This is Fertility

Heather Huhman and her husband struggled with infertility for years, enduring trauma after trauma, until finally they met their daughter, Aurora. But Heather wanted some good to come out of her pain, so she has dedicated herself full time to helping others via her twice a week podcast, Beat Infertility. In this episode we will hear about her struggle, how she got through it, and learn why she says...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in light of this, we are dedicating four episodes to oncofertility – the bridge between oncology and reproductive research that explores and expands options for the reproductive future of cancer survivors. In the fourth and final episode of our oncofertility series, we hear from Kristin Smith, who dedicated her life to helping educate young cancer pati...

Oncofertility Series – Part 3 of 4. When Megan Connolly was 19, her whole world stopped and she entered a fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Cancer threatened not only her life, but a lifelong dream of becoming a mother. In today's episode we hear how Megan beat cancer (twice!) and with the help of patient navigator Kristin Smith of the Oncofertility Consortium, preserved her fertility. Today's hos...

Oncofertility Series – Part 2 of 4. When Amanda Rice was diagnosed with breast cancer her doctors recommended an aggressive treatment protocol that would potentially threaten her fertility. She had some infertility health insurance but when she called the insurance company she found that they had illogical barriers that excluded her from coverage for fertility preservation. Now, a cancer survivor,...

Oncofertility Series – Part 1 of 4. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we are dedicating four episodes to oncofertility – the subfield of medicine that bridges oncology and reproductive research to explore and expand options for the reproductive future of cancer survivors. In today's episode, we hear from Joyce Reinecke, who survived cancer, preserved her fertility, and is now dedicated...

Description: October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and this is the second of two episodes dedicated to a very related topic, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. In this episode Dr. Zev Williams, Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Columbia University Fertility Center, takes us on a deep dive into the causes, treatments, and even the future of this devastati...

Emily Simpson, of the Real Housewives of Orange County, had no difficulty getting pregnant, but she did have difficulty staying pregnant. She and her husband Shane suffered 6 devastating losses before finding their way through with an extremely generous gift from Emily's sister. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, so we are dedicating two episodes to a condition called Recurrent...

Jason Rudman and his husband Alvin utilized a gestational surrogate to start their family, and then, two years later, utilized another one to continue their family. Along the way Jason used his voice to change his employer's paternity leave policy and ended up helping more than just his immediate family. Today's host is Salaia DaCruz, Sr. Account Manager at Progyny. Guests: Jason Rudman If you mis...

Julie Hunt had been a Patient Care Advocate for years, and in that time she became an expert in all things related to fertility, like PCOS. How could it be that years later, at 27 years old, she discovered that she had PCOS the entire time? In the final episode of our three part series in honor of PCOS Awareness Month, host Julie Hunt, Business Development Associate at Progyny, discusses her own e...

When Megan Stewart, founder of the PCOS Awareness Association (PCOSAA), was told to change her outlook on her condition she decided to change the world instead. In the second of the three-part series on PCOS, we hear from Megan who tells us about a traumatic experience that drove her to create the PCOS Awareness Association, how she's are trying to help others with PCOS, and the different events a...

September is PCOS Awareness Month! Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a frustrating condition that can have symptoms like weight gain, excess hair on the face, stress, anxiety, depression, and…infertility. For this month, we're doing a three-part series on PCOS. Today we hear from Satoya Foster, Co-Founder of the PCOS Awareness Association, who tells us about when she started experiencing sympt...

So many people just don't know what to say when they find out that someone in their life is struggling with fertility. Today we hear from Jess Moran, who just started her fertility treatment journey. She has found speaking about her experience has not only helped her through this emotional and frustrating time, but it has also been her most valued resource. Jess's story includes Tinder, unexplaine...

It's often crucial for people going through fertility treatments to have an outlet for their emotions. Today's guests, Matt Mira, and Doree Shafrir have created their own outlet: their hit podcast Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure. Matt is a television writer (ABC's The Goldbergs) and veteran podcaster, and Doree is an author (Startup), and together they share their story of male factor infert...

Dealing with infertility can often feel like you're living two different lives. One in public, pretending to be ok and go about life as you know it, and one behind the scenes, worrying, waiting, wondering when your dream of having a family will finally come true. Our guest came up with the perfect term that incapsulates this life in limbo: Pregnantish. Andrea Syrtash is a relationship expert, foun...

In the previous episode, you heard about Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley's fertility journey. In this episode you'll hear their hilarious story about how they finally got to their reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Mark Surrey from SCRC. Today's host is Lissa Kline, Director of Member Services at Progyny. For those who are still searching for a fertility specialist, check out Progyny's Provider Net...

There are many reasons couples go through IVF, and for Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley they first tried IVF because of Slade's vasectomy, a procedure that keeps the sperm from reaching the seminal fluid. While the idea seemed straight forward, the journey that followed tested their relationship and threatened to bring them to their breaking point. Today's host is Lissa Kline, Director of Member Se...

According to a recent study by Reproductive Medicine Associates of NJ, almost 58% of people are forced to forego fertility treatment due to the anticipated financial burden. But what if your employer covered your treatment? We hear from Lindsey and Chrissy Callahan who were eager to start a family when they learned their employer-sponsored inclusive benefit would make their dream of having a child...

Any fertility journey can be complex, but for same-sex couples there are additional legal and political challenges that vary state by state. We hear from Trystan Reese, a transgender activist who works to ensure that every LGBTQ person has the right and ability to start their own family at Family Equality Council, and Theresa Witherspoon who, with her wife, found their family through reciprocal IV...

Surrogacy can allow same-sex male couples, or single men, to have a biological child by using the intended parent's sperm with the assistance of an egg donor and gestational carrier. We hear from Benjie and Jimmy Hyde, who found themselves at a crossroads when their original egg donor was unable to produce embryos. Today's host is Justin Alvis, Manager of Member Services, Progyny. Guests include,...

For same sex female couples, one of the first decisions to make when you decide to start a family is who will carry the baby. But sometimes those roles don't turn out as planned. We hear from Katie Acosta and Hilary Smith, a couple who had worked through those details. But when their chosen path didn't work, they embarked on a new fertility journey called reciprocal IVF. Today's host is Melissa Ma...

Age is often the primary factor when it comes to fertility, but what happens when you encounter fertility struggles in your 20's? We hear from Jenna Marinelli who shares her personal story of early menopause, difficult decisions, and a life without regret. Today's host is Taylor Burbach, Patient Care Supervisor at Progyny. Guests include, Dr. Georgia Witkin, Clinical Psychologist, Mount Sanai, and...

Fertility is not a dirty word. In January, Celmatix, the next generation women's health company, launched the #SaytheFword campaign to shatter stigmas and empower women to talk about fertility. It's time to break the silence and support each other. Today's host is Selena Campbell, a Patient Care Advocate at Progyny. Guests include, Karin Ajmani, President at Progyny, Angie Lee, Chief Product Offic...

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) is a heart wrenching and physically difficult challenge many women and couples face when trying to start a family. We hear from Karin Ajmani, President at Progyny, who tells us her personal struggle with RPL. Today's host is Dr. Georgia Witkin, Clinical Psychologist, Mount Sanai, and Head of Patient Services Development at Progyny and the guest is Karin Ajmani, Presi...

National Infertility Awareness Week ( NIAW ) is a week dedicated to uniting millions of Americans who want to remove the stigmas and barriers associated with infertility. The best way to remove infertility stigma is to talk about our experiences with infertility, and the best way to remove barriers to fertility treatments like IVF and IUI is to ensure coverage for these treatments are made availab...

This is Infertility: No two fertility journeys are the same. For that reason, we are breaking from the typical podcast form. Each episode is hosted by a different voice who brings their own unique point of view to the complex and ever changing world of infertility. This is Infertility is a podcast from Progyny, debuting during National Infertility Awareness Week 2018.