Navigating Societal Pressures on Career Fertility Timelines

why are we not testing early on why is it that smart educated woman in their

0:08

mid-30s just discover how their ovaries work it's really shocking somehow

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fertility is still taboo or but nobody is telling us to test it's just a simple

0:21

blood test we're making it now convenient and affordable but why is it that I never checked my

0:29

amage before [Music]

0:41

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I'm so excited to welcome our next guest to quiet the clock toia

1:28

welcome thank you so much Beth for having me I'm very excited to be here for having that conversation yes me as

1:35

well um so I've done a little research on you in preparation for this podcast and so many exciting things to talk

1:42

about before we jump into the amazing company that you started in your own egg freezing journey I want you to share

1:48

more about yourself and your career because a lot of what we talk about on here is just dismantling societal Norms

1:55

societal expectations societal timelines and from what I know of you little I

2:01

know of you is that you were in Investment Banking in the tech space but you always had an entrepreneurial spirit

2:08

so I'd love for you to share about that that Journey for you okay so yeah I started my my my car

2:16

in banking actually I lived in New York for a couple of years um but uh very

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early on I realized that was not really align with what I wanted to really do

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just having an impact on on people's lives and and a positive impact so I

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took a break went to do my MBA and after the MBA and I knew that I wanted to be

2:40

in the tech space not quite sure about um what sector um joined like an

2:47

exciting us startup in France and then another startup in the UAE focused on on

2:54

on the payment uh industry and that's also at that time

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where my own fertility journey unfolded and my personal struggle led me

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to believe that so much more could be done um in the women's health um

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industry using digital tool Innovations to really bring a different experience

3:21

to women like myself struggling with fertility and and hormonal Health yeah I

3:27

do want to get into your fertility story but as you're were navigating your career were there some narratives that

3:32

came up about you know you know it sounds like you were looking for something that was

3:37

fulfilling and it sounds like Investment Banking wasn't it was there some narratives around what it would mean to

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leave Investment Banking what it would mean to maybe leave leave this sort of like Vision that we were told we were

3:49

supposed to have did you have any narratives around that because I think it can be hard for women and that's my

3:55

own journey is I found myself in finance and I was like this is not it but now I'm 22 23 years old and I don't know

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what it is yeah um so I was more the corporate

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banking side to to be um transparent on that but um it's also like a a male

4:17

dominant industry and um I was young um and a lot

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of the times I didn't feel like I had a say in the discussion like I I was

4:30

Junior I was here to like support uh the senior um Executives in the deals and

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very often they were um male Executives and you get intimidated very easily um

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so it's also something that I experienced myself um at the beginning of my of my career that um you need to

4:53

really try to fit and very often you almost erase yourself your opinion your

5:00

voice um and you will just go with uh whatever the most senior people will say

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um and after a while yeah you're right it it doesn't fulfill you anymore you learn which is great and I wouldn't um I

5:16

wouldn't change anything about those early years but it was not a place where

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I feel like my own personality identity also as a woman would be her

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and would be part of the transformation for example of the of the banking sectors it's it's very standardized and

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they are a lot of processes and we all need to abide by those processes so

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didn't feel the right place for me to explore be creative try to problem solve

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it felt a lot like executing things um and yeah couldn't continue on that path

5:56

too long yeah yeah and I think I love what you said too about you wouldn't

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change it because often we have these narratives about wasting time on things

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but I love that perspective of I think everything is valuable and everybody everything has its meaning and

6:13

everything has something to teach us I mean you know the podcast is called quiet the clock because we have sort of

6:19

these Frameworks around time and that one comes up a lot so I love that you say you wouldn't change it I think

6:26

that's an amazing perspective yeah like somehow um it led

6:31

me where I am today which is definitely for me the right place and there are still things from those early years that

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I've learned that I'm using so I wouldn't disregard that at all um I

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would just wish that um I took things and my career and my

6:50

journey in my own hands like sooner than I did to me a bit longer to like okay

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that's not for me uh because you know like um you are one of these person that goes

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to that big Bank every day and it's also a privilege to be part of those

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organizations not everybody makes it and you need you feel somehow guilty to just

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walk away it's like good money good perspective and yes and to do something

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that's really uncertain unstable uh so it's difficult to just

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say no um so I wish I did it sooner but again it led me where I am today so I'm

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I'm grateful for that yeah and I think a lot of women or people could relate to what you're saying I think there is a

7:42

lot of fear around uncertainty and fear is sort of the thing that can hold us back and yeah I I as my work in my work

7:50

as a therapist I see that so much you know that we know that there is so much more but there is that fear to go for it

7:56

so I think it is very brave I want to honor that you did go for and I love sharing these stories and putting these

8:02

stories out there because it's it's possible and I think the fear makes us think sometimes that it's not

