This is Fertility

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 reason to bear the experience of fertility treatment alone. A cathartic blog turned into something bigger, which today Kristyn and her co-founder Abby call, Rescripted.

In this episode, Kristyn walks us through her family building journey, the importance of having family building care, and creating a community filled with support.

Guest: Kristyn Hodgdon, Rescripted, Progyny Member

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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 most recent step on her family building journey, gestational surrogacy. She shares what's been happening over the last few years, what the transition was like to carrying her own child, to how she found someone to carry her second. We also hear from Dr. Dorette Noorhasan a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert from CCRM Dallas Fort Worth. Dr. Noorhasan describes both her personal and professional experience with finding a gestational carrier, and how being the patient has altered her experience as the provider.

Guest: Samantha Busch, Bundle of Joy Foundation, and Dr. Dorette Noorhasan, CCRM Dallas

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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 factor infertility, multiple rounds of IVF, the emotional and financial toll this journey took on her and her husband, and how she's on a mission to change access to family building care in Canada with Fertility Matters Canada.

Guest: Carolynn Dubé, Executive Director, Fertility Matters Canada

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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, the COVID-19 pandemic, financial barriers, and physicians who didn't understand her needs. Shannon was starting to lose hope till one day her husband joined Microsoft. She quickly learned about the Progyny benefit offered through Microsoft and realized this journey wasn't over.

Guest: Shannon Walker, Progyny Member

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

Fertility 101: Uterine Fibroids - https://progyny.com/education/podcast/episode-92/

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, "What is a transvaginal ultrasound and how do you prepare for that?"

Let this episode serve as a good starting place to ease any anxiety or questions about the family building journey.

For additional resources and answers to frequently asked questions, check out

• Frequently Asked Questions During a Fertility Journey
• 8 Tips To Getting Started with Fertility Treatments
• Progyny Webinar: Your Family Building Journey with Progyny

Guests: Dr. Michael Drews from RMA of New Jersey, Dr. Jennifer Brown from Northeastern Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Linnea Goodman from Virginia Fertility and IVF, Dr. Thomas Molinaro, from RMA of New Jersey, Dr. Kathleen Hong from RMA of New Jersey

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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 wanted to continue to build his family with his wife. After trying for some time, they found themselves hitting a wall. So, they decided to turn to medical intervention. While they were going through treatment, Russ and his wife kept reminding each other, there was nothing wrong with facing this challenge. People start their families in so many different ways and this was just part of their story. Russ dives into their diagnosis, different treatment paths, how Progyny's Patient Care Advocate saved the day, and an unexpected twist at the end.

Guest: Russ Freyman, Progyny member

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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.

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 the unfortunate realities we sometimes face on the path to parenthood.

As a result of physical, emotional, and financial roadblocks, we now know how important it is to advocate for fertility benefits in the workplace. If you want help and don't know where to start, Progyny is here for that too, go to progyny.com/talktohr, and we'll provide you with the information you need to start the conversation.

Here are the full episodes from our recap:

• Episode 145: Infertility in the Military From a Male's POV

• Episode 126: Unexpected Detours of Black Woman on the Journey to Parenthood
• Episode 138: From "That's Not Good Enough" to Parenthood
• Episode 130: Fighting for Fertility Coverage: Advocating from Within

Guests: Justin Smith, Delaine Williams, Caitlin Day, Chrissy Hogie Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].

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 return after the summer break with a new family member.

Nowhere in her plan did she account for how much time it would take to find the right care. In this episode, we'll hear about Amber's journey and how she went through multiple Clomid prescriptions, three rounds of IVF, and a friend in the field, to get to where she is today.

Guest: Amber Walther, High School Teacher

Host: Julie Campbell, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility. Have a question, ocomment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected].

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, beyond what they receive from Veteran health care. Join us as we learn more about this organization and about their VIVA program, a fund that provides fertility assistance to Veterans.

Guest: Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation

Host: Dan Bulger

For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page and Progyny's Education page for more resources. 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].