Ep 61: Fertility headlines that made us go WTF

It’s been a couple of weeks since our last proper catch-up, and woah! So many fertility news headlines.

Kayti shares highlights from a whirlwind family trip, her move into a new home, and the chaos of unpacking (or... not unpacking). And we dive into what they’ve been seeing in women’s health and fertility news, including IVF policy debates, teen pregnancy prevention funding cuts and why that’s critical for fertility education, testosterone screenings and menopause care, and a promising new swab test that could make diagnosing endometriosis much easier.

We wander from infertility advocacy to climate change, shark sightings, ADHD vs. luteal phase energy, why both of us use home projects as emotional coping mechanisms, and back to fertility advocacy. We also tease at what’s upcoming.

Thanks for joining the chaotic energy!

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Tempdrop, a wearable fertility tracker that collects overnight temperature data to help identify ovulation and cycle patterns, even with irregular cycles.

Use code AFFRIEDEGGS for 10% off your own wearable BBT device and a two-month premium app trial at http://www.tempdrop.com/discount/AFFRIEDEGGSPOD

Fact Check

Teen pregnancy prevention program cuts: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) canceled 53 out of 67 grants totaling roughly $68 million under the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP) in June 2026 in order to promote “conservative-leaning priorities, specifically emphasizing abstinence-only education and marriage.” Source: NPR and NYT

Britain’s NHS Endometriosis saliva test, “Endotest”: New research into less-invasive testing for endometriosis could help women get diagnoses sooner. The average time to diagnosis is 7-10 years from symptom onset, and with endo impacting as many as 25-50% of women with infertility, we hope faster diagnosis means faster treatment. Source: BBC and World Health Organization: Endometriosis

United States’ DOD policy introducing mandatory testosterone screening for servicemen and women, and “optional” treatment for “low” testosterone. This news was particularly surprising since at the same time, women continue the uphill climb to get much-needed, evidence-backed HRT support during perimenopause and menopause, and gender affirming care for trans people continues to be under attack. Side note: for those of us worried about infertility — testosterone supplementation is a preventable cause of male factor infertility. Sources: PBS, New York Times, NIH and PubMed

Correction: More great whites in our SoCal oceans may be a good sign that Southern California’s coastline is healing from years of DDT contaminants. Source: LA Times