8:09

possible so yeah I think I realized that talking to more women entrepreneurs

8:15

nowadays that the the fear of failure is just horning us way more than um men

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like we feel like um we we we allowed only one chance we can not mess it up

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actually it's completely different failure is part of the journey but I

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think we feel guilty about failing professionally failing personally it it

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it all go down to the fact that we want to live up to certain expectations um

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try to be mothers wives uh successful professionals and we don't give um Grace

8:57

to ourself for doing already so much uh in those different fields I know I know

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I I agree with you so much I think the the expectation of of us and all the

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hats we're supposed to wear is it's a lot of it's a lot of pressure and guilt

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is something that certainly comes up in those guilt or comparison or judgment

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yeah I think all those feelings feelings come up so yeah so you you have all these career moves and then you

9:30

find yourself in your own fertility journey I would love for you to start sharing about that and what that was

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like for you first thing it was unexpected so I

9:42

never put too much thought into this because I I thought that it

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motherhood conceiving would come when it comes and I was very much career focused

9:55

I lived in multiple countries um and yeah it came as a surprise because a

10:01

friend of mine dragged me to take um a test that I had never heard

10:07

about um and had yeah it didn't come from me and that's why I feel like

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community and um I would say other the woman are so important in that Journey

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um I had just moved to Dubai for a new role so definitely didn't have fertility

10:25

in my mind and what what that made your friend bring this up to you and how old were

10:32

you when she did I was 34 um still thought of myself as as

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young um so yeah I I think she took the

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test advised by um a doctor and her fertility came back extremely low so she

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wanted to alert me about um actually not knowing what's going on in our own budes

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the whole time with just navigating life being busy with other priorities and it

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hit me that again I didn't know anything and I didn't even know that test existed

11:10

in the first place so I wanted to know and um the the

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outcome was like actually at 34 you'd rather think about egg freezing they

11:25

recommend that you freeze your eggs before 35 so I was like okay that has become like pressing matter for me and a

11:32

stressful one um and something that was

11:38

a burden knowing that I just started a new job so it was a lot to take in at

11:43

the C something like you weren't even it wasn't even on your radar so yeah like

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you said unexpected and now it's Forefront it sounds pressing yeah because now that I can

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reflect back on my life actually it felt like this conversation never happened

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before whether with my family at school at work with friends again I have

12:09

friends getting pregnant but um it's not the same conversation when you're not trying to get pregnant you're trying to

12:17

think and plan about future family plans but if you're not trying to conceive

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actually it's a black box what can you do um how can you be proactive is just

12:31

not there we don't know we know that if you're trying to conceive you go to ugani go to fertility clinic um there is

12:38

IVF but um um being in my shoes it was like okay where do I start now that I

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know I need to freeze my eggs how can I get the help that I should have maybe gotten couple of years like before yeah

12:53

yeah yeah there's so much we don't yeah the Black Box I like how you said that there's so much we don't know I'm still

13:00

learning more as I'm doing this podcast as my fertility Journey continues there's so much it's shocking how how little I I

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have known and I hear that same sentiment for so many women like there is just this Gap in knowledge about our

13:14

fertility about our own bodies what did it feel like for you at 34 to now have

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this be this pressing matter like emotionally what was coming up for you what were some of the narratives you had

13:27

around you know embarking on this this fertility

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journey I think it hit me how lonely it is

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um again you have friends you have family but um the stress is on

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you um and again unlike struggling couples who have their

13:52

own mental struggle um they want to uh diminish

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that when you are single and you don't have any Prospect

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to get married or have a child in the next year or so um it becomes like a

14:10

very lonely Journey um something that you think about every day um and you

14:18

start also questioning yourself what are the choices that you made that you shouldn't have met it it goes so deeper

14:27

um beyond the medical realm uh it's one thing to understand that yeah egg freezing in your mid-30s

14:34

is your best chance but it makes you question everything career personal

14:41

decisions with uh ex-boyfriends um so it's

14:46

really um like taking a toll on your mental health um and the worst part I think for

14:55

me at least was starting a new job being on a probation you feel like you can't even like talk

15:02

about it and and and ask for help or because you would be seen as again that

15:09

person who just arrived and is already having that uncomfortable conversation

15:15

that nobody wants to have so yeah like the the the the struggle is real and is

15:23

multiple um and is also lonely so that's a lot so much so so much yeah there's so

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many layers to it and complexities to it that you have to navigate financially

15:37

physically emotion for myself I found the emotional toll really really hard

15:43

and same as you sort of this like assessment of Life of like why am I

15:48

here how did I end up here why do I have to be doing this and yeah can be really

15:54

really upsetting now did you know anyone else you're talking about the loneliness

16:00

of it which I agree with like did you know anyone else that had Frozen their eggs besides this friend that encouraged

16:08

you was she going to freeze her eggs yeah she was and I think that was the

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kind of support system that makes a big difference um because you can share like

