Trying To Be Positive With Anne Matthews

Anne Matthews, RTF Productions

Trying to Be Positive is the hand that you've been wanting to hold on your fertility journey. Anne Matthews is a passionate advocate for reproductive health and normalizing the conversation around fertility, labour, loss and menstruation. A busy clinician (with two waitlisted clinics and not enough time to see everyone wanting to be seen), Trying to Be Positive is Anne’s offering to everyone who is trying. Listen for the tools to get closer to your own positive.

  1. May 26

    PCOS Is Now PMOS: What the Rename Means for Your Fertility, IVF & Metabolic Health

    Anne is back with a solo episode on one of the biggest shifts happening in women's health right now: the rename from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) to PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome). She breaks down why the old name was misleading, why many women with PCOS never actually had ovarian cysts and why many women with polycystic-looking ovaries were completely hormonally well, and what the rename means for how the condition is now understood. She covers lean PMOS, post-pill PCOS, why letrozole works for PMOS patients, why high egg numbers in IVF don't automatically mean high embryo quality, and why PMOS patients are at serious risk of OHSS from aggressive stimulation. She also covers the lifestyle interventions that actually move the needle: resistance training, blood sugar stability, sleep, inflammation reduction, and why male factor is still being ignored in PMOS patients doing IVF. This episode is for anyone who has been told they have PCOS and sent away until they want to have a baby, anyone doing IVF with PMOS and wondering why egg numbers aren't translating to embryos, or anyone realizing that PMOS is a lifelong metabolic condition, not just a fertility problem. 00:00 - Introduction and the PCOS to PMOS rename 07:01 - What PMOS actually stands for and why it matters 09:49 - PCOM: An imaging finding, not a diagnosis 15:04 - Lean PMOS and post-pill PCOS 18:44 - Testosterone, letrozole and how PMOS actually works 23:40 - High egg numbers in IVF don't mean high embryo quality 31:08 - Male factor and OHSS risk in PMOS patients 33:52 - Lifestyle interventions: Resistance training, blood sugar, sleep 40:39 - How acupuncture supports PMOS 42:22 - 2026 research: Benjamin Button ovaries and later menopause 45:16 - Why the rename changes everything

    43 min

  2. May 5

    Male Factor Infertility: Varicocele, DNA Fragmentation & Recurrent Loss - A Fertility Story

    Anne is back with Nico, her first male guest sharing a male factor story. Nico walks through DNA fragmentation climbing from 15% to 24% despite lifestyle changes, discovering he'd had an undiagnosed varicocele for 20 years, being dismissed by urologists who said his wife's PCOS was the real problem, and advocating for surgery that dropped fragmentation to 14%. After immune testing revealed LAD levels at 2%, they fixed both issues but still had five losses before IVF. This episode is for anyone dealing with male factor and recurrent loss, or anyone realizing structural problems need surgical solutions.

    54 min

  3. Apr 14

    A Fertility Story - PCOS, Failed IUIs & Endometriosis: LAD Testing at 7%, LIT Therapy & Getting Pregnant Naturally

    Anne is back with Sarah, who spent three and a half years navigating PCOS, two miscarriages, failed IUIs, and a fertility system that kept offering IVF without explaining why. Sarah shares how she got pregnant spontaneously right after her wedding, lost it at eight weeks, then spent over a year on medicated cycles that went nowhere. She walks through how Anne clocked her GI issues as endometriosis despite being told PCOS patients don't typically have both, getting an on-the-spot endo diagnosis at Sugo, and finally running a full immune panel that came back with LAD levels at 7% when they needed to be at 30-50%. After LIT therapy and intralipids, her levels jumped to 89% and she was pregnant two months later. This episode is for anyone being pushed toward IVF without answers, anyone with PCOS and unexplained digestive issues, or anyone who knows something's wrong but keeps being told everything looks fine. 00:00 - Introduction: Sarah's fertility journey begins02:51 - PCOS, spontaneous pregnancy, miscarriage at 8 weeks05:08 - Two failed IUIs and the IVF push without answers07:36 - Anne identifies GI issues and potential endometriosis11:52 - Endometriosis diagnosis at Sugo13:59 - Second miscarriage and next steps15:24 - Immune panel results: LAD at 7%, cytokines, MTHFR18:10 - LIT therapy and intralipids treatment22:40 - Why reproductive immunology isn't mainstream26:11 - Advice: Listen to your gut and ask questions28:18 - When anxiety lifted: 20 weeks, not 1231:04 - The rage week story

