Podcast · Tech & Science

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

by Mark Amols, MD · English · Tech & Science

This podcast presents an in-depth exploration of fertility concerns and inquiries straight from those undergoing fertility treatment. Standing apart from the usual information found online, we dive headfirst into the real science and comprehensive research behind these challenges. Amidst all this, w

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 18 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 20 minNew

My Eggs Were Mature—Why Didn’t They Fertilize? Understanding IVF Attrition

Send us Fan Mail You had 15 mature eggs and ended up with three embryos. What happened? In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols explains IVF attrition: the step-by-step drop-off from eggs retrieved, to mature eggs, to normal fertilization, to blastocysts and beyond. Your final embryo count tells you how many chances you have. Where the drop-off happened tells you what to ask about next. We cover: Why an MII (mature) egg is the starting line, not a guaranteeConventional IVF vs. ICSI, and what the evid...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S8 · E39 · 7 Oct 2026 · 19 min
Why Were My Eggs Immature? Is the IVF Trigger to Blame?
Send us Fan Mail Why were some of your eggs immature after an IVF retrieval—and does it mean your trigger was wrong? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains what low egg maturity really means, why a report may show GV, MI, and MII eggs, and why “we triggered too early” is only one possibility—not an automatic conclusion. Not every follicle and egg develops on the same clock. Dr. Amols walks through how follicle-size patterns, trigger timing, the body’s response...
S8 · E38 · 30 Sep 2026 · 17 min
IVF Egg Maturity Explained: GV, MI, MII, 2PN & 3PN
Send us Fan Mail Why did 14 eggs retrieved become 10 mature eggs—and only 7 normally fertilized? In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols explains what IVF embryology reports really mean. Learn how egg meiosis works, why an MII egg is considered mature, and what GV (germinal vesicle), MI, and MII tell us about an egg’s development. We also break down polar bodies, pronuclei, normal 2PN fertilization, and what it can mean when the lab sees extra polar bodies, 0PN, 1PN, or 3PN. Most importantly: why a m...
S8 · E37 · 23 Sep 2026 · 20 min
You Froze Your Eggs. Now What? Thawing, ICSI & When to Actually Use Them | Egg Freezing Part 3
Send us Fan Mail In Part 3 of our three-part Egg Freezing Series, Dr. Mark Amols answers one of the most overlooked questions in fertility preservation: Once you are finally ready to have a baby, should you actually use your frozen eggs? The answer is not always yes. If you froze eggs when you were younger and are still relatively young with good fertility when you are ready to conceive, it may make more sense to try with your current fertility first and keep those younger frozen eggs as a ba...
S8 · E36 · 16 Sep 2026 · 24 min
What Really Happens When You Freeze Your Eggs? Shots, Retrieval & Vitrification | Egg Freezing Part 2
Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of our three-part egg freezing series, we walk through the entire egg-freezing process from start to finish. What medications do you take? How long are the injections? How often do you need ultrasounds and bloodwork? What happens during the trigger shot? Does the egg retrieval hurt? And what actually happens to your eggs once they reach the embryology lab? Dr. Mark Amols explains the process step by step, including: What AMH and antral follicle count help pred...
S8 · E35 · 2 Sep 2026 · 14 min
Should You Freeze Your Eggs? Best Age, AMH & How Many Eggs You Need | Egg Freezing Part 1
Send us Fan Mail In Part 1 of our three-part egg freezing series, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down who should consider egg freezing, when it actually makes sense, and why there is no single “perfect age” or magic number of frozen eggs that guarantees a future baby. We discuss the important difference between age, AMH, and ovarian reserve—including why a high AMH does not necessarily mean better egg quality and why a low AMH does not mean your eggs are bad. You'll also learn: • Who should consider p...
31 Aug 2026 · 1 min
Can’t Find That Fertility Episode? Try Our New Website
Send us Fan Mail Ever remember something from Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday and think, “Wait… which episode was that?” Now there’s an easier way to find it. Visit TacoBoutFertility.com, where you can search the entire podcast library based on the questions you’re trying to answer, browse episodes by topics like IVF, embryo transfer, PGT, IUI, egg quality, and more, or ask the podcast to help you find episodes related to a specific fertility question. We’re also adding interactive fertility tool...
S8 · 31 Aug 2026 · 1 min
Thinking About Freezing Your Eggs? New 3-Part Series
Send us Fan Mail Thinking about freezing your eggs—or already have eggs frozen and wondering what happens next? Over the next three episodes of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, we’re taking a deep dive into egg freezing. We’ll cover who should consider freezing their eggs, when timing matters most, how many eggs you may actually need, what to expect from the medications and retrieval, and what happens years later when you’re finally ready to have a baby. Because egg freezing isn’t a guarantee, an...
S8 · E34 · 26 Aug 2026 · 22 min
Why Is My Fertility Clinic Giving Me Different Answers? Who You Should Ask
Send us Fan Mail Have you ever asked three people at your fertility clinic the same question—and somehow gotten three different answers? It can feel like nobody is communicating. But sometimes the explanation is more complicated. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols takes you behind the scenes of a fertility clinic to explain how the care team actually works. Front desk staff, medical assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, embryologists, billing teams, ...
S8 · E33 · 19 Aug 2026 · 17 min
ERA Was Supposed to Improve Embryo Transfers—Could It Actually Make Them Worse?
Send us Fan Mail Does the ERA test actually improve your chance of pregnancy with IVF—or has endometrial receptivity testing been oversold? Patients often receive completely different advice. Some fertility specialists say the Endometrial Receptivity Analysis, or ERA, can identify a personalized window of implantation. Others say research has proven the test does not work. The truth is more complicated. In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols revisits ERA in light of newer randomized trials, meta-ana...
S8 · E32 · 12 Aug 2026 · 19 min
Chronic Endometritis & IVF: Could Silent Uterine Inflammation Affect Implantation or Miscarriage?
Send us Fan Mail Could chronic endometritis—silent inflammation in the uterine lining—affect IVF implantation, miscarriage, or embryo-transfer success? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains what chronic endometritis is, what it is not, and when it may actually be worth investigating. We break down CD138 biopsies, hysteroscopy, cultures, EMMA, ALICE, and vaginal microbiome testing—and why these tests are not interchangeable. We also discuss antibiotics before ...
S8 · E31 · 5 Aug 2026 · 20 min
Empty Uterus, High hCG: What the Discriminatory Zone Really Means
Send us Fan Mail What does it mean when your hCG is above the “discriminatory zone,” but a transvaginal ultrasound still shows an empty uterus? It raises concern—but it does not automatically diagnose an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains what the discriminatory level can—and cannot—tell us about an early pregnancy. He explores how this decades-old threshold became part of medical practice, why it represents a probability ...
S8 · E30 · 29 Jul 2026 · 22 min
My hCG Didn’t Double: Miscarriage, Ectopic—or Still Normal?
Send us Fan Mail Your first beta hCG is 100. Two days later, it rises to 150—but it didn’t double. Does that mean miscarriage? Could it be ectopic? Or could the pregnancy still be progressing normally? Before Google diagnoses you with three different pregnancy complications, take a breath. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains why the familiar rule that hCG must double every 48 hours is outdated—and how that rule grew from a 1981 study involving only 20 patie...
S8 · E29 · 22 Jul 2026 · 23 min
Is God Punishing Me With Infertility? Faith, Guilt, and What the Bible Says
Send us Fan Mail Infertility can lead to a painful question that many people are afraid to say aloud: Is God punishing me? In this deeply personal episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explores why infertility can feel like spiritual rejection. When children are described as blessings, pregnancy comes easily to others, and treatment repeatedly fails, it can be tempting to believe that God is angry—or that something from your past made you undeserving of becoming a parent. But...
S8 · E28 · 15 Jul 2026 · 17 min
Stop Chasing the Perfect IVF Protocol
Send us Fan Mail After a disappointing IVF retrieval, it is tempting to change everything. But does a new protocol actually explain a better next cycle—or is biology doing some of the talking? In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols explains why IVF protocols absolutely matter, but why there is no single “perfect” protocol that can guarantee a certain number of eggs or mature eggs. Using the analogy of an Olympic runner and the right running shoes, he breaks down the physician’s role: optimize the me...
