Guest: Paul Turek, MD, FACS, FRSM, Founder of The Turek Clinic Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny The Fertility 101 Series, because there’s no shortage of daunting terms to keep your mind running, is a quick and dirty breakdown on a specific topic with insights from a fertility expert. When it comes to fertility, men are half of the equation, but too often, they’re the half that gets forgotten or overlooked. This Men’s Health Month, we’re joined by Dr. Paul Turek, a world-renowned urologist and male fert...
Jun 17, 2025•17 min•Season 8Ep. 210
Guest: Marea Goodman, Co-Founder of PregnantTogether Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny For LGBTQ+ individuals and couples going through their family building journeys, having a medical support system that truly understand their lived experience can make all the difference. In this episode, we hear from Marea Goodman, a licensed midwife, parent of three, and co-author of Babymaking for Everybody about the role and importance of a midwife. Marea explains how midwives operate across a wide range of setting...
Jun 02, 2025•14 min•Season 8Ep. 209
Guest: Maggie Garnsey, Progyny Member at Santander Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny For LGBTQ+ couples, traditional fertility coverage can leave them behind with little to no access to the actual coverage. Many are forced to undergo unnecessary, emotionally taxing procedures to meet outdated definitions of infertility. For Maggie and her wife, Alli, they thought they would need to pursue IUI , like many of their friends. However, Maggie discovered that her employer, Santander Bank, offered inclusive fe...
May 19, 2025•16 min•Season 8Ep. 208
Guest: Erin Sarris, Progyny Member Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny When Erin Sarris and her husband first visited a fertility clinic, they were hit with unexpected news: severe male factor infertility and an immediate recommendation to pursue IVF. What followed was a long, winding, and often painful journey filled with setbacks, from failed cycles to loss and emotional isolation. Now a mother of three and author of Cupcakes Everywhere: One Sweet Tale of Overcoming Infertility , Erin shares how inferti...
May 05, 2025•16 min•Season 8Ep. 207
In this episode, we hear a deeply personal and professional journey. As a benefit’s leader, Deanna Allison was on a mission to bring better fertility and family building benefits to her company, Bread Financial. Simultaneously, Deanna had also just set out on her own path to parenthood, realizing she would likely need support to build a family. Deanna shares how her team's search for better benefits led them to adopt Progyny, a decision driven by lived experience, better outcomes, and the desire...
Apr 21, 2025•14 min•Season 8Ep. 206
When Kristina and Lorenzo set out to build their family, they knew their path wouldn’t be traditional. Kristina’s complex medical history including epilepsy, endometriosis , and thalassemia made pregnancy unsafe, but that didn’t stop them from pursuing their dream of having a child. In this episode, they share their deeply personal journey of sacrifice in pursuit of a surrogate—highlighting the emotional highs and lows along the way, from downsizing their apartment to postponing their wedding. T...
Apr 07, 2025•15 min•Season 8Ep. 205
Infertility is a deeply personal and often isolating experience, but for singer-songwriter Nelly Joy, music became both an outlet and a source of connection. In this episode, Nelly shares her raw and emotional journey with endometriosis and the struggles she faced while trying to conceive , which pushed her limits physically and emotionally. From touring with country music legends to navigating the complexities of infertility, Nelly’s story is one of physical resilience, partner support, and usi...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 8Ep. 204
For Alex Kornswiet, the path to parenthood started with unexpected ease, having her first son after one round of IVF, following a blocked fallopian tube diagnosis. Trying to have their second child wasn’t as smooth sailing. Alex and her husband experienced secondary infertility and a frustrating path including canceled cycles, recurrent pregnancy loss, and emotional isolation. As challenges continued to mount and her doctor recommended the couple pursue surrogacy. Amid the challenges of the pand...
Mar 10, 2025•22 min•Season 8Ep. 203
Newly engaged and nearing her thirties, today’s guest knew she wanted children in the future, so she opted for an at-home fertility test. The results shocked her, revealing something that changed everything - her biological clock was ticking faster than she had expected. What started as curiosity quickly became a call to action. In this episode, Erin Antoniak takes us along her journey of preserving her fertility as a back-up plan, which then evolved into a complex path to parenthood. She explai...
Feb 24, 2025•20 min•Season 8Ep. 202
For today’s guest, becoming a mother wasn’t just a dream—it was a promise she made to herself. In her mid-30s, Erica Ward knew she wanted to be a parent more than she wanted to be a wife. By 40, she made the decision to pursue single motherhood , despite the challenges ahead. Her path wasn’t easy, from choosing a sperm donor , failed IUIs to IVF, and devastating loss. While Erica grieved for her pregnancies and felt the financial toll, she never gave up. Tune in to hear how support from Progyny’...