16:21

again your struggle with that person um

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I still think that somehow you want to tell every woman

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what you find out about your health and and you feel like okay I'm I'm I'm just

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starting something that nobody wants to talk about so yes there are good friends

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um I spoke to my mom obviously um but there is also uh some I would say

16:52

misunderstanding even from your own family because it's so new to them like

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they had a different I would say approach to family back then and you're

17:04

not only educating yourself you educating your your family members for some of us who have

17:12

like Partners they like it's also conversation to have um so yeah you

17:20

start doing a lot of work actually when you start that Journey like there is the medical part but there is also the

17:25

social part how do you you feel also sometimes that for women or people who

17:33

didn't go through it that you have to justify and explain yourself you know what I'm not a failure um it's not that

17:41

I don't want to get married it's not that I'm not somebody who is just carry

17:46

hungry and and you almost need to explain yourself all the time and again

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I think we have amazing doctors here that um uh support us with the treatment with

17:59

the procedure and we also have other doctors who will tell you just go and

18:05

meet somebody as if it was just the solution to everything in our life and also again putting us in a place where

18:13

we need to be dependent on on on a man's help to fulfill that dream of becoming a

18:21

mother and it's all of these difficult conversations that you keep having every

18:26

time you mention that you're freezing your again to people who haven't been on

18:32

that path um but actually afterwards you realize that you doing like a lot of

18:39

education and and and people come around with the idea of like e freezing is

18:46

maybe the new way of approaching Family Planning and and it's liberating so it

18:54

starts from a difficult place but you come out with

18:59

um I think a sense of of Pride and of Freedom as well yeah I was going to ask

19:06

you that question how you well how I guess before we talk about how it felt when you were done how was the where did

19:12

you freeze your eggs did you freeze and do by and then what was like what was the whole process like for

19:19

you um so I did five round of freezing you did five rounds yeah over a period

19:26

of like a year and a half two years wow so four rounds in the UAE and one in

19:33

France and uh the round in France um came a bit later on during the journey

19:41

because For the Longest Time friends didn't allow social egg freezing so

19:47

women I know I know I read that I I think it was when in one of the Articles

19:52

you were featured and I I could until very recently France didn't allow yeah

19:58

yeah and when they opened that um possibility for woman there was like a two-year waiting

20:03

list oh my go wow what is that say so much right about the the desire to do

20:10

that wow yeah I think women just wanted the option and when the option existed

20:16

they just jamed on it and I did another four rounds in the UAE U because that's

20:22

where I live and again it's not an easy thing to just drop work go back home for

20:28

two weeks um and again the the experience is also

20:33

different um based on where you're from so yeah most of my ex raing Journey

20:41

happened in the UAE and it ALS smoke it also got me to understand the fertility

20:47

industry and space as a patient first before I even started over

20:53

like like walking that walk G me so much more understanding of the challenges the

21:01

hurdles uh the frictions that um prevent women from accessing fertility care yeah

21:08

what was the what would you say if any difference between the two places that you froze what was your experience like

21:15

in the UAE versus France in the UAE we used to

21:21

them uh I would say White Glove premium experience uh you have appointments

21:27

immediately they're very flexible um they they just the the

21:34

clinics are just nearby um and you feel like at least the logistic part of it is

21:44

is easier in France given the demand public

21:49

hospitals um you have to wake up at 4 a.m. uh drive across Paris uh have your

21:56

appointment at 6:00 a.m. in the morning um made weight there like you working on

22:03

your laptop at the same time it's just like um a little bit more complicated

22:09

but again also great doctors they all know what they do um also in terms of I

22:18

would say experimentation like you is a little bit

22:23

Bolder they would um try new techniques to improve the outcome of the egg

22:30

freezing uh cycle try to uh what I did is like PRP for ovaries

22:37

try to rejuvenate almost your ovaries uh to just yield the maximum

22:44

eggs and when you mention that to the French doctors they'll be like okay we

22:49

don't believe in that we have a stand out process there is less customization to you as a patient so

22:58

it's an opportunity to do it at a lower cost um but the experience is is

23:04

different as a patient yeah that's interesting to learn and one of the things that I had read too in in an

23:11

article again researching for today was that Global tourism fer fertility is up

23:18

like 30% so women are traveling to other countries to do this and I know some

23:23

women from the United States that have done in other countries and I think it's important to know what that experience

23:29

will be like in in other countries so what you're saying is like maybe the cost is different but

23:35

like the The Experience could be different and I and it's such a vulnerable and intimate experience I

23:42

think doing your research on where you're doing it is so important I I think that's why um as a

23:51

platform um for women uh we try to provide transparent

23:58

information reliable information um even for women who want to do their egg

24:04

collection in Europe beside that Journey here the testing um the clinical appointments we try really to uh provide

24:12

them with guidance because again you need to do your research but do you have

24:17

the time do you have access to Reliable information like the Google is just

24:24

crowded with so much that actually I realized like couple of years go that I was more confused after doing the

