Building your family

When Dana and Ben received a diagnosis of zero sperm count they had no idea what came next. Donor sperm? Adoption? And how do you make that decision together as a couple when everything feels impossible?

In this episode of the Building Your Family podcast, Lisa Schuman LCSW sits down with Dana and Ben to talk about their journey through male infertility. They cover the diagnosis, the emotions, the decision to use donor sperm, the p...

Could you have PMOS and not know it? For many women the answer is yes, and the wait for a proper diagnosis can take up to ten years.

In this episode of the Building Your Family podcast, Lisa Schuman, LCSW talks with Dr. Elizabeth Gardner about PMOS, formerly known as PCOS, a complex hormonal disorder that affects millions of women and goes far beyond fertility.

What you will learn in this episode:

What PMOS actually is, and why it ...

Talking to your child about donor conception can feel terrifying. What do you say? When do you say it? And how do you do it without creating shame or confusion?

In this episode, reproductive therapist Lisa Schuman, LCSW, shares her Zoom Out Theory for talking to donor‑conceived children about their story. Instead of getting stuck in today’s anxiety, Lisa helps you think about your child’s long‑term emotional health and ...

If you’re doing IVF or thinking about it, will more technology in the lab actually be better than a human embryologist handling your eggs and embryos – and what do two new breakthroughs mean for your chances?

In this episode of Building Your Family, I’m joined by Dr Richard Paulson, former president of ASRM and early IVF pioneer, to unpack what’s really happening behind the lab door: automation, AI, robotics...

If you’re considering donor conception and feel like you “can’t see the forest for the trees,” this is your zoom‑out episode. Before you choose a donor, sign with a clinic, or pay an agency, you need the big picture.

In this video, we step back from the overwhelm and walk through the full donor conception landscape: • How your decisions affect your child long‑term (identity, mental health, relationships) • C...

Are your tampons quietly exposing you to toxic metals and chemicals that could affect your hormones and fertility? In this episode of Building Your Family, Dr. Nancy Reame breaks down what the FDA has (and hasn’t) done on tampon safety since 2005 and how that compares to Europe. We cover the real story behind tampon safety, Toxic Shock Syndrome, and what the science actually says about toxins in period products. You’ll ...

Your clinic and agency help you with the medical and legal parts of surrogacy. But who helps you zoom out and see the bigger picture for you, your surrogate, and your future child?

In this Zoom Out Theory episode, reproductive therapist Lisa Schuman, LCSW, talks about how to step back from the day‑to‑day stress of surrogacy so you can make clearer decisions and set your journey up for long‑term success. We explore how most surrogat...

“No normal embryos” doesn’t always mean the end. Lisa talks with Dr. Norbert Gleicher and Dr. David Barad from the Center for Human Reproduction about IVF for tough cases, especially older patients. They discuss PGTA, aneuploid and mosaic embryos, immunology, inflammation, and why individualized, evidence‑based treatment can open options many patients don’t realize they have.

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In this first episode of the Zoom Out series, reproductive therapist, researcher, and author Lisa Schuman, LCSW unpacks the most important question almost no one asks about egg freezing.

Lisa explains why “How many eggs can I freeze?” is only part of the story, and why you also need to understand how many cycles and eggs you’re likely to need for the kind of family you actually want in the future. She introduces h...

In this episode of Building Your Family, Lisa Schuman, LCSW sits down with Dr. Jessica Gray, a physician who has lived through infertility, miscarriage, and the intense pressures of medical training on her way to motherhood.

Jessica shares how a stressful childhood shaped her resilience, what it was like to face endometriosis and IVF as both a doctor and a patient, and how she coped when a long‑hoped‑for pregnancy ended in miscarri...

If you’re single or in a relationship that isn’t working and you’re quietly Googling “single motherhood by choice,” this episode is for you. In this conversation with SMBC fertility doctor Alexis Melnick, MD, we walk through 5 clear steps to help you decide before your back is against the wall.

We cover both paths: staying on the relationship track and exploring single motherhood by choice on your own ...

In honor of Pride, this episode is a love letter to queer family building.

I’ve pulled my favorite moments from conversations with LGBTQ+ parents, a fertility doctor, a midwife, a donor‑conceived person, and queer influencers who’ve built their families through donor conception and surrogacy. Together, they share how they answer intrusive questions, how they talk to their kids about donors and surrogates, and how they&r...

Re-released for Pride 2026 — In loving memory of Bret Hanna-Shuford (1979–2026)

In this beloved episode, I sit down with Bret Shuford and Stephen Hanna — the Broadway Dads — to talk about one of the most heartfelt and hard-won family-building journeys I’ve ever witnessed. Together, these two Broadway performers navigated egg donation, surrogacy, financial challenges, a lost match, a miscarriage, and a ...

What does it really look like to build a queer family today – with donor conception, infertility, and non‑biological parenting in the mix?

In this episode of Building Your Family, Lisa sits down with long‑time queer family advocate and podcast host of the Queer Family Podcast, Jaimie Kelton to talk honestly about infertility, the emotional weight of genetics, and the many paths LGBTQ+ families take to build their families. Th...

Re-released for Pride 2026 — Because this conversation never gets old

What does it actually feel like to need a donor to build your family? How do you choose the right one? What does the medical process look like — and what does the emotional process look like? In this rare co-author conversation, I put these questions to Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder and Medical Director of Illume Fertility and Gay Parents To Be — ...

She was only 25 and already knew something was wrong. If you have one child and are secretly struggling to have another, this episode is for you. Margarita’s story of secondary infertility and PCOS shows what happens when “just keep trying” isn’t good enough.

In this episode of Building Your Family, Lisa Schuman sits down with Margarita Lainez to talk about the often overlooked reality of secondary infertili...

If you’ve been told “this is just your protocol,” “we’ll just try again,” or “everything looks fine” while IVF keeps failing, this episode is for you. Standard IVF works for many people, but not for everyone. So what happens when you don’t fit the usual box?

In this conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Pietro Bortoletto, reproductive endocrinologist at Terra Fertility. He train...

Unexplained infertility. Failed cycles. Constant “what ifs” about plastics, products, and the environments we live in.

We’re surrounded by headlines about “toxins” and especially worried about how they might affect fertility, but almost no one teaches us how to think clearly about any of it. In this episode, Lisa Schuman, LCSW, talks with Dr. John Warner, a founder of Green Chemistry, about how everyda...

If you’re building your family through donor conception and one of you is not genetically related to your child, this episode is for you.

Lisa Schuman, LCSW, unpacks the real emotional challenges non-genetically related parents face: jealousy, insecurity, fear of being “less than,” and the quiet worry about connection and bonding. She walks you through five key suggestions for navigating these feelings together, s...