S8 · E27 · 8 Jul 2026 · 27 min
Pregnant at 50: Miracle, Medicine, or Missing Information?
Send us Fan Mail Can you actually get pregnant at 50? The headlines never tell you the number that matters most: how old was the egg? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down what is really behind those “pregnant at 50” headlines — and why the same story can mean completely different biology depending on the details nobody reports. In this episode: 🌮 Why there are four biological clocks, not one — egg, uterus, sperm, and parenting 🌮 Real IVF success rates by ...
S8 · E26 · 1 Jul 2026 · 19 min
The Ovary’s Side of the Story: Menstrual Cycle Myths Explained
Send us Fan Mail Most people think of the menstrual cycle as bleeding, cramps, cycle day one, or an app prediction. But the period is really the final report — not the main event. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains the menstrual cycle from the ovary’s point of view. Learn how the brain, ovary, and uterus communicate each month, why one follicle becomes dominant, why IVF does not “use up” future eggs, and why so many common menstrual-cycle myths fall apart ...
S8 · E25 · 24 Jun 2026 · 18 min
Progesterone Shots: Are Fertility Doctors Sadists or Just Following the Science?
Send us Fan Mail Progesterone-in-oil shots, also known as PIO shots, are one of the most feared and hated parts of IVF. They are uncomfortable, intimidating, and often leave patients wondering: “Do I really need this, or is my fertility doctor just being cruel?” In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains why progesterone matters for implantation, how estrogen and progesterone work together to prepare the uterine lining, and why the type of embryo transfer cycle ch...
S8 · E24 · 17 Jun 2026 · 18 min
Can Your Embryo Fall Out? The Truth About Bed Rest After Embryo Transfer
Send us Fan Mail Can your embryo fall out after an embryo transfer? Do you really need bed rest after IVF? Can walking, peeing, coughing, laughing, going up stairs, having stress, or riding home in the car ruin your chances? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down one of the most common fears patients have after embryo transfer: whether one wrong move can prevent implantation. We discuss where the bed rest myth came from, why the uterus is not an open space ...
S8 · E23 · 10 Jun 2026 · 19 min
Bad Advice, Good Intentions: When Fertility Reassurance Becomes a Delay
Send us Fan Mail Fertility advice can be wrong even when the person giving it meant well. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explores how reassurance, incomplete evaluations, and well-intentioned attempts to “save money” can sometimes delay the fertility care patients actually need. This episode looks at the emotional stress patients feel when they realize they may have lost time, the difference between bad intentions and bad outcomes, and why advice like “just kee...
S8 · E22 · 3 Jun 2026 · 18 min
The Cup, the Clock, and the Count: What to Expect at Your Semen Analysis
Send us Fan Mail A semen analysis is one of the most important fertility tests, but for many patients, it is also one of the most awkward. In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols walks through what to expect at a semen analysis appointment, how to prepare, what happens during collection, and why this test gives fertility clinics such valuable information. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Amols explains why semen analysis is not a masculinity test, but simply a lab test that helps g...
S8 · E21 · 27 May 2026 · 22 min
Did Your Doctor Miss Something… or Did Instagram Just Scare You?
Send us Fan Mail Fertility misinformation on Instagram and social media can make patients feel like their doctor missed something important. In this episode, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down fertility fear-mongering, IVF myths, unnecessary fertility testing, and how scary medical advice can turn real concerns into panic. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Amols explains how patients can tell the difference between helpful fertility education and fear-based marketing. He discusses c...
S8 · E20 · 20 May 2026 · 15 min
PCOS Is Now PMOS: New Name, Same Problem?
