Fertility decline often begins earlier than people realize, and the path to evaluation and treatment can feel isolating without the right support. Host Rashmi Kanwal sits down with Dr. April Batcheller, a reproductive endocrinologist, and Rosie Nestingen, founder of Rebloom Health, to talk about what fertility care actually looks like and what is often missing from it. This conversation matters because the earlier patients understand their own bodies and options, the more agency they have when timing and decisions become urgent.

TOP LEARNINGS

* Why fertility starts to decline noticeably in the early thirties and more rapidly after age 35.

* How conditions like PCOS and endometriosis often go undiagnosed for years and quietly affect fertility.

* What a first fertility evaluation actually includes, from medical and family history to a hormone panel, an ultrasound of the ovaries and uterus, and a semen analysis for couples.

* Why Dr. Batcheller wishes she could meet her patients five years before they end up in her office.

* The traditional guideline for seeing a fertility specialist: one year of trying without success if you are under 35, and six months if you are over 35.

* The signs that should push someone to seek help sooner, including irregular cycles, known endometriosis, PCOS, a history of pelvic surgery, or a personal sense that something is off.

* Why the medical side of fertility treatment is often strong while the emotional and community support around it is missing.

* How Rebloom Health pairs people going through fertility treatment with peers who have been through similar experiences.

* The difference between peer support, therapy, and medical advice, and why each has its own role.

* Why peer support is most useful in the middle of figuring things out, not only after something has gone wrong.

* How clinical care and human support need to work together for patients to feel less alone in fertility treatment.

FEATURED GUESTS

* Dr. April Batcheller -- reproductive endocrinologist who evaluates and treats patients navigating fertility challenges and emphasizes earlier conversations about hormones, cycles, and underlying conditions.

* Rosie Nestingen -- founder of Rebloom Health, a peer support network for people navigating fertility, which she built after going through three years of her own fertility treatment.

HOSTED BY

* Rashmi Kanwal

CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS

* Rosie Nestingen: https://www.rebloomhealth.com

RESOURCES

Peer Support Community

* Rebloom Health free community: https://www.rebloomhealth.com

#PatientInnovations #RebloomHealth #Fertility #FertilityAwareness #ReproductiveHealth #PCOS #Endometriosis #WomensHealth #PeerSupport #HealthcareInnovation #PatientExperience

In this episode of Patient Innovations, Rashmi and Colleen explore one of the most complex and often misunderstood areas of healthcare: rare disease. While each condition may be considered uncommon, the lived experience is anything but rare for those affected. For many patients, it means navigating daily uncertainty, evolving symptoms, and a long and often frustrating search for answers.

This conversation brings rare disease into focus through lived experience, clinical reality, and emerging innovation—highlighting both the gaps in today’s system and the opportunities ahead.

We hear from three powerful perspectives:

Christine Von Raesfeld, rare disease patient advocate working at the intersection of patient experience, AI, and digital health, shares her personal journey navigating complex, overlapping conditions. She reflects on the emotional and physical toll of living without clear answers, and how that experience has shaped her work in advancing patient-centered data use, privacy, and engagement.

Dr. Nancy Cuan, internal medicine physician at Stanford, offers the clinical lens on caring for patients with complex, multi-system conditions. She speaks to the challenges of diagnosis when symptoms don’t fit neatly into traditional pathways, and how care models are evolving to better support patients living with uncertainty.

Pete Kane, innovator in precision medicine and multi-omics, brings a forward-looking perspective on how advances in biological data and technology are beginning to uncover patterns that traditional diagnostics often miss—opening the door to more personalized, precise care for rare and complex conditions.

Together, this episode explores rare disease through the lenses of the patient, the clinician, and the innovator—connecting lived experience, clinical complexity, and the future of what’s possible in healthcare.

#PatientInnovations #RareDisease #CancerAwareness #PatientVoices #HealthcareInnovation #EarlyDetection #HealthEquity #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareMN