The New Era of Fertility Care: Rewriting the Conversation Around Family Planning

When Dr. Kolbe Hancock talks about fertility, she doesn't start in a lab or a clinic. She starts on a stage.

Before she became a reproductive endocrinologist and OBGYN at Spring Fertility, Dr. Hancock was a serious ballet student with a professional trajectory. She spent her summers in elite ballet intensives, training at the level where apprenticeships are the next step and careers are decided early.

She trained at Boston Ballet and was being considered for a professional ballet career before getting a significant injury at age 16. That moment changed her life.

Following her injury, she went on to Barnard College, where she studied both biology/pre-med and dance, straddling the worlds of movement and science. But it was an internship at a non-profit that provided pro-bono medical care to dancers that ultimately shifted her path. Through her work with orthopedic specialists, she learned that many dancers were affected by hypothalamic amenorrhea, which significantly affects menstruation and future fertility.

 That experience sparked her interest in women's health and reproductive medicine, leading her to pursue a career in medicine and become a fertility specialist.

Today, Dr. Hancock is a physician at Spring Fertility, which was founded on the belief that world-class fertility outcomes and world-class patient experience should not be mutually exclusive. She’s part of Spring’s physician team that’s helping to rewrite the rules of how women engage with their reproductive futures and reshape the patient experience, bringing a more personalized approach to care with less clinical distance, more conversation, and an emphasis on emotional support alongside excellent medical outcomes.

A Shift in How Women Think About Fertility
Not long ago, fertility was whispered about, if discussed at all.

“Fertility is no longer a silent struggle, it is an important and visible part of modern healthcare and family planning,” said Dr. Hancock. Social media and celebrities speaking openly about IVF, egg freezing and surrogacy have helped chip away at stigma and normalize conversations. But the most meaningful shift may be this: fertility is no longer a last resort conversation. Women in their 20s and 30s are coming in proactively and thinking about reproductive planning. “The language has shifted from crisis management to informed planning,” she said.

Even with the increased openness, the process can still feel overwhelming. 

"Many of the patients I care for are high-achieving individuals who are used to setting goals, working hard, and seeing results,” Dr. Hancock said. “Fertility can be painfully different. You can do everything ‘right’ and still face setbacks, uncertainty, or loss. That lack of control can be frustrating and emotionally disorienting.”

Her advice before starting any cycle: build your support team, have honest conversations with your partner about practical and emotional support, and plan something after the cycle to look forward to, regardless of the outcome. Creating moments of joy, whatever that means to an individual, can help provide a sense of grounding after the process.

Personalized Care, Not A Number
The complaint is familiar: feeling like a number in a high-volume clinic, rotating through different doctors and receiving care that feels disconnected from one’s individual needs. Spring was created to address all of those pain points. Every patient has one primary physician who manages their entire journey and handles their procedures. "That continuity creates a very different experience, it allows for trust, familiarity, and a much deeper understanding of each patient’s unique situation,” said Dr. Hancock. “Each plan is tailored to the individual, based on their physiology, prior response to treatment, and personal goals.”

Advances in egg freezing technology have transformed egg freezing from experimental to dependable, and demand has surged, driven by employer benefits, word-of-mouth, and a cultural shift toward proactive planning. There has also been a broader shift in how women approach family planning, with more women viewing fertility as something to consider proactively as they make decisions about their future.

As interest in egg freezing continues to grow, patients are increasingly looking for clarity, transparency, and confidence in what they’re doing. "Our goal in developing The Spring Promise is to help patients feel secure that they're making a meaningful investment in their future, with a transparent understanding of outcomes,” Dr. Hancock said. If a patient freezes a set number of eggs and is unable to achieve a successful pregnancy with them in the future, their cycle will be refunded.

The First Step
For women curious about their own fertility, Dr. Hancock's advice is simple: schedule a consultation with a fertility specialist. “A fertility consultation allows us to look at the bigger picture: medical history, family history, ovarian reserve testing, ultrasound findings, reproductive goals, and timeline for family building. Those details matter tremendously because fertility is highly individual. Two women of the same age can have very different fertility outlooks and different recommendations based on their physiology and goals. The goal isn't to pressure anyone into treatment. It’s to provide information that helps patients make informed decisions about their future.”