This is Fertility

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 to conceive naturally, Mimi decided it was time to visit a doctor, which is when she was diagnosed with both PCOS and uterine fibroids, and her husband was diagnosed with male factor infertility. Over the past seven years the couple has experienced five failed rounds of IUI, multiple surgeries to remove fibroids, unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers, and devastating pregnancy losses. Although Mimi is still on her journey, she continues to use her career as a motivational speaker and her online presence to uplift others experiencing infertility. She is also in the process of writing her upcoming book Laugh Out Loud Infertility: Stories to Crack You Up While Trying to Get Knocked Up: https://www.lolinfertility.com/ We also hear from Dr. Enrique Soto, a fertility specialist from IVFMD, who explains everything we need to know about uterine fibroids, including the various types, treatment and removal options, and their impact on fertility. Guest: Amelia "Mimi" Brown Expert: Dr. Enrique Soto, IVFMD Host: Selena Campbell, Manager of Member Services at Progyny For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page: progyny.com/podcast and Progyny's Education page: progyny.com/education Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].

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 building journey. Fortunately, everything turned around for the couple when Philip found a new job that offered comprehensive fertility coverage, allowing them to expand their family in a way they never could've imagined. We'll learn how Philip and his wife pursued both adoption and fertility treatments and within a few months, welcomed not one but two children into their family. We also hear from Dr. Stephanie Gustin, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert at the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, who adds clarity to the infertility diagnosis recurrent pregnancy loss. She also shares her experience working with male partners of women going through fertility treatment and how their emotional strain can often go overlooked. Guest: Philip Schmidt, Progyny Member Expert: Dr. Stephanie Gustin, Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine Host: Lissa Kline, VP of Member and Provider Services at Progyny For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources on emotional support and awareness. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]. For highlights from this episode, visit www.progyny.com/podcast

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 question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected] See you next season!

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 [email protected] See you next season!

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, and infertility in the military. In this episode, we'll dive into our top 5 five episodes for the season and the common themes we've found. We'd like to thank all of our guests and hosts this year. We couldn't have done this without you! Season 3 will be back on January 20, 2020. In the interim, we'll be re-playing our top episode from season 2 and season 1. Here are the top 5 episodes from season 2: Episode 35: #InfertilityUncovered: In the Spotlight with Jamie Stelter Episode 27: Becoming a Single Parent by Choice Episode 47: Brewing for a Fertility Benefit Episode 34: Transforming Pain into Bundles of Joy: Samantha Busch Episode 38: #InfertilityUncovered: Infertility Support Through Progyny's Patient Care Advocates Host: Dan Bulger and Selena Yang, This is Infertility Producers and Editors For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].

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 when they can't afford treatment? In this episode, we hear from Sharika Ramseur, who's been struggling to have a child with her husband Gabriel for almost eight years. After seeing a number of specialists, the couple discovered that Gabriel had male factor infertility, and were recommended to try IUI – the only problem was they couldn't afford more than one round. Luckily, Sharika had an extremely supportive community of friends and colleagues at the hospital she worked at. We hear from Lauren and Megan, Sharika's co-workers who fundraised almost $4,000 to help cover the costs of IUI. But even this generous gift still wasn't enough. The couple was then told that IVF would be their best option to get pregnant, which costs a lot more than what Sharika could afford. Once again, Sharika's co-workers went the extra mile and applied for a grant that helps couples pay for fertility treatments. Through the help of The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, Sharika and her husband were able to afford one round of IVF. We'll hear Sharika's heartwarming story of getting pregnant after a long journey of infertility and welcoming her baby girl into the world. Guests: Sharika Ramseur, Bundle of Joy recipient, and Lauren Strain and Megan England Host: Claire O'Neill, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page, and The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund. You can watch Sharika and Gabriel receive their Bundle of Joy grant here. You can find the episode that dives into the creation of The Bundle of Joy Fund You can find the podcast episode that dives into Samantha Busch creating the Bundle of Joy Fund here. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].

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 Infertility, Adoption, & Foster Care. When Dawn began researching options for growing her family, she had a difficult time finding accurate, unbiased information online about the adoption process. Recognizing the need for a reliable source for learning about family expansion options, her online website eventually transformed into what Creating a Family is today, one of the leading providers of infertility and adoption education. Dawn's organization uses an unbiased approach and provides information that is both medically and emotionally accurate, so that individuals can make the decision that's best for them, whether that means adopting, fostering or continuing their fertility journey. Their mission is to support people who are struggling to create a family, regardless of the circumstances. In this episode, we'll learn about various types of adoption, embryo donation, and the different resources available to individuals and families. Guest: Dawn Davenport, Executive Director of Creating a Family. Host: Brandi Guthrie, National Account Manager at Progyny. For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page, Creating a Family and the podcast Creating a Family: Talk about Infertility, Adoption & Foster Care. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].

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 three-part series, we hear from Kerry Karwan, a retired Coast Guard Officer, and Ellen Haring, a retired Army Colonel and CEO of the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), a non-profit that supports, connects, and advocates for service women; past, present, and future. Kerry shares what it's like to go through fertility treatment while on active duty. For her this meant on the road IVF injections, going to multiple clinics across the country, and going through all of this on her own. During her journey, she found SWAN, which connects women in the military to information, resources, and legal support. We learn how an organization like SWAN are fighting for better policies and healthcare. Guests: Kerry Karwan, retired U.S. Coast Guard and member of Service Women's Action Network, and Ellen Haring, CEO of Service Women's Action Network. Host: Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny. For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page and Service Women's Action Network. If you want to learn more about the report discussed in this episode, you can find it here: Access to Reproductive Health Care: The Experiences of Military Women Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

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 of our three-part series, we hear from Dr. Matthew Retzloff, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at the Fertility Center of San Antonio. With a history of over 300 years of military presence, San Antonio is home to one of the nation's largest active and retired military populations. Dr. Retzloff, who served in the U.S. Air Force for over 29 years, now sees several active service members and veterans who are experiencing infertility. In this episode, we learn about service-related injuries that can lead to infertility, factors that often limit access to care for military members, and specialized programs that are providing active and veterans access to the care they need to build their families. Expert: Dr. Matthew Retzloff, fertility specialist from the Fertility Center of San Antonio. Host: Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny. For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page. If you want to learn more about the programs mentioned in this podcast you can find them here: Compassionate Corps Program and Heart for Heroes Program. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

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 three-part series, we hear from Rebecca Lipe, who served as a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Air Force and served in Iraq. After deployment, she started her family building journey and decided to go through IVF, but things didn't go as expected. In this episode, Rebecca shares her story of navigating fertility treatment while under military care, suffering from physically and emotionally painful pregnancy losses, and eventually giving birth to her beautiful daughter Genevieve. We'll also learn about the importance of staying connected and finding a community while dealing with infertility, as Rebecca emphasizes, "Women in the military are the best resource for other women in the military." Guest: Rebecca Lipe, attorney at a private law firm. Host: Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny. For more information visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources on how to best handle a miscarriage. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]