Feb 10, 2025•17 min•Season 8Ep. 201
What happens when the path to parenthood takes unexpected turns? For Laura, it meant navigating the heartbreak of unexplained infertility, the frustrations of multiple failed IUIs, and the surprising joy of a positive pregnancy test during the unlikeliest of cycles. But as her story unfolds, it becomes clear that getting pregnant was just the beginning. For our 200th episode, Laura shares the honest reality of facing postpartum depression after her first pregnancy—an experience she never thought...
Jan 27, 2025•21 min•Season 8Ep. 200
Ashley Chukwu is a 30-year-old food and wine blogger in Atlanta, living her life without the prospect of building a family soon. So, when her mom suggested she consider freezing her eggs, Ashley decided to do some research. At the time, she knew little about the process or whether her insurance would cover it. That’s when she discovered her employer offered fertility preservation through Progyny. In this episode, Ashley shares her journey—from researching the process and navigating her benefits ...
Jan 13, 2025•17 min•Season 8Ep. 199
Season 7 of This is Infertility continued to venture into education, advocacy, personal stories, and notably, some new areas of women’s health! As we wrap up, we're shining a spotlight on two recurring themes that have defined this season: the power of support and the ripple effect of advocacy. From their doctor’s care or employer’s benefits package to the unwavering encouragement of a partner or patient care advocate, we brought back a few episodes from this season that prove — no one’s journey...
Dec 16, 2024•18 min•Season 7Ep. 198
This time of year can be magical, but it can also come with stress, especially when family gatherings include tough conversations or well-meaning but intrusive questions like, "When are you starting a family?" In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Georgia Witkin, Clinical Psychologist and infertility expert. She shares practical advice on handling the holidays so you can enjoy the season. She’ll walk us through her empowering pre-holiday checklist with strategies to navigate the season; from prep...
Dec 02, 2024•13 min•Season 7Ep. 197
This National Adoption Month, we hear from Jessica Luciere, a transracial, transnational adoptee, who shares her journey of self-discovery. Growing up with the love and support of her parents, Jessica also yearned for a sense of community to help her navigate her identity. She ultimately realized the importance of representation and the power of connecting to others with similar backgrounds. Today, Jessica works alongside adoptees, families, and professionals, as a program facilitator and adopte...
Nov 18, 2024•24 min•Season 7Ep. 196
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Sammi Itatani and Carly Vollero from Nodal , a surrogacy matching platform devoted to fostering strong, authentic matches between surrogates and intended parents. They tell the stories of their own surrogacy journeys, with Sammi’s experience as a two-time surrogate and Carly’s journey as a parent through surrogacy. They bring personal and professional insights into what makes these partnerships successful. They also dive into the importance of compatibility, n...
Nov 04, 2024•33 min•Season 7Ep. 195
This Menopause Awareness Month, we bring together two experts who are specialists in their fields and personally navigating their own menopause journeys. Dr. Janet Choi, an OBGYN, reproductive endocrinologist, and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and Dr. Juliana Hauser, a therapist with a focus on sexuality and menopause, share their personal experiences with menopause. Alongside their professional expertise, they offer a rare dual perspective on the physical and emotional changes that ...
Oct 21, 2024•40 min•Season 7Ep. 194
In honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re highlighting Joyelle Fleming’s story with breast cancer, which began at the young age of 31. During her journey, Joyelle was faced with a difficult decision – what to do about her future fertility given the impact of cancer treatment. With the support of her doctors and access to fertility benefits through Progyny, Joyelle was able to freeze her eggs and focus on fighting cancer. In this episode, Joyelle reflects on her experience, from ...
Oct 07, 2024•20 min•Season 7Ep. 193
Today’s guest discusses her unexpected struggles with infertility. After a year of trying to conceive, Mandy Menaker trusted her instincts and decided to seek advice from others. She turned to Julie Campbell, at Progyny, who helped guide her on how to find the right fertility clinic, navigate insurance, and understand the ins and outs when it comes to fertility treatment. After the rollercoaster of emotions and multiple rounds of fertility treatment, Mandy and her husband Eric finally achieved t...
Sep 23, 2024•28 min•Season 7Ep. 192
In this episode, we dive into a powerful story of two lifelong friends, Nicole Gomez Fisher and Mary Lamattina, who supported each other through some of the most challenging moments of their lives; navigating infertility. They both faced their own unique struggles, Mary with secondary infertility , experiencing multiple miscarriages after her first child, and Nicole facing the heartbreak of failed attempts and what seemed like the never-ending emotional hurdles of egg donation and surrogacy . Wi...