    32 min

  4. Mar 31

    A Fertility Story - Recurrent Miscarriage & Immune Testing: Five Losses, Varicocele Repair & Refusing Unexplained

    Anne is back with Anna, one of her first patients dealing with immune-related infertility. Anna shares her four-year journey through five miscarriages, multiple failed IVF transfers, and the medical dismissals that made her stop trusting anyone in the system. She walks through what happened when her husband's varicocele and high DNA fragmentation were finally addressed mid-IVF cycle, why her clinic created embryos before testing sperm quality, how she navigated immune treatments including LIT therapy and IVIG trips to Chicago, and why doing everything at once meant she'll never know what actually worked. Now facing secondary infertility, Anna talks about the psychological difference between trying again with proof her body can carry versus the hopelessness of repeated loss. This episode is for anyone who's been told everything looks normal but keeps losing pregnancies, anyone wondering whether to try again after finally having success, or anyone realizing that unexplained infertility just means no one has looked hard enough yet. 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - First two losses with heartbeats, no answers 04:29 - Third loss: Abnormal embryo becomes the IVF sales pitch 06:10 - Meeting Anne and starting IVF 09:15 - First retrieval results and DNA fragmentation discovery 14:37 - Why ICSI doesn't fix high fragmentation 16:16 - Varicocele repair through interventional surgery 20:32 - First transfer: Blighted ovum and retained tissue 23:04 - Fourth loss and hitting rock bottom 27:05 - Immune treatments: Intralipids and LIT therapy 32:40 - Success after immune protocol (or was it?) 36:39 - Flying to Chicago for IVIG during pregnancy 38:10 - Preterm birth at 34 weeks and lingering questions 41:06 - Secondary infertility: Going back in with a different mindset 43:38 - What Anne would do differently now 46:01 - The PCOS "miracle baby" myth explained 50:22 - What's actually accessible and what matters most 55:10 - The importance of having someone hold hope for you

    56 min

  5. Mar 17

    Explaining Unexplained Infertility: DNA Fragmentation, Immune Testing & Why Your Lining Matters

    Anne is back tackling the most frustrating diagnosis in fertility medicine: unexplained infertility. She breaks down why this label almost always means the right questions haven't been asked yet, not that there's actually nothing wrong. She explains how varicoceles affect DNA fragmentation even when sperm count looks perfect, why DOR is overdiagnosed and often not the real problem, how failed IUIs and euploid transfer failures point to lining and immune issues that standard testing misses, and what tests actually matter—CD-138 staining for chronic endometritis, hysteroscopy for microadhesions, endomapping for endometriosis, and immune panels that most clinics won't offer. This episode is for anyone told everything looks normal but nothing is working, anyone about to start IVF without knowing what they're solving for, or anyone realizing that unexplained infertility is just fertility care that hasn't been explained yet. 00:00 - Intro03:13 - Question 1: How do you define unexplained infertility?05:10 - Seed, soil, environment: The gardening framework for fertility09:15 - Varicoceles and DNA fragmentation testing13:45 - Why ICSI doesn't fix DNA damage17:36 - Varicocele repair: Finding qualified surgeons22:36 - Question 2: DOR—How can I improve my egg quality?23:15 - Do you actually have DOR or just low AMH?25:08 - Immune dysfunction vs. diminished ovarian reserve28:20 - Maternal immune tolerance and implantation31:45 - Fertilysis testing for immune issues34:20 - Question 3: Spontaneous pregnancy once, many failed IUIs—why?36:02 - Chronic endometritis and CD-138 staining40:15 - EMMA/ALICE testing vs. CD-138: Which comes first43:50 - Hysteroscopy for microadhesions and tissue inflammation46:20 - Why letrozole can thin your lining48:45 - Endometriosis as immune dysregulation, not just pain51:45 - Endo mapping and finding qualified endo surgeons55:36 - Closing: Unexplained means unexplored

