As a recurrent pregnancy loss specialist, part of my job is to talk with my patients about their emotional as well as their physical well-being. Having a miscarriage can be an isolating and devastating experience, and when many of my patients come in, they are in the middle of grieving a recent loss. They describe the strain this can place on relationships with friends and family—people can unintentionally be hurtful when trying to be supportive. Many of my patients start to feel isolated from their family and friends, which is unfortunate, because going through a miscarriage is one of those times when people need support more than ever.

Michael Phelps won his 23rd gold medal in the Rio Olympics in 2016, and Katie Ledecky broke world records in multiple events, leaving the rest of the world’s greatest swimmers in her wake. The success of the world’s elite athletes is not only due to drive, determination, practice and persistence, but also to physical and genetic traits that allow them to crush their competition. As a fertility specialist, I talk about genetics every day with my patients and here are my answers to many common misconceptions.