Fluffy, Sticky & Thick

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Fluffy, Sticky & Thick
Date: September 12, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode centers around Katie’s deeply personal and often humorous recounting of her ongoing IVF (in vitro fertilization) journey. With honesty and candor, Katie shares the physical and emotional ups and downs of fertility treatment, including her recent embryo transfer procedure. The hosts discuss the science, the surreal clinical experience, and the life changes that IVF brings, punctuated by signature Armstrong & Getty banter.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Katie’s IVF Journey – Updates & Process

• Katie’s Absence: Katie explains her recent two-week absence was due to IVF treatment.
  • [00:26] Katie: “I'm going through the IVF process where my husband and I are trying to have a baby.”
• Egg Retrieval and Embryo Transfer:
  • Started IVF in May; underwent two egg retrievals, yielding six embryos.
  • This week, the strongest embryo (a boy) was implanted via a transfer procedure.
  • [01:15] Katie: “They put the strongest of the embryos into me, and it’s a little boy.”
• The Transfer Procedure:
  • Katie was surprised to be awake (not sedated like prior retrievals), making the process uncomfortable and invasive.
  • Describes the sensations and emotions, including involuntary fear reactions.
  • [02:54] Katie: “They’ve been calling me fluffy, sticky and thick.”

2. Medical Details and Bodily Realities

• Describing the Procedure:
  • The transfer involves inserting a catheter through the cervix into the uterus, similar to (but more intense than) a Pap smear.
  • [01:51] Katie: “They go in through the Yoohoo… It’s the same process as having a Pap smear.”
• Physical Aftermath:
  • Katie nearly passed out after the procedure due to stress and discomfort.
  • She struggles to describe the line between pain and discomfort.
  • [03:29] Katie: “I can't tell if it was so uncomfortable that it was painful.”
• Emotional Reactions:
  • Katie’s bodily tension was so strong the doctor had to repeatedly remind her to relax her legs.
  • [04:19] Katie: “My whole legs, my whole [body]…”

3. The Science and Surrealism of IVF

• On the Atmosphere in the Clinic:
  • Attempts to distract Katie (funny faces, music, house beats, jokes) occurring as the embryologist enters with the embryo.
  • Embryo placed on a "silver platter" and displayed on a screen before implantation.
  • [06:11] Katie: “She’s holding it like a silver platter, you know, and Dr. Amy goes, thank you. And they put it up on the big screen...”
  • Dr. Amy even made a “wee!” sound as the embryo was transferred.
    • [07:09] Katie: “As he went into my uterus, she went, ‘wee!’”

4. Next Steps & Medical Hurdles

• Hopeful Progress:
  • First pregnancy test scheduled for next week; big genetic testing at 18 weeks to check for polycystic kidney disease.
  • Slight dread for the 18-week amniocentesis (possible needle procedure).
  • [07:35] Katie: “It's going to be kind of a waiting game until eighteen weeks.”
• Lifestyle Changes:
  • No alcohol, vaping, coffee, sushi, or deli meats—making daily life a (humorously) greater challenge.
  • [08:33] Katie: "Let me tell you, I have had to quit all of my vices... which has made me a joy."
  • [09:19] Katie: "Nope. That's some coffee-less days."

5. IVF Costs, Accessibility & Social Impact

• On Expenses:

  • IVF is expensive and not always covered by insurance.
  • Amazon is cited as an example of a company that does offer infertility coverage.
  • [10:17] Katie: “It's quite expensive. But there are certain places... Amazon actually covers infertility.”

• History and Growth of IVF:

  • First IVF birth was in 1978 (Louise Brown). The procedure became common and efficient in the early 2000s.
  • [10:44] B: “Dr. Robert Edwards won the 2010 Nobel Prize... millions of babies have now been born worldwide through IVF since 1978.”

• Embryo Donations:

  • Katie and her husband plan to donate unused embryos to families who can’t conceive.
  • [11:42] Katie: “The remaining embryos are going to be donated to families that can't.”

6. Connecting With Listeners & Candid Reflections

• Listener Support:

  • Many listeners reached out in response to previous IVF discussions, sharing solidarity.
  • Katie stresses the importance of openness about the IVF experience.
  • [11:12] Katie: "I've never really been a closed book about anything, so I have no problem talking about this stuff."

