Podcast Summary: What Happened in Nashville – Ep. 6: Beginnings and Endings
Podcast: What Happened in Nashville
Host: Melissa Jeltsen
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts
Original Air Date: December 17, 2025
Episode: 6 – Beginnings and Endings
Episode Overview
In the season finale, “Beginnings and Endings,” Melissa Jeltsen revisits several patients affected by the 2024 collapse of the Center for Reproductive Health (CRH) in Nashville. The episode weaves together stories of hope, bittersweet success, loss, and ongoing trauma to explore the aftermath of the clinic’s abrupt closure, the gaps in legal recourse, and lingering questions about the fertility industry’s oversight and ethics. Through deeply personal interviews, Jeltsen investigates the broader implications for fertility patients across the U.S., highlighting the real-life consequences of system failures—and what, if anything, accountability looks like.
Patient Journeys: Triumphs, Grief, and Unresolved Endings
Sydney: A Bittersweet “Happy Ending”
[05:30 – 13:00]
- Sydney is one of the few CRH patients who retrieved her embryos just before the shutdown, ultimately giving birth to her daughter, Story, in May 2025.
- While grateful, Sydney experiences "survivor's guilt" for becoming pregnant while others remained in limbo:
"I know how lucky we are...and I know that others are still trying to get there, and I just really hope for the best. My heart hurts for them." (Sydney, [06:30])
- She was careful not to publicize her success in online support groups, not wanting to add to the pain of others.
- Sydney credits friendship with fellow patient Mary for emotional support:
"The people that you do meet while going through IVF are some of the best people. So that's one thing that I'm thankful for, that because of this, because of what Dr. Vasquez has done, I will have lifelong friends like Mary." (Sydney, [11:30])
Mary: Joy and “What Ifs”
[13:00 – 23:00]
- Mary—who couldn’t access her embryos after CRH closed—received a donated embryo from a local couple, became pregnant, and delivered her son a few weeks before Sydney:
"He has the best belly laughs. His armpits are really ticklish...It makes you laugh so hard you cry because it's the cutest thing." (Mary, [16:50])
- Mary describes motherhood as everything she hoped for, but admits to ongoing worries about the embryos stored at CRH and their viability.
- Changing clinics brought revelations—her new doctor thoroughly reviewed her history:
"The doctor told me that he had spent two hours on the weekend reviewing my file before my appointment...I will never forget that." (Mary, [18:25])
- Despite her success, Mary wonders if different care earlier could have changed her journey and preserved her ability to have biological children:
"We've poured every year's worth of my husband's Christmas bonuses into fertility for six years...If we keep going, we're going to take away from our son." (Mary, [21:45])
Kristen: Gratitude and Grief Intertwined
[23:10 – 29:30]
- Kristen Wall, who did reciprocal IVF at CRH, grapples with gratitude for her daughter and sadness over difficult experiences—including a miscarriage and “vanishing twin”:
"It's okay to be happy that that happened, and also really frustrated and sad that the other thing happened as well...If I'm being perfectly honest, I would go through it all again just to have her." (Kristen, [29:00])
- Her new clinic discovered a blood clotting condition that may have contributed to previous losses, making her question whether more attentive, up-to-date care could have changed the outcome.
Sarah & Penny: Living With Disappointment
[31:10 – 41:50]
- After CRH, both Sarah and Penny moved to new clinics, undergoing further procedures—often with painful results.
- Sarah’s IVF round failed due to unforeseen medical complications:
"I don't honestly think that I can mentally or physically make it through another failed egg retrieval." (Sarah, [34:40]) "You're never going to be the same person you were before this...I'm a different person, and that's okay, and I need to find out who she is." (Sarah, [36:30])
- Penny experienced another miscarriage after a hopeful early pregnancy:
"Because I've had two miscarriages, it's almost like I'm not pregnant because you don't want to get your hopes up and then shot down." (Penny, [40:00])
Erin: Trust Broken, Moving On
[52:00 – 57:30]
- Erin Meyer, who lost retirement savings and faith in the industry after her CRH experience, is now pursuing adoption:
"It has shaken my trust...I don't trust that the industry is not out for the profit. They see desperation and they see dollar signs." (Erin, [53:20])
- She remains unsure what to do with her unusable embryos:
"We've taken responsibility for these two potential lives, but we don't trust the information on what is contained in these two embryos..." (Erin, [56:20])
- Erin advocates for future patients:
"If you're going to go through IVF, go with a clinic that has a reputation for success. Do your research, ask hard questions, don't take things for granted..." (Erin, [57:00])
Industry Reflections & Legal Gaps
The Limits of Legal Accountability
[43:20 – 46:45]
- The state’s active lawsuit against CRH and Dr. Vazquez is classed under “consumer protection,” which fails to capture the emotional, physical, and reproductive losses patients suffered.
- Legal scholar Dov Fox explains the inadequacy of these frameworks:
"It doesn't recognize your stake in health care or reproductive hopes and dreams or family planning as anything that is special that accordingly, would merit either greater protections, more care, or more compensation." (Dov Fox, [45:05]) "Our laws don't recognize the disruption of family planning as a legal cause of action." (Dov Fox, [46:10])
Systemic Issues: Regulation, Oversight, and Risk
[59:00 – 01:05:00]
- Host Melissa Jeltsen reflects on how CRH’s unraveling was likely a result of insufficient support and lack of infrastructure—not overt maliciousness, but preventable failure.
"I don't think this is a story of intentional wrongdoing. I think it was a slow, grinding collapse...a physician without adequate support and no one around to intervene before the consequences shut everything down." (Melissa Jeltsen, [01:02:10])
- Legal scholar Naomi Kahn argues for stronger oversight:
"I would be looking for mandatory reporting of errors, not just to a regulatory agency, but also to the individual patients...making some of the voluntary guidelines mandatory..." (Naomi Kahn, [01:07:00])
- The episode addresses the national debate over IVF regulation—too little oversight risks patient harm; too much could endanger access, especially in a post-Dobbs landscape.
- Recent legal developments in Alabama and Tennessee highlight ongoing conflicts:
"While the Tennessee bill ultimately protected access to IVF, there is still ongoing debate and risk of future restrictions." ([01:12:00])
Key Themes and Takeaways
Lingering “What Ifs,” Lasting Transformation
- Nearly every patient is left with unanswered questions—about medical choices, quality of care, and alternate paths foreclosed by time, money, or misinformation.
- Patients describe IVF as transformative:
"You can't go through IVF and still be 100% the same person you were when you first started out. It's going to change you." (Sydney, [06:00]) "It's so much to bear... you are in an absolute cycle of hope and despair, and hope and despair every single month." (Melissa Jeltsen, [31:00])
Regulation Lags Behind Reality
- The fertility industry’s high stakes and minimal oversight leave patients vulnerable.
- Legal redress is poorly matched to the real nature of the harm.
Community, Resilience, and the Unfinished Story
- Despite isolation, many patients found solace in online support groups and peer relationships.
- Some have moved forward with new babies or adoption; others are still working through trauma and ambiguous loss.
- Closure—for patients and the system—remains elusive.
Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp
- Sydney:
"She's our best little sweet story. We love her to pieces." [08:20]
- Mary:
"It's everything and more. It's probably more. I mean, it's exhausting, but like, in the best way." [17:30]
- Kristen:
"I feel a little bit robbed of that experience because I feel like I spent the first year of her life going through this really traumatic event and having to deal with it." [28:00]
- Sarah:
"I'm a different person, and that's okay, and I need to find out who she is, and that's what I've spent the last eight or nine months doing." [36:30]
- Penny:
"Until I'm holding a baby, I think I'm going to be skeptic...I'm going to be like that until the day that I actually give birth." [41:00]
- Erin:
"I want this to be a cautionary tale...If you're going to do this...go with a clinic that has a reputation for success. Do your research, ask hard questions, don't take things for granted..." [57:10]
Conclusion
“Beginnings and Endings” closes the season by illuminating both personal and systemic unresolved endings: patients’ journeys are ongoing, the lawsuit is stalled, and the industry remains dangerously under-regulated. The episode presents a sobering look at a system built on hope, often delivering heartbreak, and where legal and professional safeguards lag behind the stakes of modern family-making.
For further details, listen to the full episode for immersive, first-hand patient accounts and an incisive look at the state of American fertility care.