Sitting Down with My Husband: What IVF Really Looks Like from the Partner's Side

Dr. Sasha Hakman is finally joined by her husband, Dr. Eryk Hakman. In this honest, funny, and surprisingly emotional episode, Sasha and Eryk sit down together for the first time to share the full story: how they met on labor and delivery, why Eryk almost didn't commit, and what it has really been like to navigate three rounds of IVF as a couple, including a failed embryo transfer that hit them both harder than either expected. Eryk opens up about feeling powerless in a process driven by his wife's expertise, what grief looked like from the partner's side, and what finally convinced him to say yes to baby number three. They wrap it all up with a fertility quiz that is equal parts educational and hilarious. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Sasha and Eryk met during residency, why Eryk ghosted her, and the ultimatum that changed everything Why Sasha froze embryos early in their relationship and how it led to their first son, Remy What IVF felt like from Eryk's perspective as the non-REI doctor in the relationship The male side of fertility treatment: the semen collection experience, lifestyle changes, and feeling like a passenger How they conceived Rocky naturally after Sasha ovulated on her own for the first time post-IVF Why Eryk initially said they were done after two kids and what changed his mind Their decision to pursue gender selection for family balancing and what that process looked like The emotional weight of their failed embryo transfer: the biochemical pregnancy, the grief, and the delayed reaction Why Sasha chose a programmed cycle with progesterone in oil for the second transfer despite the pain and the disagreement it caused How two doctors with completely different approaches to data and uncertainty navigate fertility decisions together Eryk's fertility quiz results and the one lie Sasha told him about his own sperm Follow Dr Sasha! TikTok: @sashahakmanmd Instagram: @sashahakmanmd @tryingtoconceivepod YouTube: @tryingtoconceivepod Want to receive my weekly newsletter? Sign up at sashahakmanmd.com/newsletter to receive updates, answers to Q&A and more! If you haven't already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every 2 weeks. If you're interested in becoming a patient go to sashahakmanmd.com to learn more! Thank you to our sponsors: Go to aquatrue.com and use code DRSASHA for 20% off Go to bioptimizers.com and use code DRSASHA for 15% off Go to oneskin.co and use code DRSASHA for 15% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices