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 today’s episode, our host speaks with five doctors about how a person can prepare to meet with a fertility doctor. They answer questions ranging from, “What should you bring to the initial evaluation?” to, “What is a transvaginal ultrasound and how do you prepare for that?” Let this episode serve as a good ...
Jan 30, 2023•19 min•Season 6Ep. 150
Welcome back to season six of This is Infertility! As you may have heard from the trailer, we have a new season filled with new guests, new stories, and new twists and turns but one thing that has stayed constant through all the episodes and seasons – people who want to share their story with the infertility community. In today’s episode, we hear from Russ Freyman, a former Google employee, who wanted to continue to build his family with his wife. After trying for some time, they found themselve...
Jan 16, 2023•21 min•Season 6Ep. 149
This is Infertility is back with a brand-new season! Join us on Jan 16th as we kick off season 6. We have new guests, new twists, new turns, and stories filled with hope, wonder, and everything in between. Be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your family, friends, and loved ones. We’ll be releasing a new episode every other week.
Jan 09, 2023•2 min
At Progyny, we believe in the flexibility and power of giving patients the ability to choose -- choose their doctors, choose the best treatment plan, and ultimately choose what feels comfortable during their journey. For this season’s recap, we decided to highlight episodes that featured choice and adversity and how some of our guests have overcome the unfortunate realities we sometimes face on the path to parenthood. As a result of physical, emotional, and financial roadblocks, we now know how ...
Dec 19, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 148
Today’s episode highlights something we talk about a lot on This Is Infertility — how a fertility doctor can make a huge difference in one’s journey. Today’s guest, Amber Walther, discovered soon after trying to start a family, that the process wouldn’t be so “cut and dry.” As a teacher, Amber’s plan was to take some time from school and hopefully return after the summer break with a new family member. Nowhere in her plan did she account for how much time it would take to find the right care. In...
Dec 05, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 147
Today’s episode is a little different than the usual personal encounters with infertility we share on this podcast, but in celebration of Veterans Day, we wanted to bring you a special episode. Today, we are joined by Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. This foundation was started to support Veterans through physical care, beyond what they receive from Veteran health care. Join us as we learn more about this organization and about their VIVA program, a fund that provides fe...
Nov 21, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 146
Today’s guest is Progyny’s own, Justin Smith. Prior to joining the Progyny team, Justin spent 17 years in the U.S. Military service as an Army Medic. During the peak of the war with Iraq and Afghanistan, Justin was on the brink of battling something he had yet to encounter, infertility. In this episode, Justin takes us on the journey of what it was like to be in the military and go through fertility treatment. Looking back on the four IUI cycles and three IVF cycles that he had endured with his ...
Nov 07, 2022•20 min•Season 5Ep. 145
Today’s guest has been on the podcast before. In Episode 54, Emily Rich shared her experience with freezing embryos prior to going through cancer treatment. Now, as that battle has passed, Emily shares with us something extremely special. Throughout this episode, we go along with Emily on her family building journey in real-time. Through video updates, she documented her process from the moment she came off her cancer medication, to the moment she first heard her son’s heartbeat. Emily takes us ...
Oct 24, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 144
Today’s guests are Demi and Tom Schweers. Once the couple got married and bought a home, they started thinking about creating a family, but things have proved a bit more complicated than originally planned. Demi was diagnosed with both multiple sclerosis (MS) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and the couple suffered two miscarriages, but these challenges have only strengthened the couple, who are currently going through their first IVF cycle. Throughout their journey, Demi and Tom have shar...
Oct 10, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 143
Today’s guest enters the realm of fertility treatments despite never in her 38 years being diagnosed with infertility. Angela Hatem’s journey began with seeking out a sperm donor to fulfill the one thing that she wanted but couldn't have without a partner: a child. What she expected to be a fairly simple journey turned out to be quite complex. In today’s episode, we hear how Angela goes from thinking fertility treatments are a guarantee to conquering Clomid , ovarian cysts, seven rounds of IUI ,...
Sep 26, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 142
Marilyn Gomez is a mother to a rainbow baby named Mila. But like many Latin women, she faced many stereotypical assumptions and comments as she worked to grow her family. After five and a half years of Clomid , IUI , and IVF , she and her husband finally found success after pairing their treatment with pre-implantation genetic testing , increasing their odds of a healthy pregnancy and baby. In this episode, we hear from Marilyn about something that changed her life completely — the infertility c...
Sep 12, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 141
There are few things scarier than excruciating, physical pain for a reason unknown. Except, maybe, experiencing the worst pain of your life while on a three-hour flight, fainting, and waking up with an oxygen mask, surrounded by concerned flight attendants urging the pilot to make an emergency landing. That is exactly what happened to today’s guest, Dontaria Terrell, when a cyst burst 30,000 feet in the air. Dontaria had been ignoring her pain, assuming it was normal. Her emergency surgery led t...
Aug 29, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 140
“Do you want to have kids?” For some people this question may come with ease, for others, it may raise more questions and emotions. Today’s guest is comfortable with not knowing whether or not she sees herself as a parent but most importantly she’s given the ability to pursue a treatment that can preserve her fertility if she decided to change her mind. In this episode, we hear from Sarah Fisher Lu on why she deferred her decision to have a child by freezing her eggs with Progyny. She explains w...
Aug 15, 2022•12 min•Season 5Ep. 139
Going through IVF is challenging no matter what, but the difference between going through treatment without coverage and then again with coverage, can make a big difference. Today’s guest shares her experiences with IVF before and after receiving the Progyny benefit through her employer. Caitlin Day expresses the overwhelming process of managing every aspect of her fertility treatment , and how much of a relief it was to find assistance and personalization through Progyny. She emphasizes that fe...
Aug 01, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 138
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 today’s episode, we explore Endometrial Receptivity Testing, a clinical aspect of embryo transfer and implantation. Mike Large, from CooperSurgical, walks us through the process and breaks down some of the complicated language and mechanics that go with it. Mike explains the proper window of implantation , ...
Jul 18, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 137
o two fertility journeys are the same, and with unique nuances of the emotional, physical, and financial strains on the parent(s), the path to parenthood is often long and strenuous. While immediate success with treatment like IUI or IVF is ideal, sometimes a happy ending takes time. In this episode, we hear from Hilary Patterson, a Progyny member with a diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve , and hear how she persevered through her fertility challenges. Hilary’s experience includes trying to ...
Jul 05, 2022•16 min
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. Dr. Lowell Ku from Dallas IVF will help break down what can lower sperm quality, thus impacting overall male fertility. Each of these causes start with the letter T and can serve as a good reminder to practice healthy habits. To reference the episode around male infertility, check out Episode 108: Fertility 10...
Jun 20, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 135
June is Pride Month and with all the different paths to parenthood available for LGBTQ+ couples and individuals , it’s a great time to elevate these voices from the community. In today’s episode, we meet Heather and Jess Camarillo, a same-sex couple from California who struggled to start their family and documented the process on their Instagram. While the couple wasn’t surprised they needed to go through fertility treatment, a diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve left them in shock. Hear how...
Jun 06, 2022•26 min•Season 5Ep. 134
May 23, 2022•45 min
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 today’s episode, we explain holistic approaches that can often be additive when trying to conceive or struggling with infertility. Acupuncture, bodywork, and Eastern Medicine are used to treat stress , target inflammation, and promote energy flow, healing many ailments and potentially aiding in a healthy pr...
May 09, 2022•21 min•Ep. 133
May 02, 2022•56 min
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week, and this year, we’ve crafted two episodes that address the age-old truth: it takes a village. Not only does it take a village to raise a child as the saying goes, but it also often takes a village to start or grow a family, especially with an infertility diagnosis. Reproductive endocrinologists, nurses, Patient Care Advocates, managers, and HR leaders all play a crucial role in the journey, but a personal support system – friends, family, or a partner, c...
Apr 27, 2022•24 min
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week, and this year, we’ve crafted two episodes that address the age-old truth: it takes a village. Not only does it take a village to raise a child as the saying goes, but it also often takes a village to start or grow a family, especially when challenged with infertility. Reproductive Endocrinologists, Nurses, Patient Care Advocates, managers and HR leaders, partners, family members and friends may all step up, but at the end of the day, the journey starts w...
Apr 25, 2022•29 min•Season 5Ep. 131
Two years ago, we shared the story of Chrissy Hogie’s long fertility journey which included IVF , pregnancy loss , and all the ups and downs she went through in the process. If you haven’t listened yet, here is Episode 77: Heart Shaped Uterus, Low Sperm, and a Successful Pregnancy . Like many who are on this journey, Chrissy was inspired to change the way people accessed care for fertility treatments. She realized that she could be the one to “push” and work with her employer to add comprehensiv...
Apr 04, 2022•20 min•Season 5Ep. 130
Intimacy may not feel like an important aspect of someone’s infertility journey , but ultimately, it can be critical. There are more conversations about the physical and financial struggles that people face as opposed to the mental and emotional struggle – which are equally as important. In today’s episode, Dr. Jacqueline Sherman, an Intimacy and Relationship Coach, shares how she helps coach her patients through this important but often neglected issue. Drawing inspiration from her own experien...
Mar 21, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 129
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. Today’s topic focuses on surrogacy and what’s part of this process – especially from the legal slide. Dean Hutchinson from Circle Surrogacy gives insight into the different regulations for each state, the required psychological evaluations for in depth matching, legal parenting rights, and other intricacies th...
Mar 07, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 128
Finding the right doctor can be difficult and finding one with a similar background or who looks like you can be even harder when you’re a part of an underserved community. This issue, which often impacts women of color , was exactly what Ashlee Wisdom and Eddwina Bright set out to solve. Enter Health in Her Hue , a digital platform that connects Black women and women of color to culturally competent and sensitive healthcare providers and offers health information and content that centers their ...
Feb 21, 2022•12 min•Season 5Ep. 127
Frustration, confusion, and disappointment may be common feelings when going through a family building journey. But to have those feelings directed towards your physician is entirely different. For Delaine Williams, she felt dismissed by her doctor and the weight and reality of navigating the healthcare system as a Black woman became a bigger challenge. In this episode, we hear how Delaine had to advocate for herself, the split decisions she had to make about her body after being diagnosed with ...
Feb 07, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 126
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 today’s episode, we discuss how someone can choose the right fertility clinic for their needs. Dr. Paul Lin of Seattle Reproductive Medicine discusses what requirements and key things someone should look for when assessing a fertility clinic. He also offers tips on how to identify a clinic’s specialties, wh...
Jan 24, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 125
Many times, the family building journey can make someone feel alone and without help. This sentiment rang true to Priya Santhanam, Ph.D., a scientist and engineer in the STEM field. In Priya’s culture, having children is an important life milestone and she, like so many others, imagined a life that followed the blueprint of get a degree, have a successful career, have kids, and maintain a harmonious work/life balance. Things didn’t exactly go as planned. Her experience with miscarriage , IUI, IV...
Jan 10, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 124
