This week Dr. Erica is joined by Dr. Annahieta Kalantari ("Dr. AK"), a double board-certified emergency medicine and lifestyle medicine physician and founder of Whole Human Health and Well-Being. After years of climbing the academic ladder — vice chair of education, a near-offer as DIO — Dr. AK had a wake-up call that led her to walk away from the path she'd spent her career building and reinvent her practice entirely.

This conversation is about identity beyond the white coat, the courage it takes to let go of a role you've outgrown, and why small, sustainable changes (not overhauls) move the needle on health and fertility alike.

In this episode:

• Dr. AK's path from ER residency to vice chair of education to founding her own practice
• The family Google Calendar moment that became her wake-up call
• Mourning the loss of a professional identity you spent years building
• Finding the common thread (educator) that carried her from academic medicine to lifestyle medicine
• Why "I am resourceful" is a mindset that applies far beyond career pivots — including the fertility journey
• The six pillars of lifestyle medicine and how they intersect with fertility and stress
• The Kaizen effect: why small, cumulative tweaks beat all-or-nothing overhauls
• Reframing infertility as a question of aligning many small vectors, not one giant fix
• Why physicians especially struggle to prioritize themselves — and what it takes to change that

Where to find Dr. AK:

• Website: thewholehumanhealthandwellbeing.com
• Blog: From Dr. AK's Desk
• Podcast: No Filter Doctor (available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon)

Support the show

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

https://www.loveandsciencefertility.com/private-fertility-consult

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Choosing the next step in your fertility journey can feel overwhelming — IUI or IVF? Wait or escalate? Dr. Erica breaks down the exact framework she uses with her patients and clients to cut through analysis paralysis and make evidence-based, values-aligned decisions about treatment.

In this episode:

• Why every treatment plan has to start with your desired family size — and why this question gets skipped so often
• The history that actually matters: how long you've truly had sperm-and-egg exposure (not just "trying")
• Red flags that move IVF up the timeline: tubal disease risk factors, genetic conditions, and more
• Why the difference in success rates between trying 6 months vs. 12 months under 35 is smaller than you'd think
• The “two to three follicles” rule for IUI cycles for unexplained infertility or endometriosis — and why hitting that goal can take you from under 5% to 10–15% success per month
• Letrozole vs. Clomid: side effects, success rates, and why letrozole is often the better first choice
• "Hybrid therapy": using a baby dose of FSH with letrozole in women in their late 30s — the physiology behind why it works
• When IVF makes sense from the start: large desired family size, genetic risk, tubal factor, or PGT-M/PGT-SR indications
• Why "less is more" isn't always wrong, even when IVF feels like the safer bet
• Reframing scarcity mindset around embryo numbers and aneuploidy risk

Support the show

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

https://www.loveandsciencefertility.com/private-fertility-consult

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Father's Day can hit differently when you're in the middle of a fertility journey. Whether you're navigating it as a couple, as a male partner who is secretly dreading the weekend, or as someone supporting a loved one through it — this episode is for you.

Dr. Erica covers why these "softer holidays" can feel like salt in the wound, why men in particular are often left without language or permission to process grief on the fertility journey, and how couples can use this moment as an unexpected doorway back to each other.

In this episode:

• Why Father's Day (and Mother's Day) hit so hard on the fertility journey — and why that makes complete sense
• The emotional burden men carry as "protectors" and why giving them permission to feel is good for everyone
• The serenity prayer reframe: what you can control, what you can't, and why knowing the difference matters
• A communication framework for sharing feelings and needs — especially when you and your partner are on different pages
• How to use curiosity ("what is it like to be you right now?") to reconnect with your partner
• Tips for supporting a loved one through this weekend — including one thing to absolutely not do
• Five tools (plus a bonus) for getting through Father's Day with more grace and agency:
  • Trigger prevention and real-time management
  • Honoring all of your feelings — including the ones that coexist
  • Knowing your village before you need them
  • Boundaries and permission to leave situations which are causing pain
  • Intention setting before you walk in the door
  • Trusting the process and finding your reasons for authentic hope

Support the show

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

https://www.loveandsciencefertility.com/private-fertility-consult

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove