Love Builds a Family: LGBTQIA+ Fertility, Inclusive Care, & Pride Month with an REI Who Gets It

Dr. Keri Bergin didn't start her career in medicine. She started at the front desk of a fertility clinic.From a Craigslist job listing that landed her at the front desk of RMA New York at age 21, to completing her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at that same institution, Keri's path to becoming an REI is unlike almost any other in the field. She's also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who has personally navigated fertility treatment with her wife. That combination of lived experience, clinical expertise, and deep patient perspective is exactly why we had to have her on the show.This week, in honor of Pride Month, Laura and Ashlee sit down with Dr. Keri Bergin of IVI RMA Southern California for a conversation that goes well beyond the basics of LGBTQIA+ family building. We get into:Why LGBTQIA+ patients are often assumed to have an easier path, and why that assumption misses the full pictureThe real emotional and logistical layers involved in using donor sperm, donor eggs, and gestational carriersWhat reciprocal IVF looks like legally, and the state-by-state gaps that can leave one parent off their own child's birth certificateHow Keri and her wife navigated choosing a known sperm donor, and what that relationship looks like nowInsurance coverage for LGBTQIA+ fertility treatment, and why only a handful of states actually have inclusive mandatesFertility preservation for trans patients, and what the research says about undergoing egg freezing while on testosteroneWhat the future of reproductive technology could mean for same-sex couples, including in vitro gametogenesisWhy providers who have been through it themselves show up differently for their patientsThis field is moving fast. The barriers are real. And the people working inside this system care more than patients sometimes get to see. This one is for all of you who are building your family on your own terms.This episode is for you if you're an LGBTQIA+ individual or couple navigating fertility treatment, a healthcare provider working toward more inclusive care, or anyone who has ever felt like the system wasn't quite built with them in mind.📍 Find Dr. Keri Bergin:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keriberginmd/Website: https://rmanetwork.com/staff/keri-bergin-md/