This is Infertility is a bi-weekly podcast where we fuse narrative storytelling with experience and science to give you a new perspective on what it’s really like to go through a family building journey. Each episode dives into the emotional, physical, and financial burdens carried by those who experience infertility on their path to parenthood. Be it IVF, IUI, egg freezing, surrogacy, adoption, etc., the path is never the same and it can be long, painful, and lonely. It’s our mission to giv ...
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How Lauren Turned Her Infertility Story into an Infertility Non-profit
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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 episo…
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Teamwork makes a dream work: How Jennifer’s village made parenthood possible
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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 the…
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Fertility 101: Egg Donation: Transparency for the Intended Parent and Donor
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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 dono…
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A Decade with Whitney: Freezing her Eggs, Winning the Bachelor, and Becoming a Mom
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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 …
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Experiencing the Unexpected: Sarah's IVF Journey
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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.…
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Fertility 101: Transgender Family Building Options
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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…
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Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception
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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…
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Overcoming the Emotional Toll of Infertility
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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 neede…
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Single Parent by Choice: Rethinking the Notion of Family
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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 si…
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#NIAW: A Path to Parenthood Turned into a Path to Purpose
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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 a…
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Becoming a Single Parent by Choice: How Gloria Met Emmet
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With a focus on her career and a determination to find the right "other half” for her child, today’s guest shares her journey to being a single parent by choice. Navigating the stress of her ticking biological clock, Gloria Soler went from realizing that the perfect parenting partner was not yet on her horizon to manifesting her own dreams of paren…
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From Surgeries to Success: Haley's Path to Parenthood
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The journey to ideal health is a constant battle. And when emergency surgery is needed, most may not think twice about the impact this will have on their future fertility. In today’s episode, we hear from Haley, who shares her family building journey. It’s one marked by multiple diagnoses, surgeries, and financial strain. Despite these setbacks, Ha…
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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 guest, Dr. Paul Dudley, Medical Director of Pinnacle Fertility Atlanta, dives into what tests are expected during an initial consultation, including …
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Today’s episode delves into a supportive yet often overlooked contributor to the birthing process and much more: the role of doulas. Our guest, Latham Thomas, Founder of Mama Glow, elaborates on the diverse responsibilities of doulas, ranging from offering emotional and physical support in co-creating your birth plan, to advocating for individuals …
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Building Families with Ferring — A Win-Win
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Times are changing, and more employers are choosing to prioritize fertility and family building benefits to attract and retain talent. Investing in employee benefits isn't just about cost, it’s about fostering a positive employee experience, driving engagement, and ultimately enhancing business performance. Today's guest, Purvi Tailor, Vice Preside…
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Unexplained Infertility, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, and Switching Doctors
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Struggling with disbelief, enduring back-to-back treatments, cancelled appointments, and an overwhelming emotional toll - these experiences are all part of Sonya Heer's journey to building a family. How did she get here? Sonya and her husband embarked on what most couples do: they got married, spent some quality time together, and then wanted to ex…
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Becoming a Single Parent by Choice: IVF + a Sperm Donor
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Today’s guest spent a great deal of time juggling a lot of things many tasks on a tight schedule – she was busy creating a successful career for herself , as she was creating a successful career for herself as a senior producer at a media and entertainment companySenior Producer at Warner Brothers Discovery Sports. Lakia Holmes At 37 years old, Lak…
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Wrapping Season 6 with Your Burning Questions
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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 …
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A Mic for the LGBTQIA+ Community: The Queer Family Podcast
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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 strugg…
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Finding the Right... Everything: A Journey of Trial and Error
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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 multip…
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WorkLIFE Balance: The Need for Family Building Support in the Workplace
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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…
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Transformative Benefits: An Inside Look at an Amazonian's Family Building Journey
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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 tog…
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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 ra…
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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 pl…
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Reproductive Urologists and Endocrinologists: What’s the Difference?
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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, a…
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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 abo…
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Endometriosis, Male-Factor Infertility, and the Waiting Game
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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 int…
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Empowering Resilience: A Broken Brown Egg AHA Grant Winner's Story
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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…
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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 collecti…
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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 re…
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Male-Factor Infertility: IVF & the Unexpected
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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 …
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LGBTQ+ Family Building: Pride and Path to xHood
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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…
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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 transf…
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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 lo…
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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…
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#NIAW: The Catalyst to Bringing Fertility and Family Building Benefits to Her Employer
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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 consulta…
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Rescripting the Conversation Around Fertility
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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, Kri…
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Bundle of Joy via a Gestational Surrogate
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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 infertilit…
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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…
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When the Right Decision is a Difficult One
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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 ch…
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Fertility 101: Preparing for Your First Fertility Clinic Appointment
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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 s…
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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 f…
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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.…
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Year End Recap: This is Infertility Season 5
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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…
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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 …
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Infertility in the Military: Giving Hope to Our Heroes
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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, bey…
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Infertility in the Military: From the Male’s POV
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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…
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Oncofertility: Building a Family after Cancer
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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 upda…
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Miscarriage Awareness: The Experience from Both Sides
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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…
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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 t…
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