Ep 49 Olympic Champion Figure Skater to Fertility Advocate: What Tara Lipinski Learned while Unexpecting
Brave & Curious with Dr Lora Shahine
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (dts.podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
No two fertility journeys are alike, but Tara Lipinski's experience is perhaps even more unique than most. The champion, gold-medal-ice-skater-turned-sports-analyst was 35 and still not necessarily ready to start building her family. So she decided to put her options "on ice" — literally preserving eggs and/or embryos until she and her husband Todd were ready.
However, the process turned out to be more complicated than it appeared when a diagnosis of endometriosis sent them down a different path.
What followed was two surgeries, four miscarriages, six failed transfers, and five years of treatment, hope, and heartbreak.
Spoiler alert: perfect Georgie was born in 2023, so there is a happy ending, but the picture on Instagram of Tara, curled up on her couch, heart-broken and clutching pregnancy tests, sent waves through the fertility community. Here was a very public figure speaking very publicly about her struggles to build her family.
Please listen and share to help us continue the conversation.
In this episode you'll hear:
[07:74] Why Tara and Todd shared their story on their Unexpecting podcast
[13:19] How did Tara's athletic career prepare her and NOT prepare her for infertility
[19:51] Reflecting on relationships through infertility, men vs. women on coping
[30:02]When to share and not share the fertility journey
[34:53] When we are surprised by infertility
[38:01] Misconceptions and reality about surrogacy
[46:12] Instagram Questions
Amanda: Did you and Todd ever consider giving up?
Marena: How did you and Todd keep going?
Dana: Advice to someone who is struggling with infertility?
[55:21] Finding Tara and her podcast
Resources mentioned:
Tara on Instagram: @taralipinski
Tara Lipinski: taralipinski.com
Tara Lipinski: Unexpecting Tara and Todd's podcast
Babyquest Foundation Fertility Grants: babyquestfoundation.org
Sunfish financial solutions for fertility treatment:joinsunfish.com
Stay Up to Date in Fertility News and Events: Weekly Newsletter
Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books