24:31

research yes than before so it it's it's

24:36

also about just um providing access to that information that women need to make

24:43

informed decisions about their health yeah and I like what you said too about just the overwhelm of it all and if

24:49

there is some way to Outsource that or have support in that right do we have

24:55

time to research do we have the emotional bandwidth to research do we know what we're looking at like to your

25:01

point like I've done I've gone down so many Google rabbit holes and one one link will say one thing one link will

25:08

say another so to have that platform so yeah let's talk about that so you've do

25:14

five rounds how did you feel did you know after that last round it was your last

25:21

round no I think I I never knew when I would consider my

25:28

fertility Journey or my exing journey has complete um the first round was um kind

25:35

of the unknown like um just very

25:40

difficult because didn't know if I could deal with injections would there be any side effect

25:48

um how many eggs would I got from that round um like I didn't know what to

25:54

expect it was like again jumping into the Anor um once done and and having that sense

26:03

of relief and also actually it was not that bad uh and it's all worth it like the

26:12

money the time um the injections all of

26:17

that for me was like actually I can do that again uh I just need to maybe be

26:25

more open with my employer and see I need this and that because I think the difficult part for me was to sneak out

26:31

from the office to go to my appointments and and make up those stories all the time so that was I I think

26:39

challenging but then I was kind of resolute I need to be in control I don't

26:44

like the fact I've waited so long to do something about it um and that moment is

26:52

like a kind of a an Awakening moment where actually I felt like a failure and

26:59

now I'm like okay what I'm doing is so good I don't depend on anybody um so

27:05

then I went back to back almost um again I had like the right do yeah

27:14

sorry to I'm just curious because I know the financial pieces is a lot will we talk on about on here too because that's

27:20

a big consideration was your company covering any of this cost or were you having to do it out of

27:26

pocket no that's the thing like um employers here don't typically cover it

27:33

we now with OSF we are working closely with them to introduce fertility

27:39

benefits I think that is one of probably the the biggest factor in in getting

27:49

women's fertility care insurance don't cover fertility because they very often

27:55

consider that fertility decline is n natural there is nothing wrong about it you should probably having kids in your

28:02

20s that's the mindset um so it was all out of pocket

28:07

again when you do multiple rounds you can have um kind of a discount on the

28:14

subsequent rounds but it it it all comes from you really um so it's something

28:20

that you need to think about um it's not it's a financial decision as well um but

28:26

to me I think I was willing to cut off on other things that I enjoyed because the peace of mind that

28:33

comes with this is priceless yeah yeah I had a difficult time making that I mean

28:39

there's again so many layers and all the things that goes into the decision and money being one of them and you know I

28:46

didn't have the money at the time there was no coverage for me either and that

28:51

was really difficult and I you know I opened a credit card I put on a credit card and one thing I same as you it's

28:57

like I wanted the piece mine I didn't want to look back and regret not making this choice but it it is a difficult

29:03

choice for so many reasons the uncertainty of you know putting all this money down even if you don't have it to

29:09

not know what you're you don't know what you're going to get when you go into it yeah I

29:16

think it's that's why when we're having those discussions with women um we don't

29:22

tell them that egg freezing is for everybody everybody has a unique situation comes from their own story

29:28

challenges I was lucky enough I met my co-founder he also helped me like just

29:34

sort out these rounds at the best cost and um so not everybody's in my shoes um

29:43

we're trying to bring Solutions like we offer like like installment plans again

29:49

based on eligibility and and all of that but trying to make it more sustainable

29:55

woman paying um the cost of the of the of the cycle over six months with no

30:02

interest like you know credit cards can be sometimes

30:07

tricky um so we're trying to do our best to increase access but again we also

30:16

tell women that down the line un successful IVF Cycles are even more

30:21

expensive so sometimes you feel like you can wait but the kind of cost that you

30:28

rack up when you're trying to have a child later in life Post

30:33

40 um and the outcome the positive outcome is less likely to happen then it

30:40

can add up very quickly um so we we're trying also to tell them that sometimes

30:45

investing now will make you save also later down the line yeah where along

30:52

your fertility Journey did you think about starting a company

31:01

um I think it was like probably six months into the journey but um it it

31:08

was gradual it didn't come as okay we're going to start something it came as this

31:15

is broken and that shouldn't be this way and it's the many conversations that I

31:20

was having with my co-founder ma um who told me that he has seen like

31:28

so many women like me coming a little bit too late and and trying to fix a

31:34

situation while they could have gotten a better outcome like maybe five years

31:41

before and those conversations I think both convinced us that the system is

31:46

reactive you go to the healthcare system when you have a problem and per a

31:52

million percent yeah yeah and they'll try to help again we we need the

31:59

fertility clinics like um to provide IVF treatment egg freezing but I think we

32:06

need also women to start thinking about that Journey when they still young and

32:12

healthy and when they go to the fertility clinic is with the approach of

32:19

I'm not in a bad place I have like a lot of eggs I'm still young I'm just here because I want to get the best outcome