• Humor & Empathy:

  • The hosts use playful banter to process the strange, vulnerable aspects of the experience.
  • Running jokes about “fluffy, sticky, and thick” uterine linings and male lack of empathy for stirrups.
  • [12:14] A: “Just one time... can I just one time [try the stirrups]?”
  • [12:27] B: “Exactly. To help your empathy there, tough guy.”

• Memorable Closing:

  • Michael jokes, after hearing the ordeal, about opting for a foreign exchange student instead of doing IVF.
  • [12:39] B (Michael): "My wife is going to do that, but after hearing this, we're just going to do a foreign exchange student this summer."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the clinical language:
  • [02:54] Katie: “They use all the adjectives no female ever wants to be described as. They've been calling me fluffy, sticky and thick.”
• On the blurred line between pain and discomfort:
  • [03:29] Katie: “I can't tell if it was so uncomfortable that it was painful.”
• On the surreal science of it all:
  • [06:11] Katie: “She’s holding it like a silver platter... And they put it up on the big screen, and it was this whole thing...”
• On going through it while awake:
  • [01:32] Katie: "I was going in there all, you know, chest puffed out, like, I got this... No, no. Was awake for the transfer process, which is invasive."
• On forced empathy for men:
  • [12:27] B: “Exactly. To help your empathy there, tough guy.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:26-02:54 – Katie details IVF status and physical/medical experiences
• 03:25-04:44 – Discomfort, bodily reactions, and stress management during procedures
• 05:05-07:23 – Description of the embryo transfer procedure, surreal clinic atmosphere
• 07:24-08:33 – Next steps, medical testing, and genetic concerns
• 08:34-09:41 – Adjusting lifestyle, quitting vices, maintaining humor
• 09:42-10:17 – IVF history and cost, insurance challenges
• 10:44-11:42 – Support, embryo donation, social impact
• 12:14-12:39 – Banter about stirrups, empathy, and comic relief

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Episode Tone

Candid, empathetic, and self-deprecatingly humorous. Katie brings honest vulnerability about her IVF journey, while the Armstrong & Getty team balance the science and seriousness with accessible, lighthearted commentary.

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Summary Takeaway

A heartfelt, detailed account of the modern IVF experience, from the clinical weirdness and bodily realities to the emotional highs and hurdles. Conversational yet informative, the episode demystifies fertility treatment, fosters empathy, and reminds listeners they're not alone in their struggles for family.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Andy's in. It's one more thing. I'm strong and giddy.

[B]

One more thing.

[C]

Since we know the topic matter, that's a pretty. Pretty funny tease. Katie has been gone for a couple weeks. How long you been gone?

[A]

I. Yeah, almost two weeks.

[C]

Yeah. And where were you and what were you doing?

[A]

I have. Well, we've talked about it before. I'm going through the IVF process where my husband and I are trying to have a baby.

[B]

And that's the International Vulture Foundation.

[A]

Correct, Correct, correct.

[B]

It's actually in veto fertilization, if you're not familiar. And you've been at this for a while.

[A]

Yes. We started this in May, and we have gone through two processes which are called egg retrievals, where they take my follicles and mature them into eggs. And then we had to pick from the best lot out of that. We have six. But last week. Or actually, yeah, no, this week, it was Monday. They put the strongest of the embryos into me, and it's a little boy.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

But, boy, was that not an enjoyable process. Whoo.

[C]

Were you awake?

[A]

I was away. I. That. To my surprise, I was awake for some reason.

[C]

I always thought you were. I would have just assumed you were asleep during this stuff.

[A]

Well, they knocked me out for both of the egg retrievals, so I was going in there all, you know, chest puffed out, like, I got this. They're gonna knock me out. I'm gonna wake up. I'm gonna feel great. No, no. Was awake for the transfer process, which is invasive.

[C]

Do they. They go in through your Yoohoo or how do they do it?

[A]

They go in through the Yoohoo. It's okay. We're adults here. It's the same process of. As having a Pap smear. Okay. It's. They the same.

[C]

I've not had one, so.

[A]

I know you have not.

[B]

It's overdue, by the way. Get to your obgyn, Jack, For.

