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Maggie McKay (Host): When dealing with fertility issues, you not only want a doctor that's experienced and skilled, but one that also has a good bedside manner and is compassionate.

So today we're going to get to know Dr. Ramya Sethuram, a treating physician at the San Mateo location of the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the Fertile Edge Podcast. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. So happy to have you here today Doctor. Could you please introduce yourself?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Thank you for having me, Maggie. My name is Ramya Sethuram. I'm a reproductive endocrinologist. I'm infertility physician who works from the San Mateo office of the Reproductive Science Center of the Bay Area, and I trained in Michigan. I finished my fellowship from Green State University in Michigan and I did my residency in OBGYN at Drexel University in California.

I'm so thrilled to be working as a reproductive endocrinology physician in the Bay Area. And I've been with our Reproductive Science Center for less than a year now, but I am super happy with the quality of work that we are doing here.

Host: And what inspired you to choose to go into medicine to begin with?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Well, I grew up in India, so I was exposed to a system of medicine where there were so many imbalances in terms of access to care and you know, the rich people got the best medical care and the poor didn't get any or none at all or very little care. And that as a high school student, I felt I had to do something about it.

That was the reason I went into medicine and the more I went into medicine, the more I wanted to specialize and give back to the society in some ways. So, you know, that is how I got into medicine. Yeah.

Host: And why this specialty?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Going through medical school, I always knew that I wanted to work with women and take care of women. I felt most satisfied doing that and more I could relate the most to, and women always relate to women as well, and that is how it started and when I went into, that's why I chose OBGYN as a specialty and to be able to take care of women through the most difficult times of their lives, be it trying to get pregnant, through the pregnancy or later on.

That was what gave me the most satisfaction and that's why I chose OBGYN and then going into Fellowship for infertility was an easy decision. I had one of my family members who was going through a fertility process, and I got to see firsthand how difficult it was for them and how much it took out them emotionally, physically, financially, and also in all other ways and how much support they needed through the process.

That prompted me to go into infertility. And also there is this cultural thing that comes with Asian societies, which I feel, I can recognize that a little bit more where the onus is more on the woman when there is a fertility issue and therefore the burden is more for the women to carry when they go through the process.

And that is something that I understood and I felt for these women. So that's one of the reasons I picked infertility as a fellowship specialty.

Host: All great reasons. What do you love most about being a doctor? What do you find the most rewarding?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Well, I'm sure there comes a time of period in everybody's life, where they're thinking like, what did I, what am I leaving behind for their society? Right? Unlike other jobs, I don't have to think about it when I'm retired, when I'm 60, when I'm done my job for my children. I feel that I'm able to give back to the society on a day-to-day basis.

And that is what is the most rewarding thing about being a physician that I am able to take some time off, do some work, private charity work or something. It doesn't have to be money. It just has to be my time. And also being considerate and kind and being in the moment during the process, that I think is a great satisfactory thing.

And it also helps me be a better person. It has built facets of my personality. Being a physician has built facets of my personality that, I'm so thankful for this opportunity.

Host: Dr. Sethuram, what's your philosophy when it comes to care and treatment?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: I try to be a good listener. I want to hear what our patients say and where they're coming from and why. So I always start with where are you at? Where is your mind at? I'm sure you've done some research because which is true for most of our fertility patients, that they have been through a journey and by the time they come, they have a knowledge base and they have a lot that they're going through.

So I try to listen to everybody first, understand where they're coming from and when I give them advice, it's mostly scientific advice, but I'm also want to be flexible and say, let's do what works for you best. And take them through not just the data, but also the emotions that go through the process. Take that into consideration.

And I think, that's what I strive to do on a day to day basis. And also, understand where different people may be coming from.

Host: Talk about emotions. I mean, it's got to be emotional every day at the end of the day for you to go through this with your patients because clearly you care about them, otherwise you wouldn't be in this field. And how do you de-stress at the end of the day?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: So yes, it is very emotional there. We have these awesome highs and some really low troughs, which kind of, and when I give the news to my patients, be it, good news, be bad news. Yes, it does have an impact on me. You're absolutely right. One of the things that I've learned over the course of time is to understand that when I take care of myself, I take care of others.

So that's the same with parenting, that's the same with being a good physician. That's the same with everything, like being a good person, right? So I always make sure I spend enough quality time with my children and sometime on my hobbies, which is like reading or writing, and I kinda, I'm into pottery.

So those kind of things. And I try to always make sure that I have this 10 minutes every day when I wake up, first thing in the morning to meditate. And I'm just trying to find my inner balance and also keep things in perspective all the time. There are things that I can control. There are things that I can't, and when I cannot control that thing, acknowledge it and try not to get upset by it and try to work harder on the things that I can control, that's my philosophy.

Host: That's a good one just for anybody, no matter what field they're in. You mentioned that you've been at the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area for about a year and a half. Do you see yourself staying there for a long time?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Yeah, I've been here for less, just under a year. I absolutely love my colleagues, the people, the team that I work with. One of the best things about working with our Reproductive Science Center, with the Bay areas, this teamwork that we do, we are all in it together for the patient. And we have this team structure where one person, one physician, one nurse. There's this continuity of care that takes care of the person through their entire journey as much as possible. Obviously there are weekends when people would have to be taken care of by other people, but we always catch up and we all, like, everybody genuinely cares about the quality of work that we do. And our lab is again, an excellent lab, one of the top labs in the country, which makes my job easier. Like I get to give more good news to patients. And that's one of the things that's amazing. And there are many things I think, people are what make the place what it is. I'm so lucky to be with this group of people that I work with.

They're so kind and very, very caring.

Host: That's so great. That's key, especially in your field. I was in the San Francisco Bay area a couple weeks back and I was just thinking, there's so many things to love about this area. What are your favorite things about living in the Bay Area?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: I am a mountain person. I grew up in a part of India, in a valley surrounded by the mountains. And when I came to California, it was almost like home to me again. So I just love just seeing the mountains, hiking in the mountains, being out with my children, with my boys and with friends, all of that.

It's like what is not like about the Bay Area. It's so multicultural, it's so liberal, and obviously so beautiful.

Host: It's so gorgeous. There's so much to do there. I mean, you'll never have enough time to do everything there. Tell us about your family. You mentioned your boys.

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Yes. We have two boys. They're almost nine and six. So yeah, they're bouncing off the walls all the time. So when I leave here, I'm kind of a full-time hands on mom. Just taking them, doing a taxi service like most moms do. Uh, like taking them to extracurricular activities and getting them to their playdates and stuff and swimming, soccer, TaeKwonDo, all those stuff. So, you know, and it's pretty busy with them. And then weekends are the times that we decompress.

Host: And you mentioned you love hiking. Do you have other hobbies?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Yes. I love hiking and I love baking. I'm an amateur baker and I used to enter competitions before, like when my children were babies and when, or before we had the kids. But now I don't enter competitions anymore, but I love to bake. And that's one activity we all do together, especially with the children.

We just bake for every festival. Well, we bake a Challah bread for Hanukkah and just trying to use the baking as a medium of teaching them about different cultures or something else for, well, other festivals. So we try to bake something for most festivals and Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, everything.

So yeah, we bake quite a bit and I do that a lot with the children and I read, sometimes I write poems. Yeah. Those are the things that I, yes.

Host: I'm so with you on the baking. I bake at least, I don't know, three times a week maybe. What do you make? Brownies, cakes. What's your specialty?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Every, everything. I love making breads. I just love the aroma of the yeast. And the dough raising on a nice, warm summer's day. That that's one of my favorite smells in the world. And I love making all kinds of breads. And there was a time that we were doing this project on doing breads from all over the world, right.

The flat breads, the loaves. And then the sourdough. I had a sourdough going on during the COVID time. Yeah, everything. And we also make the cookies, the scones, and the general banana bread and brownies.

Host: Oh, you take it to the next level doctor for sure. I'm basics, but what's an interesting fact that people may not know about you?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: That I'm trained and licensed to practice in three different continents. So I did my training in India, initial training med school in India, and then I went to the UK where I did my internal OBGYN residency and a fellowship in Greenock before, like I got married to my husband and then we moved here. So then I had to retrain again because the UK training is not acknowledged here, so yeah, and then I did it all over again. So yes, I'm licensed to practice in three conyinents.

Host: That is an interesting fact. That's amazing. I wonder how many other people can say that. What would your current self teach or advise your younger self?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Have faith. Go with your gut. That's what I tell my younger self because growing up I was this very shy but very ambitious girl. I grew up in a age in India, like, and I was just, worried about my place in the world and, it's just little steps. And if someone had told the 12 year old me that you're to become a physician first and then you have to go to the UK and then you have to go to the US and then you have to practice in the Bay Area, I probably wouldn't have found the energy to wake up and go to school next day.

It would've been so overwhelming. But then our life is not about the destination. It's about the journey and the people that you meet on the way. And everything is possible. Anything is possible. Just trust your gut, persevere, and you'll get there. And I wish I had that confidence. I was always doubting myself when I was young.