32:25

in one two cycle Marx and and and be done with it and the best case scenario

32:31

I won't even need them I won't even use them uh so yeah the idea came as nobody

32:39

should realize um that they need to do something about their health when it's

32:45

too late yeah we had an amazing guest on Marsha inhorn she wrote a book called motherhood on ice and she did a huge

32:52

study uh on egg freezing and she found the average age that and all within I

32:57

believe all within the United States but she found the average age that women find themselves in a fertility clinic was

33:03

36.6 which is which is late yeah yeah yeah

33:10

like it's the thing is like the narrative is if you go to a fertility

33:16

clinic it's kind of a depressing uh move or and you failed uh

33:22

somehow and with trying to change that narrative actually you are in control

33:28

you you just not leaving the future to chance you just so that's the the the

33:35

the work that we do every day when we educate we raise awareness it's like okay when you come at 36 why not but

33:43

what if you had come earlier even when you were in a relationship it's not um a

33:49

decision that you should make because there is something wrong about your life yeah I'm curious yeah resonating very

33:56

much with everything you're saying I'm I'm curious for you as you're going through your journey you know we're talking about some of the here but what

34:02

are the big gaps that you saw what are the things that you saw that were broken

34:07

and as you're talking I think for me there is such a different sentiment

34:13

around freezing when you're 25 I think that's or 26 or 27 or 28 or maybe early

34:19

30s I think from that place you can feel empowered you can feel in control but I

34:25

think when you're getting to be 34 35 5 36 and for me I froze at 37 I didn't

34:31

feel any of those things I felt sad I felt like I failed I felt like I'm never going to be mother I feel like you know

34:38

I'm behind and I I I think what you're doing is so amazing and so powerful you

34:43

know because hopefully younger women are hearing these conversations and are able to do it from a place of of empowerment

34:51

and feeling in control and not feeling like a failure but for you

34:57

yeah I mean what were some of the the broken parts that you saw that that started to maybe plant these seeds of

35:04

like we need to do something about this yeah I I what you said just

35:10

resonates also so much um with me like I didn't jump happily onto freezing my

35:17

eggs it's not like anybody wants to wake up and do in the morning um

35:24

so I understood the the the the freedom and the pride way after like starting

35:31

the journey um but the the key takeaway for me when it comes to gaps in in that

35:39

journey is like why are we not testing early on why is it that smart educated

35:48

woman in their mid-30s just discover how their ovaries work it's really shocking

35:55

like oh test for your vitamin D and iron and and there was a lot of awareness

36:03

which is great about breast cancer and do your mamogram and do this and do that and somehow fertility is still taboo or

36:13

but nobody's telling us to test it's just a simple blood test we're making it now convenient and affordable

36:20

but why is it that I never checked my amh before 34 it it's just and even when

36:26

you go to the guy they if you have an infection a sis they do a papsmear like

36:32

I know they doctors but fertility is not an issue to them because you're healthy

36:38

and and that's for me the biggest Gap early screening first will make you

36:44

aware that fertility Decline and biological collock is real two um is

36:51

just a way to track and be in control you don't have to freeze your eggs at 25

36:57

26 but just monitoring what's going on um yes and and three we have other

37:04

hormones that play part in in our overall hormonal and reproductive Health

37:10

same thing uh we don't check them unless we're trying to conceive and that's for

37:16

me like the first part of the journey is broken if you don't know what's going on you're not going to do anything about it

37:23

anyway I know there is such a educational Gap there in our in our

37:29

health in women's health and even now in my frity journey I'm learning to track

37:36

my period I'm understanding what's happening in my cycle what every phase of the cycle is and I didn't know I'm 43

37:42

years old like I didn't know and I've had a baby and I've frozen my eggs I didn't know any of that and so yeah I

37:48

think there is to your point still such a huge lack of awareness or understanding and no one again doctor's

37:56

not telling us like you should know these things yeah I

38:01

think again it's like this almost

38:07

acceptance that anyway either it's going to happen for you or

38:13

not but it's not life-threatening and they don't and I think they minimize the pressure the

38:22

mental health aspect to not knowing to live um without just being in control so

38:31

I think that part is is missing somewhere and for me it's going to come

38:37

from a community of women from different voices speaking up um the healthare

38:43

system has been designed to fix problems not to educate and and raise awareness

38:51

and that's not the way things have been designed that's the where the Gap is yeah absolutely so tell us about the the

39:00

birth of of of your company and just you've mentioned some of the things you're offering but yeah just to share