    56 min

  6. Mar 3

    Fertility Clinic Red Flags: Spilling the Tea on Cookie-Cutter Care & What to Ask For

    Today, Anne tackles the influx of questions from patients feeling let down, gaslit, and stuck in the fertility clinic system. We are diving deep into the diagnostics your clinic should be running—and exactly what to do if they refuse. From the necessity of immune testing to the critical role of blood thinners in preventing recurrent loss, this is your ultimate guide to self-advocacy. 00:00 Intro01:53 How Clinics Have Changed: From Innovative to Cookie-Cutter04:03 Why You Must Advocate for Your Future Child11:04 Clinic Red Flags: "Science Experiments" & Ovarian PRP16:59 The Blood Thinner Issue: Microcirculation & Implantation19:20 The Clotting Tests You Need to Ask For (Beyond the RPL)23:15 Why Clinics Refuse Blood Thinners: Liability vs. Physiology27:15 If They Don't Do Immune Testing, Leave31:10 Immunology Explained: Uterine NK Cells, LADs & Cytokines39:19 Final Red Flags & The Truth About Fast OHIP Waitlists

    43 min

  7. Feb 10

    Fertility Questions I Answer Every Day in Clinic: DNA Fragmentation, Exercise, Coffee & Age

    Anne is back answering the fertility questions she hears most often from patients—not the ones from Instagram AMAs, but the real concerns that come up after people have already made lifestyle changes. She covers why DNA fragmentation testing matters despite what some clinics say, how much exercise actually helps (or hurts) fertility, whether coffee is sabotaging your chances, why your friend's protocol won't work for you, what recent research reveals about age and egg quality, and how acupuncture actually influences reproductive hormones. This episode is for anyone who's already doing the basics and wants to know if they're focusing on the right things, or for anyone realizing that consistency matters more than fertility hacks. 00:00 - Intro05:24 - Question 1: Is there anything else I should be doing?09:15 - Question 2: Why does DNA fragmentation matter?16:16 - Question 3: Should I exercise more or less for fertility?22:20 - Question 4: Is coffee bad for my fertility?25:06 - Question 5: Why did my friend's protocol work but not for me?29:25 - Question 6: The real science on age-related decline36:28 - Question 7: How does acupuncture actually work?43:33 - Closing thoughts and rate & review request

    41 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    Unexplained Infertility, High NK Cells & Saying No to IVF: Fran’s Story

    When Anne first met Fran, she thought to herself, "She’s a youth... this is going to be a slam dunk." Fran was 26, incredibly healthy, and fit. But after a year of negative tests and chemical pregnancies, she was slapped with the frustrating diagnosis of "Unexplained Infertility" and told that IVF was her only real option. In this episode, we share Fran’s Story, a powerful journey of refusing to settle for a non-diagnosis. Fran opens up about why she said no to IVF and instead dug deeper to find the true root cause: her immune system. 00:00 Intro06:17 The First Chemical Pregnancy & False Optimism09:49 The Clinic Reality: "Unexplained Infertility" & The IVF Hard Sell15:45 Leaving the System: Seeking "Root Cause" Answers22:06 The Breakthrough: Finding Fertilysis & Reproductive Immunology28:29 The Diagnosis: High Natural Killer Cells (33%) & Low LAD Levels31:40 When Treatment Fails: Failed LIT & Pivoting to Donor Blood37:42 Hitting Rock Bottom: Grief, Burnout & Starting at "Ground Zero"45:40 The Natural BFP & Managing Pregnancy After Infertility Trauma

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Trying to Be Positive is the hand that you've been wanting to hold on your fertility journey. Anne Matthews is a passionate advocate for reproductive health and normalizing the conversation around fertility, labour, loss and menstruation. A busy clinician (with two waitlisted clinics and not enough time to see everyone wanting to be seen), Trying to Be Positive is Anne’s offering to everyone who is trying. Listen for the tools to get closer to your own positive.

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