This is Fertility

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. The fact is, many people just aren't sure if it would be worth the extra cost. In this episode we hear from Dr. Shelby Neal who, along with the team at RMA of New Jersey, performed a study to answer one of the key questions most patients have when facing IVF, "When is it cost effective to use pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy?" and "Why should we do PGT-A?" Today's host is Claire O'Neill, Patient Care Advocate (PCA) at Progyny. Guests include: Dr. Shelby Neal from RMA of NJ For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast and RMA of NJ: https://www.rmanj.com Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

Infertility treatment is often a series of choices. Do you try IUI? How many rounds? What about IVF? Can you afford it? Do you transfer one fresh embryo, or do you freeze them all? What about pre-implantation genetic testing? Is it worth the additional expense? Doctors can recommend a treatment path, but each choice is tied to money and time, and it's up to the patient to weigh those things against success rates. At the end of the day, if you choose a less expensive fertility treatment, are you actually saving money? Are you being efficient? Today we hear from Elyse Ash, founder of Fruitful Fertility, who had to navigate all of those questions during her fertility journey. Today's host is Brandi Guthrie, Provider Account Manager at Progyny. Guests include: Elyse Ash, Founder of Fruitful Fertility For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast For more information about Fruitful Fertility visit: https://www.fruitfulfertility.org/ Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

Nearly one-third of infertility cases are caused by some sort of issue with the female, nearly one-third are caused by some sort of issue with the male, and the rest is caused by some combination of issues with both partners, or the cause is simply unknown. The fact is, male infertility is as common as female infertility, we just don't usually talk about it that way. That's likely because regardless of the cause of the infertility, the treatments tend to have one thing in common, the brunt of the work falls on the female. We think it's important for men and women alike to talk about infertility. It's an issue that affects everyone, not just those who were born with a uterus. In this episode, we'll hear from Josh and Stephanie Shirkey who overcame male infertility in order to grow their family. Today's host is Justin Alvis, Director of Provider and Member Services at Progyny. Guests include: Josh and Stephanie Shirkey For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

June is Pride Month, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. And while there is still a lot of work to be done to bring true equity to the LGBTQ+ community, today's story is a demonstration of how far we've come over the past 50 years. We'll hear from Katie and Christina Bailey who utilized reciprocal IVF to welcome their baby girl into the world. And a year later, they did it again. Today's host is Lissa Kline, VP of Member and Provider Services at Progyny. Guests include: Katie and Christina Bailey For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: www.progyny.com/podcast and @BabyBaileyMamaDrama https://www.instagram.com/babybaileymamadrama/ Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

When Alaina Bos found herself struggling to conceive after being diagnosed with both endometriosis and PCOS she felt frustrated and alone. Fortunately, after months of trying she was finally able to have her baby, and she wanted to use her talents as a photographer to help others who found themselves in a similar position. So, she started a project called, Face of Infertility. Today's host is Carl Martinez, part of the Provider Relations Team at Progyny. Guests include: Alaina Bos, Face of Infertility For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: www.progyny.com/podcast

It can be hard to balance a demanding workplace with a goal of family building. If the first step to having a baby for many is timed intercourse, how do you manage when you have no time for intercourse? In today's episode, we'll hear from Staff Sergeant Helena Giammarco who plays the French Horn in the United States Airforce band. She and her husband had no trouble conceiving their first child, but when they tried for a second, they faced roadblock after roadblock. We'll hear about Helena's experience, and learn a little about what it's like to be infertile in the military. Today's host is Jasmine Villa, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny. Guests include: Helena Giammarco, Staff Sergeant in the US Airforce For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page http://www.progyny.com/podcast Learn more about SWAN, The Service Women's Action Network, at https://www.servicewomen.org/ Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

Life is filled with shifting priorities. Your focus when you were younger is a lot different than your focus now. As you enter the workforce, especially as a woman, shifting priorities doesn't stop, and the choices get tougher. If your workplace doesn't support your family building needs, you may need to find one that does. But after years of struggling to start your family, followed by years supporting it, can you ever reclaim the career you left behind? In this episode, we hear from Jenny Galluzzo, co-founder of The Second Shift, who struggled with infertility before having two children, and found the career she worked so hard to build was suddenly not working for her new lifestyle. Today's host is Janelle Branch, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny. Guests include: Jenny Galluzzo, Co-Founder of The Second Shift For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

This is the last episode in our four-part series for National Infertility Awareness Week on #InfertilityUncovered. This episode is going to follow the experience of a patient who is covered by the Progyny Fertility Benefit, while taking a deep dive into an invaluable resource she found along the way, The Progyny Patient Care Advocate Team. Infertility is a disease that demands support, and today we will examine what real supportive care grounded by experience and devotion really looks like. Today's host is Melissa Johnson, Director, National Accounts at Progyny. Guests include: Jennifer Kattula & the member of the Progyny Patient Care Advocate team: Janelle Branch, Selena Campbell, Katie Diana, Melissa Duffy, Marianela Felipe, Jennifer Flavin, Manuela Henderson, LaTisha Maxwell, LaShonda Mickens, Claire O'Neill, Jasmine Villa, Lily Xu, Claudia Zimmerman For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast To ask your HR/benefits team for a fertility benefit, visit progyny.com/talktohr to start the conversation. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

This is the third episode in our four-part series for National Infertility Awareness Week on #InfertilityUncovered. Why, in 2019, are American workplaces still so bad at dealing with issues around infertility? That is the question that Katherine Goldstein, reporter and host of the podcast The Double Shift, asks in her article for Slate titled, "IVF & The Office." Katherine has been researching and writing about issues relating to women and the workplace for years now, and when she turned her attention to infertility and the workplace she found herself with more questions than answers. In this episode Katherine uncovers what she's learned while researching her article, the advice she has for women, and what workplaces can do to address these shortcomings. Today's host is Cassandra Pratt, VP of People at Progyny. Guests include: Katherine Goldstein, The Double Shift podcast For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast and The Double Shift podcast: https://www.thedoubleshift.com To ask your HR/benefits team for a fertility benefit, visit progyny.com/talktohr to start the conversation. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

This is the second episode in our four-part series for National Infertility Awareness Week on #InfertilityUncovered. If a fertility benefit is offered, but there are no providers who accept it, is it really a benefit at all? In this episode we from Wajmah Yaqubi who found herself asking that very question when she researched her employer's fertility benefit. Wajmah is still trying to conceive, and she's doing it with very little coverage for her fertility treatments that she needs. Today's host is Brandi Guthrie, Provider Account Manager at Progyny. Guests include: Wajmah Yaqubi For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page http://www.progyny.com/podcast To ask your HR/benefits team for a fertility benefit, visit progyny.com/talktohr to start the conversation Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]