Everything You Were Never Taught About Fertility ft. Dr. Lucky Sekhon

Most of us spend our teens and 20s trying not to get pregnant and our 30s and 40s desperately trying to. But no one ever taught us how any of this actually works.

In this episode, Mary Alice Haney and Dr. Aliabadi sit down with Dr. Lucky Sekhon, New York City-based reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert and author of The Lucky Egg, for one of the most comprehensive conversations on fertility we've ever had. Whether you're trying to conceive, thinking about egg freezing, navigating a diagnosis like PCOS or endometriosis, or simply want to understand your own body this episode is for you.

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What You'll Learn

• Why human reproduction is naturally inefficient even when everything is working
• What ovarian reserve actually tells you (and what it doesn't)
• Why egg quality matters more than egg quantity
• When fertility actually starts to decline (and why 35 isn't a cliff)
• What you can and can't control about your egg quality
• How PCOS, endometriosis, and insulin resistance silently affect fertility
• Why every woman in her 20s should get a baseline pelvic ultrasound
• The full fertility workup explained: ultrasound, AMH, hormone panel, tube test, and sperm analysis
• When to track ovulation, when to seek help, and when to skip straight to IVF
• The difference between IUI ("speed dating for the reproductive tract") and IVF
• How embryo genetic testing has revolutionized success rates
• Egg freezing vs. embryo freezing and the real tradeoffs of each
• The truth about autoimmune conditions and infertility
• Why men have a biological clock too and why sperm freezing is underrated
• Myth-busting on IVF and cancer, bed rest, birth control, and "using up your eggs"

Key Timestamps

00:00 Meet Dr. Lucky & The Lucky Egg

07:14 Why Human Reproduction Is Inefficient By Design

09:48 You're Born With All Your Eggs: The Basics

14:03 When Does Fertility Actually Start to Decline?

15:45 Can You Protect Your Egg Quality?

19:09 PCOS, Insulin Resistance & Fertility

22:29 Why PCOS & Endometriosis Get Missed So Often

29:47 Why Every Woman Needs a Baseline Pelvic Ultrasound

32:22 The Four Components of Getting Pregnant

41:56 How to Track Ovulation the Right Way

47:55 IUI vs. IVF: When to Move On

59:15 Egg Freezing vs. Embryo Freezing: The Real Difference

1:04:47 Does IVF Cause Cancer? Myth Busted

1:11:03 Men Have a Biological Clock Too

1:13:42 Does Birth Control Cause Infertility? Myth Busted

1:16:47 Where to Find Dr. Lucky & The Lucky Egg

Key Takeaways

• Fertility is on a continuum, not a cliff at 35
• Egg quality matters more than egg quantity
• Human reproduction is naturally inefficient, persistence is part of the design
• PCOS, endometriosis & insulin resistance are the most-missed causes of infertility
• Every woman in her 20s should know her baseline pelvic anatomy
• Standard of care is often the bare minimum, not the gold standard
• Sperm testing is cheap, easy, and skipped far too often
• "Unexplained infertility" usually has an explanation
• 50% of fertility cases involve a male factor
• Track ovulation from the start, don't wait six months to learn your cycle
• IVF does not cause cancer or use up your eggs
• Egg freezing preserves potential, embryo freezing preserves certainty
• Men have a biological clock too, just a different one
• Information is the most underrated fertility tool a woman has

Guest Bio

Dr. Lucky Sekhon is a New York City-based reproductive endocrinologist, board-certified OB/GYN, and one of the most followed fertility experts on social media. Over the course of her career, she has helped thousands of patients build families through IVF, IUI, and egg freezing, and counseled many more through the realities of PCOS, endometriosis, recurrent loss, and unexplained infertility. Frustrated by the fragmented nature of online fertility education and the persistent knowledge gap she saw in her own consult room, Dr. Lucky wrote The Lucky Egg, a comprehensive guide that distills the science of fertility into accessible, actionable information for every stage of the journey. Her book and her widely read blog at theluckyegg.com offer interactive tools, including an egg freezing calculator and an AMH calculator, to help women understand where they stand and make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

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