Postpartum University® Podcast · Maranda Bower, Postpartum Nutrition Specialist

How Fertility Impacts Postpartum | Gabriela Rosa EP 249

January 6, 2026·41 min·2 clips
A 544-patient Harvard thesis found a 78.8% live birth rate and 47.7% natural conception after treatment.
1. Postpartum University® Podcast episode “How Fertility Impacts Postpartum | Gabriela Rosa EP 249” links fertility history to postpartum recovery. 2. Miranda Bauer hosts Gabriela Rosa, a fertility specialist and founder of the world's first fully virtual fertility clinic, because Rosa works with couples after infertility, miscarriage, and failed treatments. 3. The episode asks how unresolved fertility and health issues before pregnancy can shape the postpartum period and future conception. 4. Rosa starts by grouping reproductive journeys into three buckets: unplanned pregnancy, conception within 12 months, and long-running infertility with repeated failed treatments. 5. She says 93.6% of people trying to conceive will get pregnant within 12 months when nothing is getting in the way. 6. She also says 71% of IVF cycles fail and argues that “common” is not the same as “normal.” 7. Rosa says miscarriage, inability to conceive, and inability to breastfeed usually point to underlying causes rather than random bad luck. 8. She describes fertility as transgenerational and says exposures in a grandmother, mother, and daughter can all affect outcomes. 9. Rosa explains endocrine disruptors using a hormone-and-cell “lock and key” image and names fragrances, plastics, phthalates, and bisphenols. 10. She says dose and duration matter, so long-term exposure can shift reproductive outcomes over time. 11. Rosa says many patients are told to “just keep trying,” which can obscure why fertilization or implantation is not leading to a positive pregnancy test. 12. She distinguishes between never seeing a positive pregnancy test and never having fertilization or implantation attempted. 13. Rosa says postpartum recovery can be easier when fertility issues were addressed before conception and a healthier baby was brought home. 14. She gives one family example in which a first son had silent reflux and severe sleep disruption that was not recognized for two years. 15. Rosa contrasts that with a second son who slept for five-hour stretches, which changed her understanding of what newborn care could look like. 16. She says fertility is a team sport and gives a 40% male factor, 40% female factor, and 20% embryonic and other factors breakdown. 17. Rosa cites her Harvard master's thesis on 544 patients, including nearly 50% with failed IVF and 51.5% with miscarriages, and reports a 78.8% live birth rate after treatment. 18. She describes a couple whose repeated “egg quality” diagnosis changed after testing showed poor sperm count, motility, and morphology. 19. The conversation stays interview-based and clinically focused, with Miranda Bauer prompting Rosa for explanations and examples from practice. 20. Women with infertility, miscarriage history, or postpartum clinicians wanting practical fertility context will get the most value. 21. Listeners wanting a light overview without reproductive health detail will probably skip it.

As heard by us

A mother-centered conversation linking fertility, miscarriage, breastfeeding, and recovery.

Gabriela Rosa and Miranda Bauer frame postpartum care as part of a wider fertility story, linking conception, miscarriage, breastfeeding, and recovery without breaking the thread.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If your postpartum questions start before birth and keep going after it.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on