39:06

more about it so um the IDE is again increasing uh

39:14

awareness fertility care access making it digital I think I looked at my own

39:22

experience and the fact that none of us want to pause their life for fertility

39:28

maybe you want to posee your life for a baby because it's a human being but I

39:33

don't want to pose my life just to extract a couple of eggs and put them in the freezer yeah um so the the idea of

39:41

overv was inspired by the busy working

39:47

woman who wants to take control of her health and she's

39:52

entitled to that and she deserves that um without Breaking the Bank um without

40:00

dropping the ball on her dayto day so um struggling with appointments with

40:07

um lack of information we decided to create overv as the go-to platform for everything related to fertility EG

40:14

freezing and hormonal health and the first part of the journey is understanding your body being diagnosed

40:21

um so bringing testing in the comfort and privacy of your home will remove the

40:29

mental like uh I would say blocker that you put on yourself who wants to wake up

40:36

again in the morning and go to a fertility clinic but if we come to you and you don't have to feel

40:43

exposed uh you don't have to pay like crazy amounts that you would if you go

40:48

to um a fertility consultation then fertility test and then things add up if

40:54

we remove all of these barers then it becomes almost a no-brainer and that's the feedback that we've had um being in

41:01

the market for six months from from woman it's like okay I didn't even know it existed and now I find it so

41:08

convenient there is no reason for me not to start that so that's the first leg of

41:13

the journey testing screening providing you like like the the the actual insights

41:20

that you need about your own health um simply conveniently and in an affordable

41:27

way and then from there e freezing becomes an option not everybody wants to freeze

41:33

not everybody has the mean we try to again offer like payment plans and and

41:40

and offer you like clinics at different price points um and really you have the

41:47

the the the bios of the doctors you have access to real information from

41:53

different clinics and you can compare and you feel like okay now I know that I

41:58

want to do it and with whom I want to do it and so we're trying to remove all the frictions that would make you just drop

42:06

say like okay I'm not ready for this um and then the clinics and the doctors do

42:14

what they know best to do which is providing you treatment and they're very

42:19

good but getting you there is the difficult path where we have decided it

42:24

should be so much easier and even when your eggs get collected stored with the

42:30

clinics it's also about why do I have why do I have to go back to the clinic

42:36

renew storage like miss my payments like in in today's era where we book rides we

42:45

book uh hotel rooms and and flight tickets and and and order food like all

42:51

digitally why can we not just manage our eggs digitally as well like just like

42:57

pay for the for the storage it has to be convenient for women to want to do this

43:02

yeah it's amaz I I mean this this this is this is amazing I mean you are you are breaking down a lot of the barriers

43:09

that make it overwhelming and scary and uncertain and I even think about the

43:14

opportunity to have the inhome testing because I you know going into a fertility clinic triggers so many

43:20

emotions you know for example you're a single woman and you see Partners there and so I think to alleviate that I mean

43:26

you really have and it's it's it's amazing to see what you've taken with your own journey and what you've done

43:32

because it's very thoughtful and only someone that has been through the egg freezing Journey can think of the things

43:38

that you now can offer through over save yeah I think it came from a problem

43:44

that experienced myself and we're not stopping there um I feel like um the the

43:51

digital journey is there the access is getting better but every time we do

43:57

events we meet women I hear so many different stories than mine and I I grow

44:02

from those stories I'm like yeah actually we can also solve for that now it has become kind of a a mission to

44:11

just allow women to understand their fertility and hormones and provide them

44:17

with a path to care and a way to control the their health and their and their future

44:24

fertility so uh it's not the end of the journey it's beginning like solving those problems that I experien I think

44:30

we we're doing like great progress but then you realize when you meet other

44:36

women that there are so many things that are broken that we could be like

44:41

improving yeah I don't know if there's a conversation there happening but here

44:47

for me in my journey what I'm learning is just sort of this more holistic approach and when you're saying

44:54

you know things are more reactive they're fixing problems like I I'm feeling we learning that it's more of a

45:01

preventive approach and it's learning about all these other things that can be helping our fertility and happening at a

45:07

younger age with diet with nutrition with lifestyle um and I think those things

45:13

are important to learn about too yeah I think uh you're absolutely

45:19

right like when you get the to

45:25

understand the reality of um how our lifestyles uh our Behavior our behaviors

45:32

impact our ovaries like this is just another organ that ages and and we have

45:38

never been like made aware of it just because it's hiding inside so like we're

45:44

not seeing that happening so we are having these conversations and creating

45:50

content information um to also guide women with

45:55

that holistic approach that you mentioned like doctors can do only that

46:01

much you also need to take it on yourself to make the right decisions for you for your overall health um and yeah

46:08

we have plans to introduce um supplements and um also content and

46:16

courses about how to approach fertility holistically um again over is also on

46:23

its own journey of of um creating creating more services products that

46:30

would just complement uh what the

46:36

medical uh part I would say what the clinic do with egg freezing and IVF yeah

46:43

amazing and the company is based in the UFA like who has access to all the

46:48

amazing services that you're offering so yes we launched in the UAE like a few months ago uh and yeah the