Host: And what was your very first job?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: My very first job was in the UK, like post training. It was in the UK. It was in this beautiful place in Wales. It's called Newport. It's by the Brecken Beacon National Parks. One of my, again, a mountain again, a place that I love to hike. And yeah, that was my very first job. And we had this bunch of these Welsh miners who had all been retired who would visit that hospital and the amount that I learned from them, their perseverance. Those are the people who worked the hardest life their entire life. And then they would come and sit and share some of those stories of them being in the mines underneath and it just opened a different perspective, a different worldview for me as to how simple people are the people who achieve the most.

And that's one of the things about my profession. I'll get to learn so much from different people along the world. And yeah, that was my very first job. I still some very fond memories of that job.

Host: That's so nice. And Dr. Sethuram, who is your hero or who inspires you?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Ah, alright, so I laugh because I asked my children this question, this today. Honestly, today when I was driving them to school, I was like, who inspires you? My little one who's six year old said nature inspires him because he's this natural explorer. And then my first one who's almost nine said books inspire him.

And they asked me and I said, you guys inspire me. And this was a question we had this exact morning. And they were like, why? How do we inspire? Because like, you know what, each of you have this different personality and you've taught me so much along the way, you've not just taught me patience, you've taught me that each person is an individual in different ways and shapes and forms, and there's no right, there's no wrong, there's no black and white, and everything is right and everything is wrong.

It all depends on perspectives. And I was like you guys inspire me and teach me every single day. And, uh, you asked me the question again.

Host: I love it. What's your favorite food or drink?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: So I eat anything. Okay. That's what I tell when people ask me for dietary restrictions. I'm Indian, so I grew up with a lot of cooking spices and aromas and colors surrounded by all these. So I still gravitate to the foods with a lot of colors and with a lot of aroma and spices.

So anything, Thai or ah I try not to eat Indian when I go out because we make great Indian food at home. But yeah, anything that's, and I'm I loved trying of new food, so that's also there. So I think the last thing that I ate that I really enjoyed and that was very different was a Spanish paella.

So, things I like to explore, I keep like exploring and anything that has got color, spice in it, sign me up for it.

Host: If you could travel anywhere in the world, it sounds like you've already been a lot of places, but where would you go?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: So I have a lot of places that I would go to. I want to go on a food trip. I've been telling all my friends about it for a long time. I want to do food trip, eat my way through Italy, that's what I say. I'm kind of drawn to Italy because I'm this baking or cooking person, and I love these new flavors and Mediterranean flavors interest me so much. I, and also like I like to read about the history of place. There's so much history in every recipe that comes from from Italy, right? Be it a simple pasta or a little bit different to a pizza and there are other things. So yeah, that'd be my dream. Like if I had a couple of weeks off and I could just take off and just eat my way through Italy and get all these recipes.

Host: A friend of mine went to Italy just specifically for cooking school there, and had a great time. You could do that too.

Ramya Sethuram, MD: Oh yes.

Host: What's your favorite genre of music?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: I listen to a lot of music. Spotify, anything that comes on spotify is the latest. The last the latest that I've been listening to is called this African drum beat. I never thought, ever in my life that I was going to enjoy drums. Like, I've grown up with a lighter form of music, like the string music, like the violin and the guitar.

We have a instrument called veena in India, which I tried, which I learned when I was young, so never the drums. Okay. But yeah, that is the thing that is soothing me these days. So, yeah. And again, that's again another journey where I just listen to all kinds of music. And my favorite is, are like Ed Sheeran, Beyonce to quote some in Western music. And I have a whole bunch of Indian musicians that I'm a fan of. And yeah, I'm exploring music as well.

Host: That's awesome. If viewers would like to find out more about how to get in touch with you or make an appointment, where would they go Doctor?

Ramya Sethuram, MD: So we have this website, rscbayarea.com. And in the, if you drop down on the physician's tab, I have my entire name, Ramya Sethuram, and you can find me there on the provider's list. And if you wanted to get in touch with me or to make an appointment with me, there's also a section right under the physician's provider's list where you can or under my page where you can say, I can make an appointment.

Or we can call the RSC main desk and they'll be able to make an appointment. All of this is online so you can Google it. We're easy to find, rscbayarea.com.

Host: Perfect. Thank you so much for being with us today, Dr. Sethuram for your time and giving us a glimpse into your personal life outside of work. It's been a pleasure speaking with you.

Ramya Sethuram, MD: It's been my pleasure being here. Thanks for having me, Maggie.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Sethuram, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Fertile Edge, a podcast from the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening.