Pregnantish

When model and wellness influencer Tess Annique met retired NHL hockey star, Sheldon Souray in treatment for addiction in January 2017, she never imagined the two would later fall in love and marry. The two were good friends and shared life's most vulnerable moments as they tried to get sober. But months later, when they reconnected through a text message, Tess admitted she knew something had changed between them. After that, Tess and Sheldon fell in love, had a fairytale wedding and were excited to start a family together. What she never imagined was that in her 20s, she'd struggle to conceive with her husband, and how miscarriage, IVF and infertility would be one of the most sobering experiences Tess and Sheldon would share together. This episode, in honor of Resolve's National Infertility Awareness Week 2023, is about love in the face of challenges, why others should never judge a book by its healthy cover, and what Tess and Sheldon dream of as they look towards their future.

Just three months after Mallory Weggemann was rendered paralyzed after treatment for her back pain, she re-entered her happy place - the pool - and tried to regain not only her sense of strength, but her sense of self.Through this incredible challenge, Mallory learned about resilience, vulnerability, hope and persistence – qualities that not only helped her excel as a Paralympic Champion on the US swim team, but strengths that also helped her push forward during her struggle to conceive with her husband, Jay.While Mallory initially wondered about her ability to get pregnant and have children when she found out about her paralysis, and while others seeing her in a wheelchair may assume the infertility is on ‘her side’, the couple faced hurdles due to Jay’s Male Factor Infertility – something that is a reality for many men and couples, and a diagnosis too often left out of the storytelling of infertility.Now Jay and Mallory are new parents and believe this tough chapter of navigating infertility, a MicroTESSE surgery to try to extract Jay’s sperm, and the experience of doing fertility treatments together ultimately brought them even closer.This episode on finding hope in the face of challenges, how to love your body when you feel it's failing you and why vulnerability is a sign of strength, also features Scott Brown and Lauren Isley from California Cryobank™ who share insight and advice for those facing male factor infertility and may need sperm donation to build their families.Today’s episode, in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week 2023, is presented by California Cryobank™, which carefully selects the highest quality sperm donors to give clients the best possible opportunity for a safe and successful pregnancy. For more, visit cryobank.com

When CNN Entertainment Reporter and New York Times best-selling author Chloe Melas married her husband, Fitness Influencer Brian Mazza, she expected them to start their family when they were ready, just as their friends had. After all, she was healthy and in her 20s and she didn't know anyone who had openly struggled with infertility. But when she was diagnosed with Low Ovarian Reserve at 29 and told that her husband had Male Factor Infertility, she knew that if she wanted to become a mother, she needed to pursue IVF and this led to feelings of confusion, anger and depression. Now, as an outspoken advocate, and using her platform to spread infertility awareness, Chloe is passionate about sharing her story so others don't feel as helpless as she once felt and so more are educated about the fact that being young or having sex doesn't guarantee a pregnancy.This episode is about balancing life and love while struggling with grief, what she has learned about resilience both through her experience and her grandfather's experience as a POW, and what she hopes and advocates for when she looks toward the future of assisted reproductive technology.Today's show is presented by Generation Next Fertility in New York City, whose mission is to provide individualized patient centric quality care and innovative technologies to help patients become parents. Tune in to this episode to hear how Dr. Janelle Luk helps patients navigate tough diagnoses like Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Male Factor Infertility. For more, visit generationnextfertility.com

Actor Camille Guaty is known for her many roles on TV and in films including Gotta Kick it Up, Prison Break and Scorpion. But what people watching her may not know is that behind the scenes, she struggled for many years to get and stay pregnant.Since getting pregnant via egg donor IVF in 2019, Camille has been public about her experience and why she not only doesn't hold shame for using an egg donor, but feels a source of pride connected to it. In this episode, Camille shares the moment she realized she may need to move on to third party reproduction, what she wants others to know about it, and why she's used her public platform to share her experience and her infertility journey so widely.Today's episode is presented by Donor Egg Bank USA, a leader in frozen donor egg. Two of their many financial plans include a guarantee that you’ll bring home a baby or receive a 100% refund. To learn more, visit donoreggbankusa.com.

