Maggie (Host): Welcome to Time to Talk Fertility Beyond the Lab Coat, a podcast
from Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I'm your host, Maggie McKay.
Join us as we go behind the scenes with Dr.
Allison Kay Rogers reproductive endocrinologist to discover what inspires
her work, how she connects with patient's, And what drives her passion for helping
families grow real stories, real purpose.
Real Care.
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Hi Maggie.
Maggie (Host): Thank you so much for being here.
Would you please share your full name and credentials?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Sure.
My name is Dr.
Allison k Rogers.
I'm a reproductive endocrinologist and physician at Fertility
Centers of Illinois.
Maggie (Host): Great.
So what inspired you to pursue medicine and specifically
reproductive endocrinology?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
That's a great question.
So I really love problem solving.
and there is nothing more important than being a parent.
I have my own family.
I had to go through fertility treatment to get my family there is nothing
more important than being a parent and being able to help people become
parents every day is such a joy and really is my passion in terms of why
I went into this area of medicine.
Maggie (Host): And what do you find most rewarding about your work?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Like I said, I think there is nothing more important than becoming a parent
and really helping people through some of their hardest times to a place
of joy and family and fulfillment.
Maggie (Host): Is there a particular moment that reaffirmed why you
chose this field that you remember?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So I have about a baby born every day
and.
That is such a huge difference.
And every year around Halloween, we invite our success stories
to come back and get dressed up and come visit us in the office.
And every year I.
Love seeing my patient's who I've spent so much time with in such a vulnerable
and difficult stage of their life, go on into this new era of being parents
and seeing their adorable children.
I had one parent patient this last year who drove seven hours round
trip to see me for Halloween.
And I think it just speaks to the relationship and what we do and
how it changes people's lives.
Maggie (Host): wow.
How do you hope to make a difference in your patient's lives?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, obviously helping them find success is my number one goal and
getting them to their dream family.
So whatever that looks like, however many children they want, That is really
what our goals are And what we're hoping to help, make the difference.
I would also say that, you know.
This is their journey, and This is a very difficult thing to go through.
So to give them all of the guidance and support that they deserve
during that journey to make it as least painful as possible, both
physically and emotionally is my goal.
Maggie (Host): I think you pretty much touched on this, but what drives your
passion for helping these families on their journey to parenthood?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, I actually was a fertility doctor before I needed help with infertility.
So some people say, is that why you became a fertility
doctor because you needed help?
No, I was already a fertility doctor, but feel like I've the best
job in the world, to be able to.
Help people through such a difficult time to the sweetest
success that life can give.
Maggie (Host): How would you describe your approach to patient care?
What's the most important thing, to you when you're guiding
a patient through treatment?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I always wanna understand where a patient's coming from, where they wanna
go, and one of my guiding principles just in life in general, is the golden rule.
treating people the way that we would wanna be treated.
So I really try to approach my interactions with compassion and
care, and attention to detail and time that I want from my own physician.
Maggie (Host): How do you help patient's feel supported and
empowered throughout this journey?
Because it's gotta be emotional.
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Oh it is.
there's been some studies that fertility treatment is as stressful
as an oncology or cancer diagnosis.
So, It is one of the most stressful things somebody can go through.
I think that I have regular touch bases and check-ins with my patient's.
I really try to take care of them in a holistic way, thinking about
both their physical and emotional needs and really trying to understand
where they are so that we can get them where they need to be.
Maggie (Host): How do you balance science, technology, and empathy in your work?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Oh, I think that's actually super easy.
explaining the science to patient's And the, technology and research That is.
Sort of very straightforward, but obviously also coming at it with
wanting to make sure that they, as a human being, their soul, their emotions
are being taken care of as well.
So I actually find that super easy to be able to help support patient's and educate
patient's about science and technology and research, and guide them in what I
would do, And then have a conversation about what they're comfortable with.
Maggie (Host): Dr.
Rogers, what are your special areas of clinical interest
And what draws you to them?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So I do general reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
So I mainly take care of infertility patient's, And this includes fertility
treatment for couples using donor eggs, donor sperm, or gestational carriers,
including LGBTQ plus patient's.
I take care of a lot of patient's with polycystic ovary syndrome and hormonal
imbalances that are created in them not to have regular cycles and have infertility.
