This is Fertility

There's nothing that sounds more glamorous and extravagant than being in a beauty pageant, and while it can certainly be rewarding, it can also be a very vulnerable experience. Opening yourself up to the world and sharing intimate details of your life can be incredibly daunting. In today's episode, we hear from Amanda Klein, a 2019 Mrs. Nevada contestant and winner, who while preparing and plannin...

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a common condition that is often extremely painful, hard to diagnose, and can affect a woman's fertility . This year, we're back with a special series to bring awareness to this disease. In the last episode, we heard from Dr. Tamer Seckin, co-founder of Endometriosis Foundation of America, who broke down the painful and often problematic sym...

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a common condition that is often extremely painful, hard to diagnose, and can affect a woman's fertility . This year, we're back with a special series to bring awareness to this disease. In the first episode, we hear from Dr. Tamer Seckin, a world-renowned endometriosis specialist and surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. He's also the...

When experiencing something as challenging as infertility, it can be helpful to hear stories, advice, and guidance from those who have been through it. However, we usually hear from people who were successful in growing their families. But what about those who are still going through treatment, and are uncertain of where their fertility journey will lead them? How can you make it through without s...

February is Black History Month, and unfortunately, uterine fibroids have a disproportionate impact on African American women. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors that grow in or around the uterus, and while they usually cause no harm, they can have an impact on fertility. In today's episode, we hear from Amelia "Mimi" Brown, who shares her complex infertility journey. After a year of failing...

Infertility is a journey that is complex and emotionally challenging for anyone involved, but there tends to be a lack of focus on the feelings and emotions of male partners. In today's episode, we hear from Philip Schmidt, who shares his perspective on experiencing an infertility journey. Philip and his wife endured three years of emotional, physical, and financial challenges in their family buil...

During our break between season 2 and season 3, we're re-playing our most popular episodes. Our most popular episode for season 1 is Episode 9 featuring Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley, former stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County. This episode originally aired on July, 9 2017. Find details of the episode, here. For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: progyny.com/podcast Have a...

During our break between season 2 and season 3, we're re-playing our most popular episodes. Our most popular episode for season 2 is episode 35 featuring Jamie Stelter from NY1. This episode originally aired on April 22, 2019. Find details of the episode, here. For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: progyny.com/podcast Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at...

This was another exciting year and season for us as we continue to grow and hear from incredible people who are willing to share the complex road that is infertility. As a recap for season 2, we reached 51,000 downloads, featured 56 guests, produced 35 episodes (which means 35 amazing stories), and 5 special series covering endometriosis, National Infertility Awareness Week, genetic testing, PCOS,...

While fertility treatments have certainly become more innovative, that doesn't mean they are any less expensive. IVF can cost anywhere from $15,000 – 20,000, and even IUI, a less invasive treatment, can cost $1,000 – 2,000. These treatments are usually not covered by insurance, leaving many individuals and couples paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. So, what's an individual supposed to do w...

In today's episode, we hear from Dawn Davenport, a leading expert in adoption, fostering, and infertility. Aside from being the Executive Director of Creating a Family, a national non-profit organization that educates and supports individuals trying to expand their family, Dawn is also the host of the top-rated radio show on adoption and infertility in the U.S. — Creating a Family: Talk about Infe...

November 11th is Veteran's Day, and in honor of this, we are rolling out three episodes to spread light on an issue that is often overlooked, dealing with infertility in the military. We will hear from those who had their own personal battles with building a family, learn how different treatment can be, but also how similar some of those struggles and challenges are. In the second episode of our t...

November 11th is Veteran's Day, and in honor of this, we are rolling out three episodes to spread light on an issue that is often overlooked, dealing with infertility in the military. We will hear from those who had their own personal battles with building a family, learn how different treatment can be, but also how similar some of those struggles and challenges are. In the third and final episode...

November 11th is Veteran's Day, and in honor of this, we are rolling out three episodes to spread light on an issue that is often overlooked, dealing with infertility in the military. We will hear from those who had their own personal battles with building a family, learn how different treatment can be, but also how similar some of those struggles and challenges are. In the first episode of our th...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we're diving into an aspect of breast cancer that's frequently overlooked. The treatments for cancer (such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other drugs) can put fertility at risk for women in reproductive age. One drug in particular, Tamoxifen, is taken for a number of years and helps treat and prevent breast cancer from developing. You shouldn't try to...

Some experiences are extremely difficult to talk about, some are hard to even think about. These experiences are sometimes described as being unspeakable, but when nobody speaks about something it can become difficult to heal, and it can be extremely lonely. This is what happens when someone has a miscarriage – also known as a pregnancy loss. According to The American College of Obstetricians and...

People use social media for several reasons. For Instagram, most use it to keep in touch with friends and families while others use it to highlight their culture or connect with their fans. They're also turning to Instagram to get information, get inspired, and build communities. It's become a place for people to voice their opinions and share info, especially when it comes to infertility. Some wi...

One of the most common questions people ask when they find out they have polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, is, "Does this mean I can't get pregnant?" PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that often presents itself with several symptoms, and yes one of those symptoms may be infertility. But, while PCOS itself isn't curable, it is possible for women with PCOS to get pregnant. PCOS impacts a woman's body's ab...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS, is a hormonal imbalance that can lead to symptoms like hair loss, acne and oily skin, irregular periods, excess hair growth in the face, weight gain, and infertility. Unfortunately, there is no cure for PCOS, but hormonal disorders and diseases can often be managed by incorporating a "hormone friendly diet." Finding the right diet can be difficult for anyone, but f...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS, impacts 1 in 10 women of childbearing age and symptoms can include ovulatory issues and infertility. So, PCOS is common and disruptive, but the good news is that with appropriate care PCOS can be managed. The first obstacle to managing PCOS is understanding the various symptoms and receiving a diagnosis. PCOS can come with a wide array of symptoms: Hair loss Acne,...

September is PCOS awareness month, and this year we're rolling out a special three-episode series covering PCOS from three unique angles. We'll kick off the series on Monday, September 9th with Sasha Ottey, founder of PCOS Challenge, the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association who will lay out how she came to create a network of over 50,000 women, all dedicated to advocacy and spreading awa...

"The hardest thing about having a baby alone is making the decision to do it." This is a quote from the memoir, "Panic & Joy: My Solo Path to Motherhood". In this episode, we hear from the author, a British journalist, and New York-transplant, Emma Brockes. At 37 years old, Emma found herself in the early stages of a relationship with a woman called "L" who was already in the process of her ow...

Fertility treatments are expensive, and they're usually not covered by insurance. So, what do you do when you need IVF, but you can't afford the associated bills? Over the course of her 10-year fertility journey, Brandi Kline found herself asking that question time and again. She had a good fulltime job, but no coverage for fertility treatments. Where did she turn when she was running out of hope?...

We've covered the cost effectiveness of pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, or PGT-A. In today's episode, we are going to learn about something called non-invasive pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (they don't have an acronym for it yet because it's still in clinical trials). We'll hear from Dr. Mandy Katz-Jaffe, a Reproductive Geneticist and the Scientific and Genetics...

The world of fertility is filled with acronyms - ART, IVF, IUI, ICSI, PICSI, SET, FET, HCG, LH, PCOS, AMH, FSH, OMG. But there is one acronym in particular that gets questioned often, PGT-A. It stands for pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy and it can make a real difference. Everyone who decides to go forward with IVF has to make a decision on whether or not to go forward with PGT-A. T...