCOG Fertility Hub

Confusing fertility advice

I was delighted to work with the RCOG press office to support the release of their latest research, which highlights the extent to which confusing and contradictory fertility advice is sparking unnecessary worry among UK women - and was picked up by media outlets including Huffington Post:

The Fertility Podcast

On the day itself I took up the mic as a roving reporter for The Fertility Podcast, to ask some of the speakers to bust some fertility myths.

You can listen to the podcast here, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Acast

And there are full details of the show notes here: The Fertility Podcast: Myth Busting at the RCOG Fertility Forum

My interview on Big Fat Negative podcast

I was so thrilled to have been invited on to the bloody amazing Big Fat Negative podcast to wang on about all things infertility related - I had an absolutely blast with hosts Emma & Gabby, thanks for having me on guys! (Warning - lots of swears. Soz)

For anyone who’s not already familiar with this fabulous podcast, Big Fat Negative is the podcast about IVF, infertility and the trials of trying for a baby. It’s very funny, very moving, very insightful, and (especially when I’m on) extra sweary.

We chatted about the many twists and turns of my IVF journey, baby loss and how I got through it all because of the amazing community of like-minded people who supported her.

Listen online here, or check out on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts