This is Fertility

As the sixth season of This Is Infertility comes to a close, we wanted to thank all of our incredible listeners for keeping us part of your journey. This episode has been requested by many of our listeners, and certainly could not have been made without you. Today our host sits down with 30 of our amazing in-network reproductive endocrinologist to answer your burning questions. Wondering what thes...

Almost three years ago, we published a list of our Top 17 Favorite Fertility Podcasts. Topping that list was a podcast called, If These Ovaries Could Talk, a show centered around the lesbian experience of fertility and family building. Today's guest, Jaimie Kelton, created this podcast after going through the journey to build her family, and struggling to find relatable content and education for q...

Today's guest walks us through her experience with the wrong physician, the wrong clinic, the wrong treatment, the wrong coverage, and the wrong...well, everything. Sherri Sawyerr describes her experience of trial and error in pursuing parenthood, and how taking the wrong path can often pave the way for the right one. During her journey with multiple physicians and IVF cycles , inadequate coverage...

This Veteran's Day, we're featuring Brian Tucker, a Veteran who is outspoken about his experience with male factor infertility. He is also an HR disruptor who knows that employers, are, in part, responsible for executing the American Dream. On the path to building a family, Brian and his wife, Jenny, found themselves at a financial crossroad. Their coverage for fertility treatment was miscommunica...

In the LGBTQIA+ community, options for family building are often limited – some by the ways employers choose to define infertility, and who can gain access to the benefit. Today's guest, Stephanie Kalili, always knew she wanted to be a mom, but she didn't know what this journey might look like for her. After meeting her wife and building a life together, Stephanie knew she was interested in concep...

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 Dr. Anate Brauer, IVF Director at Shady Grove Fertility New York about all things egg freezing . She answers questions ranging from, "Why do people freeze their eggs?" to...

People are increasingly having children later in life and for some, the decision is to have no children at all. Those who teeter between the options, unsure of their decision, know that one thing is true; time is ticking. Today's guest, Shannon Fender, wasn't always certain about parenthood, but at one point she realized she should put things in place in case that was something she wanted to pursu...

September is Urology Awareness Month, which is quite necessary considering there are less than four hundred practicing Reproductive Urologists in the United States. This episode serves as an opportunity to understand the intense training it takes to become a Reproductive Urologist (RU), what role they play in men's health and reproductive health, as well as how they work in conjunction with Reprod...

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, Progyny's Chief Medical Officer and Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Janet Choi gives an overview about all the things you need to know about menopause. Menopause has long been an undiscusse...

Football is a waiting game. Fans all over America watch their teams anxiously for months with one common desire, a chance to win. Today's guest, Patriots fan, Chris Callahan, knows this waiting game quite well and it may have even prepared him for the most worthwhile wait of his life – the journey to his son, Brady. In this episode, Chris dives into their dual diagnosis of endometriosis and male-f...

In Episode 86: The Broken Brown Egg , we were introduced to Regina Townsend, the passionate voice behind The Broken Brown Egg; a blog, resource hub, community, and nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering, informing, and advocating for those who are questioning or dealing with infertility, with a particular focus on the Black experience. Today, we meet Sametra Thompson, an active-duty servic...

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, Dr. Callum Potts breaks down the unexplained infertility diagnosis. He walks us through the four factors of fertility, how they work collectively to create a natural pregnancy, and why these...

Jessica Hadwin, like many in this community, was given an incredibly frustrating diagnosis – unexplained infertility. Answers are typically comforting and for Jessica there were none until she experienced two devasting miscarriages. But how do we find the answers? For Jessica it was through additional research from the lab. After a few tests, it revealed chromosomal abnormalities to be the reason...

Today's guest, Lizzy Colas, went into her marriage knowing she would likely need IVF to have a baby since her partner was diagnosed with male-factor infertility . What the couple didn't know was how frustrating this process would be. Lizzy shares how they were able to navigate their journey, the support from their loved ones, and why they advocated for themselves throughout the entire process. Liz...

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 within the community. Today's episode features Mia Cooley, a Black, queer, mother of three whose desire to connect with families that looked like hers, created an inclusive community called xHood. xHood is a safe space that supports Black and q...

Seven years ago, Michelle Meyer and her husband, Alex, had no idea what was in store for them and their dreams of starting a family. Those years were filled with multiple diagnoses (from male factor infertility, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and endometriosis ), fertility treatments ( IUI , medicated cycles, and IVF) , and a mix of emotions from failed transfers and miscarriages . In this episode, Michel...

We always talk about enacting change on this podcast and that's exactly what today's guest did when she felt her journey was at a halt. In honor of National Teacher's Appreciation Week, meet Tara Stark, a teacher, who shares her experience after being diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve , faced multiple failed rounds of IVF , and a pregnancy loss. Tara was frustrated and knew she needed a ch...

Today's episode is a great example of the magic some people experience on their path to parenthood. When Sarah and her husband Brian started trying at a time that felt right for them, they realized other factors may be at play, in this case, male factor , to be exact. For Sarah, the IVF process ran smoothly and successfully. And part of this was due to the fact that she had access to an employer-s...

It's National Infertility Awareness Week and this year we have one central theme – one we discuss frequently on this podcast – the importance and need for employer-sponsored fertility and family building benefits. We've heard from previous guests about how to advocate for coverage from within an organization , the view point from a benefits consultant on why it's important , and today's guest shed...

Today's guest was thrusted into the world of infertility and soon became a co-founder to address the lack of education when it came to reproductive health. Kristyn Hodgdon was first diagnosed with PCOS after getting married and embarked on a long journey which included IUI , IVF , miscarriage , twins, and everything in between. Along this journey, Kristyn came to the conclusion that there was no r...

This episode features a guest who is not new to this podcast, or to Progyny at all. You may remember her from Episode 34: Transforming Pain into Bundles of Joy, where she described turning her experience with infertility into the Bundles of Joy foundation which has now distributed a million dollars in grant money to those struggling with infertility. Today Samantha Busch joins us to discuss her mo...

In today's episode our guest, Carolynn Dubé, shares her family building journey with a few universal themes and emotions that many of our guests and this community has shared – the frustration, disappointment, sadness, and moments of hope. Carolynn also opens the question of, is Canada doing enough to support those struggling with infertility ? Join us as Carolynn shares her experience with male f...

In honor of Black History Month, we're highlighting a story that we know all too well – the fight with fibroids . This condition impacts about 80% of Black women and while it's common, many will never know they have it or require medical intervention. In today's episode, we speak to Shannon Walker about the barriers to expanding her family. She's challenged with secondary infertility, fibroids , t...

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, "W...

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 wa...