This Is Infertility

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 o

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 providin

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, “W

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re diving into an aspect of breast cancer that’s frequently overlooked. The treatments for cancer (such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other drugs) can put fertility at risk for women in reproductive age. One drug in particular, Tamoxifen, is taken for a number of years and helps treat and prevent breast cancer from developing. You shouldn’t try to conceive while taking Tamoxifen. However, there’s a solution; some can take a “drug holiday” or break from medication. Typically, the break can last up to a year, meaning you shouldn’t try to conceive until a few months after using the drug. That also means there’s only a short window for someone to conceive. People often consider fertility preservation, or egg/embryo freezing because of the risks and time constraints while dealing with cancer. Just in case you don’t have a healthy pregnancy, fertility preservation is often seen as a safety net so you can move forward with an embryo transfer. It’s an important optio

Some experiences are extremely difficult to talk about, some are hard to even think about. These experiences are sometimes described as being unspeakable, but when nobody speaks about something it can become difficult to heal, and it can be extremely lonely. This is what happens when someone has a miscarriage – also known as a pregnancy loss. According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, an early pregnancy loss is common and occurs in 10% of all clinically recognized pregnancies and approximately 80% of all cases of pregnancy loss occur within the first trimester. Regardless of the timing of the miscarriage or how many, it’s still difficult. So how do you recover emotionally after a pregnancy loss? How do you find the strength to keep trying or move forward? In today’s episode, we hear from Erica McAfee, the host of the podcast, Sister’s in Loss. Erica suffered two devastating miscarriages during the early years of her marriage and now she’s dedicated her life to helping others who’ve

People use social media for several reasons. For Instagram, most use it to keep in touch with friends and families while others use it to highlight their culture or connect with their fans. They’re also turning to Instagram to get information, get inspired, and build communities. It’s become a place for people to voice their opinions and share info, especially when it comes to infertility. Some will use Instagram to document their IVF journey (#IVF has over 1M posts) or talk about their loss (#miscarriage has over 360K posts). Regardless of where someone is in their journey, they can share their experiences (the highs and lows) with a community they build from the ground up. But with all of this knowledge and community building, people are also being served ads. These ads might gloss over heavy topics like infertility. Some have been reported talking about financing procedures like it’s a walk in the park. When this information isn’t coming from a reproductive endocrinologist, how do you know the information

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

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

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 i

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 reso

"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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com

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 quest

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 yo

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 que

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com