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 ability to ovulate, which can lead to an irregular fertile window. These irregularities can affect your ability to get pregnant naturally, but there are several things a reproductive endocrinologist can recommend to help overcome this. Treatment options can be as straightforward as oral medications to induce ovulation, injectable medications, or fertility treatments like IUI and IVF. There isn’t a treatment option for all women with PCOS, and each individual needs to work with their doctor to decide the right treatment path for them. In today’s episode, we’ll hear from Sarah Rivera, who was diagnosed after experiencing two life-threatening ectopic pregnancies. Because of her experience, she decided that IVF was the safest way to proceed, and because she had coverage for fertility treatments provided by her employer, she was able to pursue parenthood at her own pace. This episode is hosted by Julie Hunt, self-described “proud PCOS cyster”, and Manager of Business Development at Progyny.

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 for someone with PCOS, it can be even more complicated. In this episode, we will try to help you sort out the do’s and don’ts of the ideal PCOS diet. Certified Health Coach Susan May sits down with Progyny’s Lissa Kline to discuss what foods to avoid, what foods to seek out, and some other lifestyle changes women with PCOS can make to manage their condition. If you want to learn even more you can do so at progyny.com/education. There you can find an article written by Susan May entitled, “What Do You Eat if You Have PCOS or Endo?” This article breaks down everything you need to know about PCOS, endometriosis, and how you should cater your diet to help manage both of these common conditions. This episode is hosted by Julie Hunt, self-described “proud PCOS cyster”, and Manager of Business Development at Progyny.

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, darkening of the skin, skin tags Pelvic pain, irregular periods Headaches, feelings of anxiety and depression Excess hair growth on the face Trouble sleeping Weight gain Infertility For more info check out this PCOS infographic. These symptoms can be caused by other conditions and everyone with PCOS experience the same symptoms, so it can be extremely difficult to get a diagnosis. The best thing for someone who’s exhibiting some of these symptoms is to talk to their doctor. The biggest challenge is, many people don’t ask because they don’t know what PCOS is. This is why awareness about PCOS is so crucial. September is PCOS Awareness Month, and to help spread awareness we have created a special three-part series featuring PCOS experts, health specialists, and a fertility patient who built her family despite her diagnosis. This episode features Dr. Stephanie Thompson, from IVFMD, who breaks down everything you need to know about PCOS, and Sasha Ottey, founder of PCOS Challenge, the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. Dr. Thompson will walk us through what PCOS is, what it means for fertility, and how to help women with PCOS build the family of their dreams. Sasha will share her personal experience with PCOS, how she was diagnosed, and how she started the PCOS Challenge. We’ll learn about PCOS Challenge’s mission, gain an understanding of how to contribute to PCOS Challenge, and hear about some exciting upcoming events like the Rise to the Challenge Gala. This episode is hosted by Julie Hunt, self-described “proud PCOS cyster, “and Manager of Business Development at Progyny.

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 awareness around this common condition. Then, a week later, on Monday September 16th, we’ll hear from Certified Health Coach Susan May who will share some practical advice for women hoping to find a PCOS diet. And we’ll wrap up the following week, Monday September 23rd, with Sarah Rivera, who is living proof that a PCOS diagnosis does not mean you can’t get pregnant… it just means you may need a little help. You probably know someone with PCOS so please share this with your friends and family, and of course, if you want information about PCOS right now go to progyny.com/education. There you can find lots of helpful resources like our PCOS infographic which breaks down this condition, it’s treatment options, and what it means for a woman trying to get pregnant, an article written by Certified Health Coach Susan May laying out exactly what a PCOS diet looks like, and much more. Also, don’t forget that previous episodes of This is Infertility are always available at progyny.com/podcast, and you’ll find last year’s PCOS Awareness Month content there, just scroll down to Episode 13, 14, and 15. This series is hosted by Julie Hunt, Manager of Business Development at Progyny.

"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 own path to single motherhood, and Emma had to choose exactly how she planned to become a mother. Today’s host is Amanda Sanchez, part of the Provider Relations team at Progyny. Guests include: Emma Brockes For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast and you can find the book Panic & Joy: My Solo Path to Motherhood here :https://www.amazon.com/Panic-Joy-Solo-Path-Motherhood/dp/0143110314 Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

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? Starbucks. Brandi shares with us her story of resilience and resourcefulness, how she got her fertility treatments covered by working part-time at Starbucks, and how after a complicated and draining experience, she is now a mother to a beautiful baby. Today’s host is Julie Stadlbauer, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Progyny. Guests include: Brandi Kline 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]

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 Director at CCRM. She’ll break down how this test could work, the advantages this could have for patients, and where they are in the process of clinical trials. Today’s host is Claire O’Neill, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny. Guests include: Dr. Mandy Katz-Jaffe, a Reproductive Geneticist and the Scientific and Genetics Director at CCRM. For more information, visit Progyny's Podcast page: http://www.progyny.com/podcast and CCRM: https://www.ccrmivf.com Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

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]