Have you heard of Kimberley Schamroth, “The Fertility RN”? If you’re facing reproductive challenges, it’s worth getting to know her.
“I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare,” registered nurse Schamroth told the Magazine at the recent Navigating Reproductive Health in Israel conference in Jerusalem, “but it was not until after three years working as a nurse that I discovered my love for reproductive medicine.”
After “working with critically ill patients, I knew I wanted to make a change in my mindset as a healthcare professional,” she explained. Schamroth went on to work at some of the leading fertility clinics in New York City, such as the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM Fertility of New York).
“I wanted to help families grow, be supportive of couples and individuals in one of the most vulnerable times of their lives, and become a source of comfort.
“I created The Fertility RN as a way to educate my followers on social media about their reproductive health,” she said.
“I became the go-to person for all questions related to egg freezing, cycle tracking, IVF, and pregnancy. What started off as a fun Instagram account has grown into a business, working with patients and fertility tech companies worldwide.”
Schamroth, who made aliyah from the United States a year and a half ago, organized the evening conference, hosted at the Nefesh B’Nefesh center, aimed at olim [immigrants] who may not understand the healthcare system in Israel.
While the focus was on reproductive health, the well-attended event was also helpful to those interested in improving their physical and emotional well-being. Mainstream medical practitioners and holistic health experts contributed to the program.
How does it work?
The Fertility RN addresses the lacuna in reproductive services for those struggling with infertility, along with the lack of awareness regarding available resources.
“I work with individuals and couples privately as they navigate their fertility journey here in Israel. The most common struggle I hear about is the disconnect between the patient and the healthcare team,” she told the Magazine.
“It is often hard to reach your fertility doctor, and the language creates a barrier as well. I am here to fill that gap for my clients and to educate them on the questions and concerns they have along their journey.”
Asked how Israel compares with the US, she said that in the US, “you have everything in one centralized location: your fertility doctor, the nurses, your blood work, and ultrasound appointments, as well as a surgery center. In Israel, it may not feel as centralized.” For instance, some procedures might occur at a hospital, not at the doctor’s clinic.
“However, you will have your doctor provide you with all the necessary referrals for each appointment, and a team of nurses will reach out to you with your medication instructions,” she said.
Dr. David Kulak, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist who recently made aliyah from New York, concurred. “When you’re in the States, your medical home is your physician. You go to your doctor... The person who’s organizing everything for you and telling you what to do is your physician,” he told the conference audience.
“In Israel, it’s a different system,” he said. “In Israel, your medical home is you. You are the person who’s responsible for taking care of you and your health, and that’s uncomfortable and that’s hard. But in other ways, it’s beautiful because who’s going to know you better than you know yourself?
“So, that worked beautifully when this was a new and tiny country” with a small population, and people always knew somebody who had a connection.
“Thank God, Israel has grown tenfold, and that’s amazing, but it’s also hard because you don’t know who to go to and what’s out there, and that’s really overwhelming – for [native] Israelis and especially for us because we don’t even have the people we went to the army with,” he said, referring to the network that Israelis create during their IDF service.
“And I think that’s what’s amazing about tonight. It’s an opportunity to say, ‘Yes, it takes a village to give good care.’ Hopefully, it’s the first of many opportunities for us to get together and say, ‘Who’s out there? How can we help? How can we know everyone that’s out there so that we can provide that care?’”
DANIEL LANDAU, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Men’s Help Line, also spoke at the event.
“Miscarriage and infertility are very common. One in six couples suffers from infertility, and half of those cases are due to male infertility. One in four couples struggles with miscarriage. So, know that you’re not alone. Please talk about it. Please reach out. We want to hear from you. We want to help you through this journey. We have to stay positive and optimistic, and we will get through it.”
He shared his personal story with the Magazine. “After going through a round of IVF, we did an embryo transfer, and after 12 weeks of pregnancy, we suffered a miscarriage. When it happened, I was just completely devastated,” he said. “My wife had all the resources in the world, and I had absolutely nothing, nowhere to turn. So, I realized there’s a big hole to fill, and men need support, so I created this organization.”
Men’s Help Line is “the only nonprofit in the world that focuses on men needing emotional support when raising awareness to end the stigma when dealing with infertility and miscarriage,” he explained. “We have support groups; we have a peer-to-peer buddy system, a podcast, a Facebook group – all meant to connect men to one another so that they do not feel alone.”
RABBI GIDEON WEITZMAN heads the English-speaking section of the Puah Institute for Fertility and Medicine in Accordance with Halacha [Jewish law] in Israel.
“We have a worldwide network of physicians, counselors, and therapists who are able to encourage every couple,” he told the gathering.
“There are challenges. There are questions. There are ways, methods, and solutions that are, maybe, different, somewhat idiosyncratic, and specific to the Jewish community, but they will never block a couple from having children.”
