Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception

This is Infertility

39:50

The truth is out West! We’re hopping on the ET Highway and venturing to the most notorious alien hot spots, including Roswell’s infamous crash site, Area 51’s eerie perimeter, and a mysterious desert watchtower. Join us as journalist Laura Krantz, host of the podcast Wild Thing , beams up to share stories from the front lines of UFO reporting—from strange sightings and quirky festivals to a mailbox where people leave letters to extraterrestrials. Maybe you’ll even decide for yourself: Is Earth a tourist stop for spaceships? UFO hot spots you’ll encounter in this episode: - UFO Watchtower (near Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado) - Roswell, New Mexico - Area 51, Nevada - Extraterrestrial Highway (aka State Route 375), Nevada - Little A’Le’Inn, ET Highway, Nevada - E.T. Fresh Jerky, ET Highway, Nevada - Alien Research Center, ET Highway, Nevada - The Black Mailbox, ET Highway, Nevada Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group .…

about a year ago 10:22

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In today’s episode, we explore the complex world of donor conception with experts Dr. Mark Leondires and Lisa Schuman, LCSW. They provide an overview of their book, Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception, which serves as a resource for those considering donor conception due to infertility, medical issues, same-sex partnerships, or gender orientation.

The book covers everything from initial considerations and emotions to the medical and genetic processes involved, selecting the right donor, and talking to children about their donor conception.

Tune in to hear how to manage the challenges of a donor conception journey.

Guest: Dr. Mark Leondires and Lisa Schuman, LCSW, authors of Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception

Dr. Mark Leondires

Medical Director and Founding Partner

at Illume Fertility and Gay Parents to Be

Lisa Schuman, LCSW

Founder of The Center for Family Building

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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com. 

This episode is also a video! Watch it here: https://youtu.be/kX60smGnP9k

111 episodes

Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception

This is Infertility

21 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

The book covers everything from initial considerations and emotions to the medical and genetic processes involved, selecting the right donor, and talking to children about their donor conception.

Tune in to hear how to manage the challenges of a donor conception journey.

Guest: Dr. Mark Leondires and Lisa Schuman, LCSW, authors of Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception

Dr. Mark Leondires

Medical Director and Founding Partner

at Illume Fertility and Gay Parents to Be

Lisa Schuman, LCSW

Founder of The Center for Family Building

Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny 

This episode is also a video! Watch it here: https://youtu.be/kX60smGnP9k

111 episodes

All episodes

This is Infertility

1
Family Building Without Barriers: Maggie’s Reciprocal IVF Journey 15:30

11 days ago15:30

15:30

Guest: Maggie Garnsey, Progyny Member at Santander Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny For LGBTQ+ couples, traditional fertility coverage can leave them behind with little to no access to the actual coverage. Many are forced to undergo unnecessary, emotionally taxing procedures to meet outdated definitions of infertility. For Maggie and her wife, Alli, they thought they would need to pursue IUI , like many of their friends. However, Maggie discovered that her employer, Santander Bank, offered inclusive fertility benefits through Progyny and that they had something rare: options. In this episode, Maggie takes us through their family forming journey: from discovering the benefit, to forgoing healthcare through Alli’s role in the military in pursuit of the best family building option. The couple opted for a reciprocal IVF journey , where using a sperm donor , Alli would retrieve eggs, genetically test and freeze embryos , for Maggie to one day soon, take on the role of carrying the pregnancy. Maggie also shares the importance of their village , showing up in ways that make the journey feel a little lighter, like hosting their friends to help choose a sperm donor and consulting couples they know have been in their shoes. Maggie shares her gratitude for how seamless their journey has been thus far, and when Alli returns from her upcoming deployment, their dreams of family will soon become a reality. 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com. https://youtu.be/GyHdAkXq1KoWatch this episode on YouTube: Music: HA2XAHY5DVIOKQVA…

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1
From Struggle to Storybook: The Journey Behind Cupcakes Everywhere 15:58

25 days ago15:58

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Guest: Erin Sarris, Progyny Member Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny When Erin Sarris and her husband first visited a fertility clinic, they were hit with unexpected news: severe male factor infertility and an immediate recommendation to pursue IVF. What followed was a long, winding, and often painful journey filled with setbacks, from failed cycles to loss and emotional isolation. Now a mother of three and author of Cupcakes Everywhere: One Sweet Tale of Overcoming Infertility , Erin shares how infertility reshaped her view and inspired a metaphorical children's book that captures the bittersweet reality of struggling to grow a family. This conversation is raw, vulnerable, and ultimately a reminder that even when the path to parenthood is anything but straightforward 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VRuXbZ4g460 Music Code: HA2XAHY5DVIOKQVA…

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Building Better Benefits—for Bread Financial and Herself 13:36

6 weeks ago13:36

13:36

In this episode, we hear a deeply personal and professional journey. As a benefit’s leader, Deanna Allison was on a mission to bring better fertility and family building benefits to her company, Bread Financial. Simultaneously, Deanna had also just set out on her own path to parenthood, realizing she would likely need support to build a family. Deanna shares how her team's search for better benefits led them to adopt Progyny, a decision driven by lived experience, better outcomes, and the desire to truly meet their associates' needs. Deanna was able to utilize Progyny, navigating unsuccessful egg retrievals, and ultimately choosing to use donor eggs to have her beautiful baby girl. Through it all, Deanna's personal experience and professional purpose were aligned — knowing she had done right by Bread Financial Associates through the lens of her own experience. Tune in to explore what it means to build inclusive benefits and how validating it can be when those benefits end up supporting you, too. Guests: Deanna Allison, Director, Benefits, Well-Being, and Financial Programs, Bread Financial 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com .…