Emmy winning reporter Darla Miles never imagined that she'd be the center of a story involving infertility, repeated miscarriages and trying to conceive at 50 years old, especially as she has reported on extraordinary stories throughout her career.In her 30s, Darla met her husband and was thrilled to get pregnant at 36 just before their wedding; but that pregnancy ended and kicked off a decade+ long challenge to conceive and other challenges, including the sudden loss of Darla's husband, who was also her best friend.With a history of miscarriage, an autoimmune disease and now being considered of “advanced age”, some people think Darla's goal of having a baby is unrealistic. But, Darla is determined to exhaust her options as it's in her heart to become a mom.This episode is about resilience in the face of adversity, why we need more education about our fertility, and how far some of us will go to fulfill our most important goal of parenthood.This episode is presented by Donor Egg Bank USA, a leader in frozen donor egg. Two of their many financial plans include a guarantee that you’ll bring home a baby or receive a 100% refund. To learn more, visit donoreggbankusa.com

Sperm donation has been around since the 1950s and has helped build countless families for people with male factor infertility and/or for women without male partners.When it started, and in the decades that followed, most sperm donors were anonymous and many people who used sperm donors were actually discouraged from telling their offspring that they were conceived this way. But, as donor conception grew, so did the data and feedback from this group, who often demanded to know their genetic roots.On this pregnantish podcast, Andrea interviews two women, Sydney Sharon & Hayley Darknell-King, who live in different countries but share a similar experience of learning as adults that their biological dads were sperm donors. Sydney's dad was a sperm donor in the 1980s and Hayley was conceived, via sperm donation, during the same period. Both women know sperm donation from another perspective, too, as women in lesbian marriages who relied on sperm donation to build their respective families.This episode explores Sydney and Hayley’s personal stories and discoveries as they learned about their conception stories and DNA, how this information has positively changed their lives and/or made them question their identities, and how this information has shaped them as parents of donor conceived people today.This episode is sponsored by California Cryobank, which carefully selects the highest quality sperm donors to give clients the best possible opportunity for a safe and successful pregnancy. In fact, less than 1% of applicants can become a California Cryobank donor. Interested in starting your search? Head to cryobank.com and enter the code PREGISH to gain access to a free Level Two subscription in 2023.Hayley Darknell-King is an editorial guest and isn’t affiliated with California Cryobank.

How will the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe Vs Wade impact the infertility community and those who face complicated pregnancies?According to the guests on the pregnantish podcast, Dr. Krishna Upadhya, VP of Quality Care and Health Equity at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, reproductive specialists Dr. Serena Chen and Dr. Lucky Sekhon, and fertility advocate, Davina Fankhauser, the future implications of assigning 'personhood' status to embryos will create less access to necessary fertility treatments, more vulnerability for doctors and patients, and worse and potentially dangerous outcomes for those who have pregnancies that require medical attention.This episode and conversation was recorded in front of a live studio audience of fertility advocates in New York City in the fall of 2022, and is supported by Doctors For Fertility, a non-profit whose mission is to educate and advocate for IVF and reproductive care. Find out more at doctorsforfertility.org

When Fabi traveled from California to Nashville for a football game in 2014, she never imagined her life would radically change. One night at a bar she met Josh, a handsome Army Ranger who had been stationed nearby. They would later describe the encounter as "love at first sight." The two were just starting out their lives in their 20s when Josh received a devastating diagnosis, he had a rare form of cancer called synovial sarcoma.  Josh knew he wanted to preserve his sperm and later spoke to Fabi about his wish to marry her and try to have a baby with her, despite the fact that he may not be there to raise their child. Josh and Fabi married on November 12, 2016 and Josh passed away just one month later. While this part of Josh and Fabi’s love story together ended, in many ways it continues to this day as she undergoes multiple IVF rounds to try to create healthy embryos and the chance at getting pregnant with her great love and continuing his legacy. This episode is presented by The American Cancer Society, the leading cancer-fighting organization, with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more, visit cancer.org.