Dr. Bendikson is an OB/GYN and a nationally recognized leader in the fertility field. She has gone through fertility testing herself and now counsels clients about family planning decisions like egg freezing and other fertility treatment options. This conversation demystifies the scary and overwhelming aspects of egg freezing and fertility testing. We talk about all the things - fertility age ranges, the quality and number of your eggs, and the technology behind testing. Join us as we talk about how we can become more educated and proactive with our fertility and family planning!   IN THIS EPISODE:   [03:56] About Dr. Bendikson and her passion for fertility awareness. [07:11] The intersection of fertility and culture and navigating difficult conversations around fertility testing. [13:48] The egg freezing process explained and answers to common questions. [27:11] Technological improvements in egg freezing and the difference of embryo freezing.  [33:00] Clarifying what fertility testing means for family planning.  [39:29] Dr. Bendikson’s own experience with fertility testing and making decisions based on outliers.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   Women in their twenties are encouraged to start thinking about their long-term family planning goals. You don’t have to make any decisions but it’s helpful to consider fertility testing as a way to learn and understand what your options are as you think about having kids in the future.  In the last 15 years, there have been advancements that have made the egg freezing experience easier. Improvements to medications have decreased the length of time that women experience being uncomfortable and it’s also limited the amount of days of taking shots. You can’t change the number or quality of your eggs. However, the number thing you can do is choose to freeze your eggs earlier rather than later. If you freeze your eggs in your late 20s and then wait to get pregnant in your late 30s, your chances of getting pregnant are that of your late 20 year old self - so that’s really important to remember.    Resources:   https://kindbody.com/    Dr. Bendikson Website   https://instagram.com/drkristinbendikson   https://instagram.com/kindbody    BIO:   Dr. Bendikson did her residency training in OB/GYN at Harvard and completed her reproductive endocrine and infertility fellowship training at Cornell. She is a California native, having graduated from UCLA with honors. After first leaving Los Angeles for NYU Medical School, she finally returned after training to become an assistant professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine.   Dr. Bendikson was a leader at USC Fertility for over a decade. Dr. Bendikson founded the Center for Pregnancy Loss for patients who have suffered from pregnancy loss and miscarriage. Dr. Bendikson also founded the Fertility Diagnostics Program at USC, to provide a way for young adults to better understand their reproductive potential to help them make educated choices for their future.   She is a nationally recognized leader in the fertility field. She has been the Chair of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) Patient Education Committee since 2016 and serves as a member of the ASRM Practice Committee. She is on the board of the ASRM Early Pregnancy Loss Special Interest group and served as President in 2020. She has been recognized for many years as one of LA’s Top Doctors by Los Angeles Magazine.