Send us Fan Mail PCOS has officially been renamed PMOS, or Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome — but does the new name actually change the way patients are diagnosed and treated? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains why polycystic ovary syndrome was always a misleading name, how PCOS got its name from the historic Stein-Leventhal description, and why the “cysts” in PCOS are usually follicles rather than true ovarian cysts. He breaks down why the new nam...
S8 · E19 · 13 May 2026 · 19 min
AMH: The Fertility Test That Isn’t a Fertility Test
Send us Fan Mail AMH is one of the most misunderstood fertility blood tests. Many patients hear that their AMH is low and immediately worry that they cannot get pregnant, that their eggs are bad, or that menopause is right around the corner. But AMH does not tell the whole fertility story. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains what AMH really measures and what it does not. AMH is a marker of ovarian reserve and helps predict how many eggs someone may make dur...
S8 · E18 · 6 May 2026 · 12 min
It’s Not Just Her: Male Obesity, Embryo Development, and Miscarriage Risk in IVF
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down new research on male obesity and fertility and explains why a man’s weight may matter more in IVF than many people realize. This study looked at donor egg ICSI cycles and found that male obesity was associated with delayed early embryo development, lower inner cell mass quality, and a higher miscarriage rate, even though fertilization, blastocyst development, implantation, and clinical pregnancy rates ...
S8 · E17 · 29 Apr 2026 · 17 min
Nature vs. IVF: Why Getting Pregnant Before Doesn’t Mean IVF Will Be Easy
Send us Fan Mail Many patients assume that if they have gotten pregnant naturally before, IVF should be simple. But IVF and natural conception are not the same process. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains why IVF is incredibly powerful, but still cannot perfectly duplicate every hidden filter, timing system, and biological checkpoint that happens inside the body. From sperm selection and fertilization to fallopian tube transport, embryo transfer timing, ute...
S8 · E16 · 22 Apr 2026 · 14 min
Euploid, But Not Equal: Why “Perfect” Embryos Have Different Odds
Send us Fan Mail Why can two embryos both be genetically normal, both be labeled AA, and even be tested by the same genetics company… yet still have very different chances of leading to pregnancy? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down one of the biggest misunderstandings in IVF: the idea that “normal” means “equal.” He explains what PGT-A really tells us, why embryo grading is useful but limited, and how two embryos with the same label can still have very ...
S8 · E15 · 15 Apr 2026 · 17 min
Why IUIs Fail 2.0: Bad Luck, Wrong Treatment, or Hidden Problem?
Send us Fan Mail Why do IUIs fail, even when everything seems to be done right? In this updated episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down what a failed IUI actually means. He explains the three biggest reasons IUIs fail: sometimes it is just bad luck, sometimes IUI is the wrong treatment for the biology, and sometimes there is a hidden problem that routine fertility testing cannot detect. This episode also covers newer data on IUI success rates, the role of male facto...
S8 · E14 · 8 Apr 2026 · 11 min
Replay: Why IUIs Fail — Even When Everything Looks Normal
Send us Fan Mail In this replay episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down one of the most frustrating questions in fertility treatment: why IUIs sometimes fail even when everything seems like it should work. He explains the real success rates of IUI, why unexplained infertility is not the same as no problem, how sperm and tubes can look normal on paper but still not function normally, and why a failed IUI does not mean IVF will fail too. This is a helpful episode for ...
S8 · E13 · 1 Apr 2026 · 13 min
The HOPE Act, ERISA Loopholes, and the Out-of-Network Lab Trap
Send us Fan Mail Have you ever thought your top-tier insurance fully covered IVF, only to be hit with a $20,000 out-of-pocket bill? On this episode of Taco 'Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols pulls back the curtain on the confusing and frustrating world of reproductive medicine insurance. We break down the two biggest financial illusions in fertility care: The ERISA Loophole: Discover the difference between fully insured and self-funded corporate plans, and learn why state IVF mandates mi...

About Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday is a English tech & science podcast from Mark Amols, MD. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Mark Amols, MD
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 18 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1481293747

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