[TW: Miscarriage] Fertility, Miscarriage & Residency: A Surgeon’s Story

What happens when life doesn’t wait for training to end?In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with ENT surgeon Dr. Kelly Schmidt to talk about a reality rarely discussed in medicine: navigating fertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy during residency.What begins as a straightforward plan to “just have a baby” quickly becomes something else—cycles that don’t work, loss that doesn’t pause training, and the disorienting experience of trying to solve a problem that effort alone can’t fix.Kelly shares her story openly—from miscarrying while on call to continuing to work through grief, to eventually building a path forward with fertility treatment and advocacy.This episode covers:Trying to conceive during residencyMiscarriage while on call—and returning to workThe emotional toll of infertility in high-achieversWhat actually helps (and what doesn’t) when supporting someoneNavigating FMLA and time off during trainingHow to advocate for yourself in a rigid systemIf you’ve ever felt like medicine leaves no room for real life—this conversation is for you.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MDGuest: Kelly Schmidt, MDConnect with Kelly: @kschmidt93Presented by: The Hippocratic CollectiveFollow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimdAnd subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.