And then I have a special interest in both recurrent pregnancy loss,
so people who've had more than one.
Miscarriage as well as people with low egg count.
Those are some special areas of interest to me, but all of us here at FCI are
general reproductive endocrinologists, And we can take care of sort of the
whole breadth and depth of the specialty.
Uh.
Maggie (Host): And where did you complete your medical education, your
residency and fellowship training?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So I did my undergraduate and medical school at the University of Michigan.
I then went on to the Cleveland Clinic to do my residency, and I did my fellowship
at the University of Texas in San Antonio.
And then I've been here in Chicago ever since.
Maggie (Host): Nice.
Was there something you learned along the way that continues
to shape your approach today?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I think being a fertility patient myself and sort of seeing what patient's have to
go through on the other side, I think was super helpful in terms of the care and
compassion and really understanding in a very unique way what patient's are going
through both physically and emotionally.
Maggie (Host): What excites you most about the future of reproductive medicine?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
There are so many things.
Certainly I think genetics are a big one.
Artificial intelligence, both in the laboratory setting and predicting
models is gonna be a big thing that really helps push our career forward.
Obviously reproductive medicine is a very young field, right?
The first IVF baby was born in 1978.
so.
That was worldwide in the United States.
It was only 1981.
So, This is a very young part of medicine That is evolving very rapidly and using
technology to improve pregnancy rates.
that's, the areas of most interest, of course.
Maggie (Host): And what accomplishment in your practice or even your
career are you most proud of?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I love being able to say that I have a baby born every day, so my goal is always
to get to at least 365 babies a year.
but really, being able to help the most people possible,
Maggie (Host): what do your patient's often say that they appreciate
most about working with you?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
one of the things that I really do is there's no cookie cutter approach, Each
patient in front of me, I analyze and look at all their test results and
come up with a very individualized treatment plan for them, and I try to Set
realistic expectations with my patient's.
So I think Those are some things that I do that really matter to patient's, that
they're not just sort of given the same protocol everybody else does, but like
I put together something specific for them and This is the art of the science,
being able to put together treatment plans to help people find success.
Maggie (Host): How do you build trust and meaningful
connections with your patient's?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, I really just try to be honest, like I said, and I think that there's
a lot of, bad representation out there in the media of doctors who
are maybe doing things not for in the best interest of their patient's.
Right?
And I always am putting my patient's interest first and let them know that
I'm not just doing treatment to do treatment, I'm doing treatment to get
them pregnant, even if that means.
having to, take a pause on treatment or do something in it with a different approach.
but being very honest, I think it, it takes mutual respect
and good communication.
Maggie (Host): So with patient's who are feeling anxious or discouraged,
as I'm sure that's a big part of this journey, what advice do you give them?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, I think it's really important to have a medical provider and a team
that they feel comfortable asking questions to, and I think that having.
The next step forward in their journey, being able to understand maybe what's
next, but what's three steps ahead.
If that doesn't work, is something that can be really helpful.
I also think that, letting patient's know that there is
always a pathway to a family.
It may not be how you envisioned it, but there is always a pathway
to help you build your family.
Maggie (Host): And so for people still hoping to build their family, what
message of encouragement would you share
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
yeah, I would just say don't give up.
your success is gonna be related to your treatment, so the more treatment you
do, the closer you are to your baby.
Don't give up.
Maggie (Host): What's one lesson your patient's have taught you?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So many.
I would say that one thing that my patient's have taught me is, the
importance of really listening and really, understanding each individual journey
because everyone's goals are different and meeting patient's where they are.
Maggie (Host): And outside of medicine, what brings you joy or balance?
What do you love to do for fun?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
so my biggest passion is horseback riding.
We as a family have three horses and, I ride my horse every day except Mondays
they get the day off on Mondays.
so That is.
my biggest joy, in terms of hobbies and, and interests, I jump over fences, which
sounds really dangerous and sometimes can be, but I like the fences pretty low.
so That is my biggest joy.
I love hiking, especially with my dogs.
I, of course, love spending time with my children.
Like I said, there's nothing more important than my husband and
my children and my family and being able to help other people.
Enjoy their family is the best thing in the world.
Maggie (Host): What's something people might be surprised to
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I'm left-handed.
I don't know if that's something surprising.
Um, I think maybe 15% of the population is I'm left-handed.
that's probably, probably it.