He said that he continuously meets couples, individuals, physicians, counselors, and rabbis who are amazed to understand that what they were convinced was prohibited, according to Halacha, is actually permitted in certain circumstances.
“What they were totally convinced was outside of the Jewish realm is something that we, at Puah, use and encourage every single day. The ability to give access to every single individual and every single couple to fertility treatment is what we at Puah do, and it ties in beautifully with Kim’s [Schamroth’s] mission as well.”
Dr. Millie Schweky, a physiotherapist and pelvic floor specialist, spoke about the benefits of physiotherapy and offered original advice.
Dr. Herman Weiss, an obstetrician-gynecologist and leading expert in the field of hormonal health, supported her approach. Weiss is the CEO and co-founder of Provation Life, which provides scientifically proven patented holistic solutions to support hormonal balance,” according to its website. At the event, he discussed the company’s new product, Inositol Plus, an ovarian support and dietary supplement that “supports all aspects of female fertility,” including mental well-being.
“The most important thing, if you take anything out of tonight’s event, is that you have to be your own advocate. What’s the best way to be your own advocate? Be educated,” he said.
He advised against “getting your medical care and advice” exclusively “on the Internet.”
“You can get educated and learn about things, but definitely talk to your doctor or your healthcare provider, who will guide you,” he stressed.
He also discussed the importance of eating right. “Not just what you eat but also how you eat and when you eat,” as well as exercise and physiotherapy, which “could make a world of difference.”
Weiss was echoed by others who advocated for a holistic approach.
Yehudis Schamroth of RBS Acupuncture – Kimberley’s mother-in-law – said she encounters people with “all kinds of chronic problems,” not necessarily to do with fertility. “Fibromyalgia, insomnia, things like that. I ask them what their doctor says to do about it, and many of them say, ‘Just go home and live with it.’ That’s not a very good answer. So I started doing research and then realized that this was a field I’d be interested in pursuing.”
An experienced nurse anesthetist, she “went back to school and became a practitioner of Chinese medicine and acupuncture,” focusing on an integrative approach to improve people’s overall health.
“I try to make health fun, easy, interesting, and doable, said Nomi Levy of the website Nomi Knows Nutrition. A clinical nutritionist and board-certified health and wellness coach, she “helps clients make the right behavioral choices, not just for two weeks but long term... I think one of the things we see today with the Internet is that we have a ton of information, but we don’t actually know what to value.
“We hear that this herb is good, and that intervention is good... I want to help people prioritize the most essential things that will provide the baseline for their health, and you can always improve from there,” she told the audience.
“You don’t have to do everything. You have to do more than you’re doing now. The way that your body will respond to these changes is individual, and you don’t have to feel overwhelmed.”
FOCUSING ON fertility, she noted that “stress is toxic, and the fertility process is a really stressful process,” adding that it could be “mitigated if we feel supported.”
Leah Mitnick (Leah Mitnick Juices), a certified natural juice therapist specializing in chronic illness and digestive issues, discussed the toxicity of stress with the Magazine.
“After a very challenging aliyah, I was going through an extremely stressful period in my life, and I got sick with colitis,” she said. Unable to heal through mainstream medicine, she finally recovered with the help of reflexology and a regimen of plant-based foods and juices.
“I got well after being sick for over a year with moderate-to-severe colitis. I’ve been in remission for three and a half years now and take no medicine,” she reported.
Nevertheless, all the speakers and vendors (including those presenting holistic remedies) at the conference agreed on the need to consult with medical professionals when dealing with health issues.
Other individuals and organizations at the conference included Elisheva Laks, LCSW, a licensed clinical therapist who runs the Women and Infertility Support Group; Gefen Fertility, a nonprofit providing emotional and wellness support to fertility-challenged women; JR Side By Side, which provides support and guidance before, during, and after perinatal loss; Chana Falk, founder and creative director of Keren Ohr, a retreat offering couples an intensive healing experience; Lauren Allen, a holistic health and nutrition coach; Naomi Eastman, a fitness trainer and nutrition coach; Nechama Comfort and Candles of Hope, which helps couples – and their extended families – suffering infertility or loss and provides community awareness; certified lactation specialist Serena Kalish, aka The Lactation PA; and Michal Roness, a yoetzet Halacha fertility counselor affiliated with Nishmat-The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. (A yoetzet halacha is a certified female adviser on Jewish law pertaining to marriage, sexuality, and women’s health who offers “a discreet, compassionate address for all their halachic needs during the fertility journey.”)
Dr. Natalie Getreu, founder and COO of Fertility Health, a global health expert in ovarian biology and honorary research fellow at University College London, moderated the concluding Q&A panel.
At the end of the day, Schamroth said, “Knowledge is power.”
For more information, email Kim@thefertilityrn.net.