What are your roles at Extend Fertility?
I’m one of the reproductive endocrinologists. I’m also the director of research.
What does your day-to-day look like?
On any given day, I usually start by doing scans for some of our patients who are in cycle. Two or three mornings a week, I’ll also do our morning egg retrievals.
Around lunchtime, I’ll review the monitoring results from patients who are in cycle and make adjustments to their stimulation medication (to try to maximize how many eggs they get!).
Most afternoons are filled with seeing new patients, usually women interested in learning more about their fertility. We talk about how fertility is affected by age and how egg freezing fits in to all of that. I always review how many eggs I anticipate each patient might be able to get from their cycle and what their estimated chances of success might be with those eggs, based on her age. This way every woman who comes in can have all the information she needs to make an informed decision about her reproductive goals!
I love giving women the power and control to know more about their biology, so it isn’t some locked secret that they can’t access.
DR. MASLOW
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love being able to use my position to educate and spread awareness about fertility. I love giving women the power and control to know more about their biology, so it isn’t some locked secret that they can’t access. I love being on the forefront of researching female fertility and how women interact with their fertility.
What do you hope the future of fertility looks like?
My hope is for a future where women don’t get blindsided by their biology. There is so much in this world that is unpredictable. There are elements of fertility that will always be a surprise, but so much is already known and so much more could be discovered that could help women prepare for family building. In my ideal future, women enter their reproductive years with realistic expectations and armed with individual facts about their personal biology, so that they can feel empowered to make informed decisions about their family building goals.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for women who want to go into the medical field?
Persevere. Medicine is tough. It is a long road with a lot of sacrifice. I would never give it up for anything in the world, but you have to really want it. There are so many voices telling you that you’re not good enough or that you made a mistake; there are so many opportunities to tell yourself it’s too hard or it’s not worth it. You have to really know what you want and not let anything stop you from achieving your goal.
What do you do when you’re not in the office?
I spend a lot of time working (even when I’m not in the office!). I give lectures in the Jewish community. I recently helped found an organization called JOWMA (Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association), and we’re organizing our first annual conference. I also try to put out content on my Instagram, where I help to promote fertility education.
When I’m truly off, I try my best to devote quality time to my family. We love doing activities outdoors: hiking in the warmer months, skiing in the colder ones. I love to travel, although we really haven’t had a chance to do much travel since medical school. This summer my husband and I went to Paris for a long weekend—it was amazing!