[A]

For the sake of us all, you know, whole cleansing. No, but for any female listening, they'll. They'll understand what I'm talking about. But so, yes, they go in through the maturely called yoo hoo, as Jack said, and they inserted a catheter into my uterus and right into my uterine lining, which over the. I know Jack. Jack looks like he's about to throw up, which over the last two weeks, one of the reasons that I've been needing to be, like, down for the count is because the medications that I have been taking have been Making my lining of my uterus fluffy, as they've been saying. Fluffy. They use all the adjectives no female ever wants to be described as. They've been calling me fluffy, sticky and thick.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. One of the girls who did one of my ultrasounds went, damn, girl, you thick. I was like, thanks. Thank you. Thank you. That's what we're looking for. Yeah. So I actually. I posted the video [e-mail] in Katie's Corner. It's actually really fascinating because you can. So she inserts the little catheter, and you can hear me. She's. She's trying to talk to me as this is going on, and I'm going, mm, okay. Yeah. Cause I'm just. I'm just like, get out of there.

[C]

Was it. Was it painful or just uncomfortable?

[A]

It.

[C]

You know, two different things.

[A]

Usually I'm having a hard time telling the difference between the two because I can't tell if it was so uncomfortable that it was painful. I don't. I. I don't really know. All I know is, at the end, once everything was done, my color left my body, and I damn near passed out.

[B]

Oh, Katie, tell me if this rings true to you having had a number of significant medical procedures, and you have to.

[C]

Jack.

[B]

There'S a feeling it's not pain exactly, but it's your animal brain telling you this should not be happening.

[C]

Yeah. I was thinking of when they. They biopsied my tumor, so they had to go in through my back with a long needle all the way inside. And I don't know if you described it as specifically painful, but it was just like. Yeah, it was like, this is not something that's supposed to happen to me. Whatever is happening here.

[A]

Yeah, you know what? That. That's exactly it. And My doctor is Dr. Amy of Ozadeh out of the East Bay in California. And she's just. She is an angel, but the whole time, she was kind of tapping the side of my legs, going, relax your legs. Relax your leg. Because my. My whole legs. My whole.

[B]

I'm gonna relax my fist right into your.

[A]

Relax.

[C]

I.

[B]

Sorry, I lost my head.

[A]

But that. So. And, like, I. I actually remember trying to, like, center myself and relax the lower half of my body, but I just couldn't.

[C]

I know. How many times have I done that where I, like, okay, I'm on top of this. I got it. I've said my mantras. I. And then, like, it disappears in a second. I've lost all completion.

[B]

I'm playing a golf course in my Head. Now, the second hole is a par 4.

[A]

No, I can't direct. Yeah. Oh, she. She came in. She comes into the room. She's like, you ready? I was like, I'm ready. Let's do, like, 2.5 seconds into it. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know, so it was actually quite the production. There was an embryologist there who was the woman who actually had the embryo and who has been doing all this sciency stuff to it. I don't. I don't know what all of that is. I know that she put Drew's sperm in there and has been watching him grow. That's all that I know. But she came in through a door that I didn't know was in the room. Yeah, yeah. She, like, came up from behind me, and. And she's got it like, she's holding it like a silver platter, you know, and Dr. Amy goes, thank you. And they put it up on the big screen, and it was this whole thing, and they were doing their best to, like, distract me from what I was physically going through. Like, funny faces, stuff like that, balloon animals, cracking jokes. There was house music on in the room, you know, like, I don't know.

[B]

Well, you know, not to over overdo the theme, but so much of modern medical medicine is a miracle. But those things would never happen to you unless you were being murdered, like, for the entirety of human history. Nobody would be doing what they did with that needle, Jack. Unless it was a sword.

[C]

Yeah, right. You were being murdered or fluffing your uterus.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

But she. So she gets. And, you know, it wasn't. She put the catheter in, which I don't know that I felt. I think my brain felt it, which made me feel it because I could see it on the screen. But then she. She takes the embryo and she goes, okay, here we go. And in the video, you can see this little light white blob go through this little tube, and then all of a sudden, right into my uterus and almost lit up.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

And what was funny is when she. When she was doing it. Dr. Amy, as. As he went. Because it's. It's a boy. As he went into my uterus, she went, wee.

[C]

Oh, wow. Sound effects.

[A]

Yeah. And then. And then after that, it was done, other than the fact that they had to get me, like, six ice packs and bring me back to life because I decided to, you know, vacate my.

[B]

So is, God willing, the pregnancy going to proceed in more of the usual way at this point? Or do you still have to get jabbed and poked in and drugged and stuff?

