{"id":24818,"date":"2023-05-22T13:40:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T13:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=24818"},"modified":"2024-04-23T11:06:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T11:06:15","slug":"episode-158","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/podcast\/episode-158\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 158: The Long Road to Building a Family"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[229,240],"tags":[268,329,225,261,235,454],"class_list":["post-24818","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-ivf-facts","category-trying-to-conceive","tag-endometriosis","tag-family-building","tag-infertility","tag-iui","tag-ivf","tag-member-story"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Episode 158: The Long Road to Building a Family | Progyny<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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this fertility benefit, we wouldn\u2019t have been able to move forward.","episode_intro_guest":"Michelle Meyer","episode_intro_company":"Progyny Member","episode_banner_section_intro_text":"This is Infertility is a bi-weekly podcast where we fuse narrative storytelling with experience and science to give you a new perspective on what it\u2019s really like to go through a family building journey. Each episode dives into the emotional, physical, and financial burdens carried by those who experience infertility on their path to parenthood. Be it IVF, IUI, egg freezing, surrogacy, adoption, etc., the path is never the same and it can be long, painful, and lonely. It\u2019s our mission to give those struggling a platform to be heard, a community connection, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the 1 in 6 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.","episode_page_title":"Episode 158: The Long Road to Building a Family","episode_embed_code":"<iframe style=\"border: none;\" title=\"Embed Player\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/26782080\/height\/128\/theme\/modern\/size\/standard\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/ffffff\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\/stats-code\/landing158\" width=\"100%\" height=\"128\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>","episode_details":"<span data-contrast=\"none\">Seven years ago, Michelle Meyer and her husband, Alex, had no idea what was in store for them and their dreams of starting a family. Those years were filled with multiple diagnoses (from male factor infertility, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/what-is-endometriosis\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">endometriosis<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">), fertility treatments (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/ivf-facts\/ivf-vs-iui-understanding-the-difference\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">IUI<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, medicated cycles, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/facts-and-myths-around-ivf\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">IVF)<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, and a mix of emotions from failed transfers and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/ivf-facts\/miscarriage-causes-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">miscarriages<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">In this episode, Michelle shares the journey they\u2019ve been on, the impact of Wayfair\u2019s family building benefit through Progyny, and how she feels optimistic on what lies ahead.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Guest: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Michelle Meyer<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, Senior Recruiter at Wayfair, and Progyny Member<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Host: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger, Progyny<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">For more information, visit Progyny\u2019s Podcast page and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.progyny.com\/education\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Progyny\u2019s Education page<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> 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 <\/span><a href=\"mailto:thisisinfertility@progyny.com\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">thisisinfertility@progyny.com<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">Here are some highlights from this episode:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>The High Expense of Fertility Treatments<\/b><\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">5:16 \u2013 7:05<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Michelle Meyer: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Even before going into a fertility clinic, my husband and I were having these conversations on what we would do if we had to do IVF. I don't think we could afford it. I mean, we didn't have that big of a savings. So that's always a difficult conversation to have. But both of us want kids so bad. So, when it came down to that being the next step, we had to figure out how to make it happen. Neither myself nor my husband had infertility coverage through our work. And so, after we had the conversation with our doctor on what the costs look like, we dipped into our savings. So that covered our first initial egg retrieval round. And then we had to take out a personal loan, which we\u2019re still paying off. And then I mean, throughout the whole process, we maxed out two credit cards. And then before our fourth egg retrieval, which was at the end of 2021, we were completely out of funds. And my sister actually started a GoFundMe for us. And that allowed us to have our fourth egg retrievals. And then, at that point, we were $75K to $85k out of pocket, obviously, still paying off all of the debt we had around it.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">I wish I could say that it's wildly unusual to spend so much out of pocket for fertility treatment. But sadly, this is a story I've heard before.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>A New Diagnosis<\/b><\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">24:49 \u2013 25:51<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">At this point, they needed a break. Who wouldn't? They had done five retrieval rounds and five transfers. I think it's important to know that they took this break, as it's important to know that it's okay to take a break. Mental and physical health are extremely important. Earlier on, they had a receptivity test. And Michelle thought it was to test for endometriosis with the previous clinic. But this doctor wasn't able to find those test results.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Michelle Meyer:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> I went back through my files, and I couldn't find them. And I went back to my old doctor and clinic, where I found out I had actually not been tested for endometriosis \u2013 I had been tested for something else completely.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> I can't imagine how frustrating that was. But it did lead to a new test. She did this test again with her new doctor, this time searching for endometriosis. And while these tests aren't perfect, it came back as positive for endometriosis. With a new diagnosis in hand, they moved ahead again with a different protocol.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","episode_host_image":22673,"episode_host_title":"Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny","episode_host_bio":"Dan has been in the healthcare industry for the past ten plus years as a multimedia content producer. Better known as \u2018Video Dan\u2019 he has interviewed numerous doctors, patients and other experts in the world of fertility. He\u2019s also the producer for this podcast, This is Infertility and the producer behind the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/progyny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"exc\" aria-label=\"Progyny YouTube Channel - opens in new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\">\u00a0Progyny YouTube Channel<\/a>\u00a0which features interviews with dozens of the nation\u2019s leading fertility specialists. On a personal note Dan\u2019s parents started fostering kids when he was four years old, and he considers himself a proud older brother to over 100 foster children.","episode_guest_1_image":24819,"episode_guest_1_title":"Michelle Meyer, Senior Recruiter at Wayfair and Progyny Member\u00a0","episode_guest_1_bio":"Michelle and her husband have been trying to start a family for the past seven years and have had infertility treatments for five of them. They started fertility treatments because they thought it was due to male factor infertility, however they were then diagnosed with unexplained infertility after their second egg retrieval. Over the last five years, they have endured four IUIs, six egg retrievals, six transfers, two miscarriages, and a sedated hysteroscopy to remove a polyp. Through this, Michelle was also diagnosed with Hashimoto\u2019s disease, a MTHFR gene mutation, and may have endometriosis. She had a positive\u202fReceptiva test in late 2022 that may have been the key to her unexplained\u202finfertility and treated it with 2 months of Lupron Depot. Their 6th transfer in Jan 2023 stuck and they are almost 20 weeks pregnant (and hoping it stays that way).\r\n\r\nThe Meyers have been through a lot but they\u2019re not ready to give up and have their own child. They have found ways to make this journey financially possible and they\u2019re thankful to have Progyny benefits through Michelle\u2019s employer.\u202f The Meyers reside in Los Angeles, CA. They love spending time with their family, friends, their pup, being outdoors and traveling. Michelle loves capturing memories on her camera and volunteering.","episode_guest_2_image":"","episode_guest_2_title":"","episode_guest_2_bio":"","episode_guest_3_image":"","episode_guest_3_title":"","episode_guest_3_bio":"","episode_guest_4_image":"","episode_guest_4_title":"","episode_guest_4_bio":"","episode_guest_5_image":"","episode_guest_5_title":"","episode_guest_5_bio":"","episode_music_section_links":"Artist: Breath Before the Plunge\r\nTrack: End of All Things\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nArtist: Doctor Turtle\r\nTrack: Wherever I Lay My Hat That\u2019s My Wife\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nArtist: Jahzzar\r\nTrack: Family Tree\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nTrack: Sleepin\u2019\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nTrack: No-End Ave\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nArtist: Josh Woodward\r\nTrack: Under the Stairs\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nArtist: Kai Engel\r\nTrack: Seeker\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nArtist: Lee Rosevere\r\nTrack: Small Steps\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/\r\n\r\nTrack: Sad Marimba\r\nURL: https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/24818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}