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Love & Surrogacy: A Broken Brown Egg AHA Grant Winner's Story 14:45

8 weeks ago14:45

14:45

When Kristina and Lorenzo set out to build their family, they knew their path wouldn’t be traditional. Kristina’s complex medical history including epilepsy, endometriosis , and thalassemia made pregnancy unsafe, but that didn’t stop them from pursuing their dream of having a child. In this episode, they share their deeply personal journey of sacrifice in pursuit of a surrogate—highlighting the emotional highs and lows along the way, from downsizing their apartment to postponing their wedding. They open up about the importance of trust in the surrogacy process and the unwavering love and support they’ve found in each other; Kristina and Lorenzo remind us there is more than one way to build a family. Thanks to the AHA Grant from The Broken Brown Egg and Progyny, they are one step closer to making their dream a reality. They offer heartfelt advice for others navigating the complexities of infertility, emphasizing the power of advocacy, community, and perseverance. Applications for the latest cycle of AHA Grants can be found at www.thebrokenbrownegg.org , starting April 8th! Guests: Kristina King and Lorenzo Bellard, AHA Grant Recipients 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com .…

This is Infertility

1
Healing Through Song: Nelly Joy’s Journey Through Endometriosis, IVF, and Grief 1:10:48

10 weeks ago1:10:48

1:10:48

Infertility is a deeply personal and often isolating experience, but for singer-songwriter Nelly Joy, music became both an outlet and a source of connection. In this episode, Nelly shares her raw and emotional journey with endometriosis and the struggles she faced while trying to conceive , which pushed her limits physically and emotionally. From touring with country music legends to navigating the complexities of infertility, Nelly’s story is one of physical resilience, partner support, and using art to heal. Listen to her song Baby Showers to discover how Nelly Joy is turning her experiences into then reminder that we are not alone. Guest: Nelly Joy, Musician 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com . You can find this episode at youtube.com/progyny Music:…

This is Infertility

1
Secondary Infertility, Surrogacy, Surprise! 21:33

12 weeks ago21:33

21:33

For Alex Kornswiet, the path to parenthood started with unexpected ease, having her first son after one round of IVF, following a blocked fallopian tube diagnosis. Trying to have their second child wasn’t as smooth sailing. Alex and her husband experienced secondary infertility and a frustrating path including canceled cycles, recurrent pregnancy loss, and emotional isolation. As challenges continued to mount and her doctor recommended the couple pursue surrogacy. Amid the challenges of the pandemic, Alex and her husband welcomed their second son with the help of a selfless surrogate that they could not be more thankful for. And just when they thought their long path to parenthood had finally come to a close... they encountered one more beautiful yet unexpected surprise! Listen to the episode and see more about Alex’s story on her viral Instagram . Guest: Alex Kornswiet, Progyny Member and Infertility Advocate 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com . Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/47ZVW2abFb0…

This is Infertility

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AMH, IVF, OMG: How an At-Home Fertility Test Fast-Tracked Erin’s Path to Motherhood 19:46

14 weeks ago19:46

19:46

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This is Infertility

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Single Parent by Choice: Choosing Solo Motherhood and Overcoming Loss 17:24

16 weeks ago17:24

17:24

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This is Infertility

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How Laura Overcame Infertility and Postpartum Depression 20:53

18 weeks ago20:53

20:53

What happens when the path to parenthood takes unexpected turns? For Laura, it meant navigating the heartbreak of unexplained infertility, the frustrations of multiple failed IUIs, and the surprising joy of a positive pregnancy test during the unlikeliest of cycles. But as her story unfolds, it becomes clear that getting pregnant was just the beginning. For our 200th episode, Laura shares the honest reality of facing postpartum depression after her first pregnancy—an experience she never thought she would have after fighting to conceive. With fertility benefits through Progyny she welcomed a second child into her family a few years later. This time, Laura went into her second postpartum journey with the expectations, knowledge, and tools to manage her PPD symptoms effectively. This episode is a powerful reminder that family-building journeys are rarely straightforward. They’re filled with highs, lows, and the moments that teach us the true meaning of resilience. Guest: Laura, 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com.…

This is Infertility

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Food and Lifestyle to Fertility: Ashley’s Egg Freezing Journey 16:59

20 weeks ago16:59

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Ashley Chukwu is a 30-year-old food and wine blogger in Atlanta, living her life without the prospect of building a family soon. So, when her mom suggested she consider freezing her eggs, Ashley decided to do some research. At the time, she knew little about the process or whether her insurance would cover it. That’s when she discovered her employer offered fertility preservation through Progyny. In this episode, Ashley shares her journey—from researching the process and navigating her benefits to handling injections and undergoing the procedure. She discusses challenges along the way, the importance of representation, and reflects on the peace of mind she’s gained from taking control of her fertility. Tune in to hear Ashley’s experience and learn how support from her company helped her make a decision that aligns with her goals and lifestyle. Guest: Ashley Chukwu, 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 thisisinfertility@progyny.com.…

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24 weeks ago17:37

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This is Infertility

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26 weeks ago12:42

12:42

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This is Infertility

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28 weeks ago23:45

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This is Infertility

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