# 173 - Shelley Amster on 45 Years Trailblazing: IUD’s, Breaking Barriers in IVF & Women's

- Show: [Let's Combinate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate)
- Published: 2025-01-29
- Length: 32m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/letscombinate/episodes/173---Shelley-Amster-on-45-Years-Trailblazing-IUDs--Breaking-Barriers-in-IVF--Womens-e2u2gm4

## Summary

Shelley Amster, a pioneer in reproductive health and advisor at 3Daughters, discusses her 45-year career in IVF and IUD development. She recounts overcoming self-imposed barriers, such as the belief that a PhD was required for lab director roles, and details the technical challenges of current T-shaped IUDs, including painful insertion and cervical anatomy issues. Amster also shares insights on managing technical conferences and highlights future innovations in women's health, including robotic fibroid removal and advanced IUD designs from 3Daughters.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=3) Introduction: Shelley Amster and 3Daughters
- [0:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=55) Early IVF Career and Grandfathering into Lab Director Roles
- [2:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=131) Overcoming Self-Doubt: The Yale IVF Opportunity
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=400) Conference Production and Networking Strategies
- [19:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=1166) Career Advice: Loving Your Work vs. Just a Job
- [26:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2025-01-29-173-shelley-amster-on-45-years-trailblazing-iuds-breaking-barriers-in-ivf-womens#t=1607) 3Daughters IUD Design and Future Technologies

## Topics

- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- 3Daughters (company)
- Yale (company)
- Tufts (company)
- Rush Medical Center (company)
- Tenaculum (tool)

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- [305: Humans Have a Terrible Spec Sheet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-10-03-305-humans-have-a-terrible-spec-sheet) (Embedded.fm)
- [S1E10 From Engineering Startups to Established Corporations | Patrick Stephens](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-05-29-s1e10-from-engineering-startups-to-established-corporations-patrick-stephens) (Being an Engineer)
- [S5E3 Grace Park | Medical Device Engineering Leaders 4](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-01-19-s5e3-grace-park-medical-device-engineering-leaders-4) (Being an Engineer)
- [S5E12 Dylann Ceriani | Prototype Injection Molding](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-22-s5e12-dylann-ceriani-prototype-injection-molding) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

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