Pre-Game: What to Consider Before Deciding to Have a Baby

EPISODE 1 — Whether you want to have a baby, are committed to living childfree, or are sitting firmly on the fence, deciding whether to grow a family is one of the biggest choices you'll ever make. In this Season 2 opener of The Women's Health Playbook, host Priya Bathija kicks off our step-by-step pregnancy guide by tackling "The Pregame Decision." Priya is joined by Dr. Asima Ahmad, a triple board-certified physician in OB/GYN, reproductive endocrinology/infertility, and obesity medicine – as well as the chief medical officer at Carrot Fertility. Together, they break down the biological clock, fertility preservation options, out-of-pocket costs, and the essential blood tests every woman should ask for… long before she is ready to conceive.

In this episode, we walk you through these key topics:

• Holistic Reproductive Health: Why fertility and hormonal health are part of one continuous story, rather than fragmented, isolated stages of healthcare.
• The Biological Clock Unfiltered: The clinical difference between egg quantity and egg quality, plus why ovaries and the uterus age at completely different rates.
• Fertility Diagnostics to Ask For: How an anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) blood test evaluates your ovarian reserve, and why a semen analysis serves as a vital overall health biomarker for men.
• Fertility Preservation & Costs: Breaking down the financial realities of fertility preservation and how to navigate employer benefit mandates.
• Medical Reasons for Preservation: How cancer treatments, surgeries, such as like appendectomies, or autoimmune conditions can impact fertility and warrant proactive planning.

Explore more episodes and get the full breakdown including show notes, tactics, resources, and complete transcript at womenshealthplaybook.com.