46:57

plan is to expand across the region um again it's it's almost like a universal

47:03

problem that we solving for it's not related to any specific country or Market there is

47:11

obviously um there are like different regulations um different sensitivities

47:17

to this topic and you would always need to adapt and and and try to really

47:24

understand um women in any Market to go to their challenges um and and and

47:31

support them in their own unique personal Journey like but um we we we

47:37

getting there like yeah amazing well congratulations

47:42

on the launch and this is absolutely incredible and I know everyone listening is going to be saying like I wish this

47:49

existed sooner and for women here living in this country hoping that it it makes its way here because again you you just

47:57

you you're taking something that is so overwhelming and making it a lot easier

48:03

and that's huge and so I I'm grateful for all the work that you're doing and

48:08

grateful for you to be here and share it with us I think we we we're very proud about

48:16

like the platform and what we doing in in solving those challenges but I realize that all of that is only

48:24

possible because we have different stakeholders playing a part into this

48:30

again clinics here have been um like excited about that awareness education

48:39

that they never had the time or the skills to do they so happy to contribute

48:44

with the medical aspect while we are getting women tested

48:50

educated um and proactive about their health and also I would want to say that

48:57

woman thems like coming to us and and sharing their stories they are a big

49:04

part of the education that we do if you go to our Instagram like it's really real women that put themselves out there

49:12

because they have like us experienced the struggle or the concern and they

49:17

feel like they need to help the mission and help the world get out so what's

49:27

really amazing is is now women have decided that they have a voice in into

49:34

their fertility health and we just amplifying that voice I love that yeah

49:40

and it's so important in this to have a voice and to have to Advocate and have support behind you and I yeah I I've met

49:48

so many women I don't think I've met anyone that has frozen their eggs that isn't passionate about paying it forward

49:55

and sharing and educating and bringing awareness and you know I've been so fortunate too to have amazing women on

50:01

here willing to share their stories and I think everyone that's been through it just wants to continue to amplify the

50:08

voices and the conversations yeah I I think that's what making the biggest impact uh having one

50:15

woman going through that journey and she will inform another 10 and help another

50:21

10 and like we we we provide the tools the digitization the

50:27

but the kind of I would say support and

50:33

changing the narrative is coming really from wom yeah I couldn't agree more well

50:38

thank you so much for being here and please keep me posted on everything that you're doing and any ways that we can

50:44

support and help and um I'm wishing you and OB save all all the luck I mean I

50:50

think it's going to be amazing and it's so needed thank you so much Beth also

50:55

for like sharing your your own personal story I was not aware that you went through all of it already and yeah it's

51:04

heartwarming to see that yeah you come out from it uh happier and and with a

51:12

baby and I feel like it gives hope to so many of us who at that exact moment feel

51:17

like okay what did I do wrong but then looking at other woman who just went

51:22

through all of it but then you in the place where you wanted to be from from from day one is just really inspiring as

51:29

well thank you so much I appreciate that you saying that and the whole time that we're talking I'm thinking about just the beauty of your journey from starting

51:35

in in banking and like having your fertility journey and now you you have created this incredible incredible

51:42

company and it's just amazing to see and and same I think it's such an inspiration to other women like you can

51:49

you know you can end up fulfilled and happy and just you know stay focused on on yourself and your own path and your

51:56

own timeline and and not comparing so your story is an inspiration too thank

52:01

you so much Beth and we'll keep you definitely posted about our progress and how we're changing that fertility

52:08

narrative in the Middle East oh my gosh amazing thank you so much thank you have

52:13

a lovely day bye bye okay all right stop yeah it's it's a

52:21

oh so good oh my God I'm so like yeah please I'm so impressed by it it's it's

52:27

amazing like it's it's so so needed like so

52:33

needed yeah yeah I feel like again every time I speak to women it reinforces my

52:40

conviction that we deserve much more and like in all aspects whether it's like

52:47

it's not only about egg freezing but hormonal Health PCU menopause is just

52:52

like why are we going through this in silence and with with no help or support or it's

53:00

just no understanding and no knowledge like I'm you know I'm trying to have uh my second and I've had failed you know

53:08

transfer attempts I've had a miscarriage and like I am learning so much more now

53:14

of like it's it's still broken it that second half of it and I want to start

53:19

talking more about it on here is so broken like there's no testing before

53:24

you transfer like appropriate testing like I'm finding out more things wrong with my body after two fails like I'm

53:31

like why aren't we doing but I didn't know that and you know after my miscarriage I like deep Dove on so much

53:38

I was reading so much to a point where it was so overwhelming and my partner Rob was like you need to stop I was like

53:44

you don't understand like I need to have the knowledge to ask the questions like if I don't know the doctors aren't