[A]

So I have my first pregnancy test next Tuesday, and then they do a follow up just to make sure on Thursday. And then at 18 weeks is when they do the big test to make sure that he does not have polycystic kidney disease, which is the whole reason we've been doing this. So that's called PGA testing. So they're going to. I have a feeling. I have a terrible feeling that that's going to involve a needle going through my stomach to get the amniotic fluid. I think. I know, I know. I hate to tell you, but. And I hate to think that that's what they're going to do, but. So it's going to be kind of a waiting game until 18 weeks, and then I'm just staying positive that he does not have it. He's not going to.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

Because it's a 50. 50 shot.

[C]

50, 50.

[A]

It's polycystic kidney disease is a 50, 50% hereditary disease. So. But he's in there.

[C]

Well, do we say congratulations? I mean. Okay.

[A]

Yeah, he's in there. And let me tell you, I have had to quit all of my vices, which is a good time, right? No drinking, no occasional vaping, no anything, which has made me a joy.

[B]

Oh, boy. Yeah, no comment.

[A]

Yeah. Drew's still alive. I will let you know that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Good. But everything's good. And I was texting with Hanson. I was like, dude, I just. I just want to come back. It's. I didn't. I didn't like being away for as long as I was. And so we're feeling good and a little. Still a little medicated, but I will be medicated for another 12 days. And then I think I'm done with those.

[C]

I remember when you're pregnant. Funny, I don't remember this. You drink caffeine or not?

[A]

No.

[C]

No caffeine.

[A]

Nope. That's some coffee list today.

[C]

Okay. So that's a tough one, too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Other things.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Caffeine, booze, sushi. Oh, my God, that's one of my favorite.

[C]

Can't eat sushi when you're pregnant.

[A]

Deli meats. So no, like deli sandwiches. Unless it's hand carved stuff.

[C]

Probably. Probably bull riding. You're not doing any of that anymore.

[A]

Go bull riding, which is like every weekend. Passion. Yeah, I know, I know. So, well, Cool. Yeah, I'm excited.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like I said, his name is Jack Joe Michelangelo Hansen Green.

[C]

How roughly long have they been doing this for people how long is this technology been, like, a regular thing?

[A]

Oh, geez.

[C]

I don't, like, decades or a couple of years or. I don't even know.

[A]

I know Dr. Amy's been doing it for a long time, and she's. I mean, she's one of the best of the best, so I should ask her how long she's had her practice. But.

[C]

And you explained to us that insurance is not covering a lot of this, and it's pretty expensive.

[A]

It's quite expensive. But there are. There are certain places, like, if you have a. I've read that if you get, like, if you have a job at Amazon. Amazon actually covers infertility.

[C]

Oh, damn.

[A]

But I don't. I don't really know other companies do that.

[B]

I'm glad I asked. The very first successful IVF birth. I remember this was Louise Brown in England in 1978.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

And Dr. Robert Edwards won the 2010 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for this breakthrough. It's obviously progressed.

[C]

Yeah. I just wonder how long it's been, like, common for regular people to do. I don't know that.

[A]

Well, I was blown away by the amount of people that listened to the last podcast about this and reached out to me on Twitter or whatever, saying, you know, my wife is going through this, and it was really nice to hear somebody else talk about it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So that's why I, you know, I've never really been a closed book about anything, so I have no problem talking about this stuff. And the other cool part is that. So since we have six very healthy embryos. Also, I'm very good at making girls because I have one boy embryo. The rest are chicks. But once the two. We want two babies. So once we're. We're done. The remaining embryos are going to be donated to families that can't.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

What a beautiful thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'll be darned.

[A]

So be afraid there might be more of me out there.

[B]

Fine. God help us. Final note on my months of research on this topic, it was really in the early 2000s that they stepped on the gas pedal, and it became much, much more widespread and efficient. And millions of babies have now been born worldwide through IVF since 1978.

[C]

Well, we all learned something. I don't want to put my feet in those stirrups. I don't. I just don't feel like that's my best side.

[A]

You should try it one time. Just one time. Just go in there when you go to the doctor's office, be like, hey, Doc, are there stirrups on this chair. Let me. Can I just one time.

[C]

It's kind of comfortable. Seems like I'd be. Feel very vulnerable.

[B]

Exactly. To help your empathy there, tough guy.

[A]

Yeah, murder face.

[B]

Yeah, no need to go after his murder face. You know, make him more murdery.

[A]

My wife is going to do that, but after hearing this, we're just going to do a foreign exchange student this summer. Jeez.

[C]

Excellent, Michael.

[A]

Well, I guess that's it.

[B]

That's a good, funny punchline, Michael.

[A]

You're just the greatest.

[C]

That is a good.

[A]

This is an I Heart podcast.