Sep 09, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 191
Today's guest is a testament to resilience, turning personal pain into a powerful purpose. Lauren Clements faced a long, difficult journey in her efforts to build a family, battling through a diagnosis of PCOS, blocked fallopian tubes, and undergoing numerous treatments. Yet, despite these significant setbacks, Lauren never lost hope. In this episode, she opens up about how these challenges inspired her to create Chosen Infertility Group , a nonprofit dedicated to providing local resources, advo...
Aug 26, 2024•17 min•Season 7Ep. 190
Today’s episode is a story of teamwork. Along each step of her path to parenthood, Jennifer Osmond’s obstacles were overcome with the help of her village; A doctor who laid out options and supported her along the way. An employer that provided Progyny and eased the financial strain of fertility treatment. And a wife who managed the logistics of their journey so that Jennifer could focus on her well-being. Without Jennifer’s support system, her journey would not have been made possible. Guest: Je...
Aug 12, 2024•13 min•Season 7Ep. 189
The Fertility 101 Series, because there’s no shortage of daunting terms to keep your mind running, is a quick and dirty breakdown on a specific topic with insights from a fertility expert. In this episode, we dive into the detailed process of egg donation and its profound implications for families with Aisha Lewis, President of Everie , a known donor egg program. Aisha discusses the steps involved on both ends of the egg donation process, from the pivotal choices donors can make surrounding thei...
Jul 29, 2024•14 min•Season 7Ep. 188
You may know her as the winner of ABC’s The Bachelor from season 19, but patients at OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center in Chicago know Whitney Bischoff Angel as their fertility nurse who can also relate to their journey. In this episode, Whitney tells us about her decision to freeze her eggs in 2013, a decision that provided her with peace of mind as she navigated life's uncertainties. She also shares where she is today, almost a decade later, and her journey to parenthood. Whitney now uses her ...
Jul 15, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 187
Today’s episode is a story of trial and error. Sarah Freese was not expecting to have difficulty conceiving until she discontinued her birth control and found that her menstrual cycle didn’t return. She was suddenly thrusted into a new world, one filled with new medical terms, fertility doctors, and a treatment plan that came with a high price tag. Sarah then discovered her employer, LinkedIn, offered coverage for fertility treatment through Progyny. This meant she didn’t need to make cost-based...
Jul 01, 2024•16 min•Season 7Ep. 186
The Fertility 101 Series, because there’s no shortage of daunting terms to keep your mind running, is a quick and dirty breakdown on a specific topic with insights from a fertility expert. This week’s episode answers all the questions around transgender family building options and how it works. Dr. Daniel Potter at HRC Fertility joins us to discuss the impact of hormone affirming therapy, the importance of fertility preservation, questions to consider if one is deciding to build a family, and ho...
Jun 17, 2024•13 min•Season 7Ep. 185
In today’s episode, we explore the complex world of donor conception with experts Dr. Mark Leondires and Lisa Schuman, LCSW. They provide an overview of their book, Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception , which serves as a resource for those considering donor conception due to infertility, medical issues, same-sex partnerships, or gender orientation. The book covers everything from initial considerations and emotions to the medical and genetic processes involved, selecting...
Jun 03, 2024•10 min•Season 7Ep. 184
Today’s episode highlights the emotional toll that infertility can take on individuals and couples. Our guest speaks candidly on how her fertility journey affected her mental health, marriage, and perspective towards friends who found easy success with pregnancy. Hana Peters and her husband started trying to have a baby and soon realized they needed to seek additional support. In this episode, Hana shares her journey. She speaks on the unsolicited advice she received along the way and how this i...
May 20, 2024•16 min•Season 7Ep. 183
In today’s episode, award-winning journalist, Rachel Lehmann-Haupt shares insights from her two books, which have ignited the knowledge and passion that came from her own family building journey. Her latest book, Reconceptions: Modern Relationships, Reproductive Science, and the Unfolding Future of Family , calls upon her experience of becoming a single parent by choice. She dives into her own family building journey, how she’s navigated using a sperm donor and the relationships she’s built from...
May 06, 2024•15 min•Season 7Ep. 182
Today’s guest embodies the purpose of National Infertility Awareness Week. Each year the infertility community, led by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, takes this week to amplify and educate the public about reproductive health and issues that make building a family difficult for many. Danielle Zoll has dedicated herself to advocacy and awareness through her St. Louis based organization, Making a Miracle . The isolation Danielle felt along her path to parenthood with endometriosis,...
Apr 22, 2024•26 min•Season 7Ep. 181