53:51

telling me so I have to figure so to have a platform where that is there for

53:56

you and you don't have to do all the digging and researching yourself is so so

54:02

huge like sometimes when I when I hear stories like CL it's just making me so

54:07

frustrated because you turn to doctors and the healthcare system because they

54:13

supposed to have all the answers and guide you but they don't have the time and you're just one of many and it's

54:20

like do this do that but you not you don't even know why and how to just like get the best outcome you just supposed

54:27

to like do what you're told and blindly yeah you just blindly go into the next

54:34

and women have end up having five six seven transfers with like just doing the same thing yeah it's it's so upsetting and so

54:44

frustrating yeah I think it will only change when like women are part of the

54:50

change like no doctor will come to that space and say that's not right like the

54:57

system is broken they just like told and to do things in in a processed way and

55:03

in the meantime we struggling with all of it yeah I think they have they're sort of like narrow in their like

55:09

protocols they're like not like we're 10 years behind and like research versus

55:14

implementation of findings and you know a lot of the answers sometimes I've

55:20

gotten it's like we just don't know why we don't know why I'm like that's not good enough there there you have to there's got to be a reason why

55:27

and to turn to someone and say sometimes it just happens okay try again like is

55:33

is like not good enough anymore yeah and it's probably one of the most important like personal project

55:41

of our lives and we put it in the hands of people who again are competent but

55:48

they will not adapt their ways to us and that's just really difficult to to

55:57

manage I I I'm not there yet like the idea thing is again a whole new black

56:03

box to me on a personal level and I feel like even there there could be so much

56:09

more that we could be doing because like we have the technology and still women

56:14

are going through like so much struggle um when it comes to trying to have a

56:20

baby I know well if you find yourself there on your personal Journey or even in your work I'm happy to continue a

56:27

conversation and share what I've learned since being because I've I've learned so

56:32

much and you the last thing I wanted to share because she said this during our recording like that it fertility is not

56:38

life or death which technically it is not but for a woman that wants a child

56:44

it feels like that it feels like it's like that desperation so it's like that

56:49

emotional but for doctors it's not life-threatening like okay you're healthy you you don't have C answer so

56:57

it's not all alarms out and let's do this let's try that it's just a protocol

57:03

it doesn't work too bad and for us it's just a tragedy I agree it's just I know

57:10

I had a sorry I'm talking your ear off but I do want to maybe we'll another time to talk but I went to a

57:17

reproductive immunologist after my miscarriage because I I you know testing after the transfers found I had high

57:23

thyroid antibodies he's like don't worry about it come to me after you have another

57:28

miscarriage OMG 10 minutes he spent 10 minutes on the phone with me I paid

57:34

$250 he told me don't worry about it come back if you have another miscarriage I said I I never want to see

57:40

your face again I never want to have another miscarriage but that was the answer like literally dismissing your

57:47

trauma as if a miscarriage is not a personal strategy it's hope it's death almost it is a death of my be yeah yeah

57:58

it's just like crazy how disconnected they are from that Journey like there is a big yeah disconnect between us and

58:06

them um and I'm so shocked that he would tell you that just bluntly and no it was

58:12

so upsetting it was so but yeah still gaps even for couples they'll tell you

58:19

like try for a year and a half and come back like what if I want to get tested

58:26

now why do I have to wait a year and a half to find out that I have a problem right and like that you have to you have

58:32

to Advocate and push so hard like and H and that's that can be really hard for

58:37

you know but you have and again really really hard if you don't have the knowledge but still even hard when you

58:43

have the knowledge like even now like asking my my I have a really great doctor and she listens but like I get

58:49

nervous like let me ask for this test let me ask for that test and I'm the one asking for them you know she's not off

58:56

ing them but you have to really like give no and just push but can you

59:02

imagine that you know what to ask for if you are completely uneducated you wouldn't even know what to ask for in

59:08

the first place you'll be like like Outsourcing all of these decisions to somebody who wouldn't mind if you had a

59:15

miscarriage just for the sake of like let's see what the knowledge is so so

59:21

important and like I shared I dove into it all myself and that was overwhelming but I'm like I can't go in unarmed and

59:28

so what you're doing in terms of like the knowledge piece is so so huge thank you like I I feel like it's

59:36

it's happening even in this market like woman coming and say I heard it from a friend that used your test I want to do

59:43

the same it's just like feels that it was very difficult to make some noise

59:49

and and and and say you need to think about it you need to think about it but six months into this people start

59:56

acknowledging that the conversation is long overdue and we deserve those anwers

1:00:01

now it's amazing oh my God please please stay in touch and keep me posted on everything your work is incredible you

1:00:08

are changing lives for sure so I am no longer a coffee drinker coffee is something I gave up in revamping my diet

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25% off your first purchase hey guys I'm B thank you so much for tuning in to quiet the clock if you want to hear more

1:00:56

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1:01:03

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