Maggie (Host): Okay.
What three words best describe you?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Enthusiastic.
Detailed and compassionate.
Maggie (Host): So I think I know how you're gonna answer this, but
if you could instantly be great at any Olympic sport, what would it be?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
For sure horseback riding.
Um, yep, for sure.
I was able to go to the Paris Olympics, which was amazing, And we were able
to see lots of, Olympic sports.
There are a lot of very cool sports out there,
but certainly horseback riding.
Maggie (Host): What was your first job?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So my first job was I worked at a PEth store and I started off
by cleaning out cages and tanks, which was a dirty, messy job.
Um, but I ended up like, you know, getting promoted to be a cashier.
And that was, it was good learning how to deal with the public because
not everybody's nice to a high school, a high school student,
uh, who's at the bed store.
Maggie (Host): Aw.
I think people should be extra nice to high schoolers 'cause you know, there's
a good chance it's their first job and everybody had to start somewhere.
And especially if you have kids, you know how tough it was
for them and their first job.
I just never understand why people aren't nicer to kids at that job anyway.
so when you were a kid, what did you dream of becoming?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So I wanted to be a doctor, but I also was thinking about being a marine biologist.
So I love animals.
I love the ocean.
but then I realized I don't like boats very much, and I think
you need to spend time on boats if you're a marine biologist.
So decided medicine was a safer on the ground career
Maggie (Host): What's your most used emoji?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
for sure.
A heart.
I love a lot of things.
Maggie (Host): What does National Infertility Awareness Week mean to you?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
So National Infertility Awareness Week is really a week where we can come
together as a infertility community, so patient's, providers, people in the
industry, and, take a minute to realize how hard This is, how important the work
we're doing is, and support each other.
Maggie (Host): Dr.
Rogers, why is it so important to talk openly about infertility?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, I think there's a lot of shame associated with infertility.
When I was going through infertility treatment, I really was so ashamed.
I didn't feel comfortable talking to anybody in my life about it.
and people certainly in the public didn't know about it and
it shouldn't be that way, right?
This is a medical condition just like any other, and obviously it's
incredibly personal, but I think the more we talk about it, the more people
realize that a lot of people are going through what they're going through.
They're not alone.
Maggie (Host): And what are some words of encouragement that you'd share with
patient's who are navigating infertility?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
There's so much hope.
get the right medical team, get evaluated, get answers, and move
forward to find your success.
Maggie (Host): And how can awareness and education help break
the stigma that you were talking about around fertility challenges?
I.
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Well, I think, having people realize that other people maybe,
people they see, you know.
like Hollywood stars or their doctor or who, you know, people in their
life that might not be sharing it are going through similar experiences.
And I think that that hopefully will sort of break some of these challenges and
barriers to what people are going through.
Maggie (Host): And what should patient's look for when they're
choosing a fertility clinic?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I think there's a couple things.
Certainly the expertise of the clinic, how good their pregnancy rates are.
and that's something that you can look up, if you connect well with the doctor.
Does the support team, help you?
I think Those are all things, certainly a.
Practice That is brand new, that hasn't been around very long, doesn't have
the track record as a practice like ours that's been around for 40 years.
That was, tried and true, has made thousands upon thousands
of families, and very, reliable.
Maggie (Host): Those are all good points.
what would you say sets fertility centers of Illinois apart
from other fertility clinics?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
experience has never mattered more so we have more years and more doctors
than any other clinic in the Midwest.
We, have helped.
Make more families.
And I think that our excellence in the laboratory, our excellence with our,
clinical protocols and, our expertise and experience is what really sets us apart.
Maggie (Host): Well, is there anything else you'd like to add in closing?
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
I am so happy to, be able to be with you today.
I also do a lot of fertility education on social media on
Instagram and TikTok at Dr.
Dr.
Ellison do Rogers.
So you can check me out there.
Maggie (Host): That's great.
Thank you so much for being here and sharing your expertise.
It's been a pleasure getting to know you.
Allison K. Rodgers, MD:
Thank you so much, Maggie.
Maggie (Host): Again, that's Dr.
Allison k Rogers.
To find Dr.
Rogers, please visit fci online.com/doctors.
I'm Maggie McKay.
Thank you for listening to Time to Talk Fertility Beyond the Lab Coat, a podcast
from Fertility Centers of Illinois.