Dr. Lora Shahine

Dr. Lora Shahine Reproductive Endocrinologist, Director of the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Program at PNWF in Seattle, author Not Broken: An Approachable Guide to Miscarriage

05/27/2026

I’ll this as a win!

05/27/2026

Dad’s Health Before Conception Matters

I love when partners speak up about this because the father’s health before conception is real, evidence-based, and so often overlooked.

S***m is more than a DNA delivery system. It carries epigenetic information, small chemical signals that influence how the embryo implants, how the placenta develops, and how the baby grows.

Lifestyle factors like smoking, heavy alcohol, and inflammation create oxidative stress that damages s***m DNA integrity. Age matters too. So does weight.

Here’s the part I want every couple to hear:
s***m is on roughly a 3-month life cycle.
What he does today shapes s***m health a few months from now.

That means there’s a real window to make changes that matter.

The mother’s health gets all the attention.
The father’s health is building the same baby.

To learn more watch my full YT video walking through the evidence on this important topic.
See my playlists on Lifestyle optimization for fertility and Male Factor Fertility for more evidence based education.

Video:

05/26/2026

What people get wrong about IVF 👇

IVF is one of the most powerful tools we have in fertility care, but the myths around it create unnecessary fear and confusion. Let’s clear a few up.

Myth: IVF uses up all your eggs.
Truth: IVF uses eggs that your body was already going to release that cycle. We’re rescuing eggs, not depleting your reserve.

Myth: IVF is your only option.
Truth: This could be true for people with blocked fallopian tubes, severe male factor, and other indications but for many people, less invasive treatments like timed in*******se with ovulation tracking, ovulation induction, or IUI are great first steps.

Myth: IVF is the best option for low AMH.
Truth: Low AMH means fewer eggs retrieved per cycle, which can make IVF less efficient. Sometimes a different approach makes more sense.

Myth: IVF works on the first try.
Truth: Success rates vary widely by age, diagnosis, and clinic. Many people need more than one cycle, and that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.

Knowledge is power.

If you’re navigating fertility decisions, ask questions, get a second opinion, and find a team that explains your options clearly.

What’s a myth you’ve heard about IVF?
Share below 👇

Curious about fertility?
Comment here or DM me with ‘Fertility101’ (no spaces) for my free ebook with answers to 101 of the most common questions on fertility, ovulation, miscarriage, IUI, IVF, endometriosis, and PCOS. Be sure to follow for me to DM link to you.

05/25/2026

📚 What I’ve read recently: a mix of thrillers, memoir, literary fiction, and one very unexpected fantasy moment.
Save this list for your next library run.

1. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino — A 37-year-old publicist’s house-hunting obsession in the brutal DC market tips into full-blown unhinged territory. Dark, snarky thriller

2. The Genius Factory by David Plotz — The wild true story of the Nobel Prize s***m bank, a 1980s experiment in human breeding, and what actually happened to the donors and the 200+ children it produced. Mix of ethics and technology that makes me think deeply as a fertility doctor.

3. You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate — Christina’s memoir on growing up a child star in 70s and 80s Laurel Canyon, her tumultuous home life, and her MS diagnosis. Raw, funny, and unflinchingly honest.

4. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans — A debut epistolary novel told entirely through the letters of a 70-something retired lawyer named Sybil. Quiet, slow-burn study of grief, connection, and second chances.

5. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke — A tradwife influencer wakes up in the 19th century and has to figure out how to survive without modern conveniences. Part satire, part suspense, and a sharp commentary on the tradwife internet and women’s role in society.

6. Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden — Classic McFadden. A woman flees after killing her abusive husband in self-defense, gets snowed in at a remote motel, and nothing is what it seems. Quick, twisty, perfect plane read.

7. The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews — Reese’s May book club pick. A young Manhattan wife and mother’s affair with a French art dealer ends in murder and a stolen painting, and she’s the prime suspect. Soapy, smart, and full of NYC art-world intrigue.

8. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — Yes, I finally read it. A young huntress is dragged into a faerie realm and the rest is, well, exactly what everyone has been telling me it is. Reading the next one immediately.

What should I add to the stack next month?
Drop your favorite recent read in the comments. 👇

05/24/2026

ICSI was an incredibly mistake!

The discovery of ICSI is one of my favorite stories in fertility medicine 🔬

In 1991, embryologist Gianpiero Palermo was practicing a different technique called SUZI (subzonal insemination) in his Brussels lab. The goal was to place s***m just under the egg’s outer shell, hoping fertilization would happen on its own. But during one attempt, he accidentally pushed the needle too far and injected the s***m directly inside the egg. He thought he had ruined the egg. Instead, it fertilized normally and developed into a healthy embryo.

That “mistake” became ICSI: intracytoplasmic s***m injection. Today it’s used in roughly two-thirds of IVF cycles worldwide and has helped millions of families build their families, especially when male factor infertility is part of the picture.

A few things ICSI made possible:
✨ Fertilization with very low s***m counts
✨ Pregnancy with s***m retrieved surgically from the testicles
✨ Options for couples who previously had no path to a biological child

Science moves forward in unexpected ways.

Sometimes the breakthrough looks like a slip of the hand.

Save this if you want to remember the story, and tell me in the comments: did you have ICSI as part of your IVF cycle?

05/22/2026

Remembering Kyle Busch

The world knew him as a NASCAR legend, a two-time Cup Series champion and the winningest driver across the sport’s three national series. Our community knew him and his wife, Samantha, as advocates who refused to let families face infertility alone.

After more than a decade of their own journey through IVF and loss, they founded the Bundle of Joy Fund in 2015. Over 150 grants. More than two million dollars awarded. Over 100 babies brought into the world because they chose to share their story instead of hide it.

I had the honor of sitting down with Samantha on episode 23 of Brave and Curious, and her courage has stayed with me ever since. This is what advocacy looks like. This is what turning pain into purpose looks like.

Sending so much love to Samantha, the family, and everyone grieving this loss.

Thank you, Kyle, for using your platform to help others build their families.

❤️

05/22/2026

The struggle is real

😎 in Seattle

Share with your bestie that gets it❤️

05/21/2026

Science is amazing!

Follow me to learn more about your reproductive health

Curious about fertility? Comment here or DM me with ‘Fertility101’ (no spaces) for my free ebook with answers to 101 of the most common questions on fertility, ovulation, miscarriage, IUI, IVF, endometriosis, and PCOS. Be sure to follow for me to DM link to you.

PCOS has a new name…Finally!Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome was named decades ago by 2 surgeons looking at ovaries full of f...
05/20/2026

PCOS has a new name…Finally!

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome was named decades ago by 2 surgeons looking at ovaries full of follicles but the name has lead to confusion ever since.

After 11 years of research, 22,000+ patient and clinician voices, and a global consensus published in The Lancet, polycystic o***y syndrome is now PMOS:

Polyendocrine
Metabolic
Ovarian
Syndrome

One letter changed but holds a lot of meaning

Here’s why this matters to me as a reproductive endocrinologist:

For decades, the word “polycystic” pointed us toward cysts that aren’t really cysts, and toward ovaries when this was always a whole-body condition. Patients were dismissed when their ovaries looked “normal.”

Insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, mood changes, and skin and hair symptoms were treated as separate problems instead of pieces of the same picture.

Up to 70% of people with this condition are still undiagnosed.

PMOS finally tells the truth about what this condition is. It’s hormonal. It’s metabolic. It involves the ovaries, but it doesn’t stop there.

If you have PCOS, you still have PCOS. You also now have PMOS.

Same condition. Better name.

And I hope, a better future of faster diagnoses, fuller care, and more research into how this affects your whole body across your whole life.

For everyone who has ever felt unheard trying to get answers about your hormones, your cycles, your weight, your skin, your fertility, your mood: this change is for you.

Save and share to spread the word!

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1101 Madison Street, Suite 1050
Seattle, WA
98104

Telephone

+12065150000

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