During our break between season 2 and season 3, we’re re-playing our most popular episodes.
Our most popular episode for season 1 is episode 9 featuring Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley, former stars of the Real Housewives of Orange County. They share their journey which included a vasectomy reversal, IVF and the importance of raising awareness via their platform.
This episode originally aired on July 9, 2018. Find details of the episode, here.
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Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com
See you next season!
Here are some of the highlights from this episode:
8:47 – 12:57: Failed IVF, Failed Vasectomy Reversal, and Doubt
Gretchen Rossi: The doctor called at 11:30 that night. He says, “I don’t know how to tell you this but unfortunately, every single one of your embryos has arrested”. I asked what arrested means and he explained it means that they basically died. It was like a double whammy because you just didn’t expect to hear that.
Lissa Kline: They felt like they were stuck, Slade’s vasectomy reversal didn’t take. So, they were back to where they started. And serious doubt began to creep in.
13:44 – 15:01: Considering All Paths to Parenthood
Gretchen Rossi: I remember calling my mom, it was in October, and I said, “Am I making the right choice in being with Slade even if we can’t have biological children through IVF? Is that okay? Like, is it smart to stay with this man?” And I was expecting my mom to say, “No, I think it’s time to move on.”
But my mom said, “No, honey, absolutely not.” She said the love that Slade and I share is one of the most special, unique relationships she had seen, and it doesn’t matter, whatever your path is meant to be, whether it’s adoption, have biological children or to never have children, the two of you are going to figure it out together.
15:01 – 19:38: Sharing Your Journey
Gretchen Rossi: This round, it was really important for me to share every step of the process. Even when we shared it on The Doctors, it was raw and real. But you didn’t get to see the day to day and emotional stuff that was going on at home. So, I literally filmed almost every second of what we were going through – every time I was taking a shot, what I was feeling, etc. – I was vlogging every day.
I decided this time, I wanted to put it all out there and show everybody whether it be my closest friends and parents or a complete stranger, the true and real emotions that a person goes through during this process. I wanted to highlight the pain and sadness and frustration and anger and happy moments. Even when you’re laughing and crying at the same time.
Slade Smiley: We wanted to share all of the challenges, confusion, and difficulty because we want people to know they’re not alone in this process. And that there is a community of people that are going through it. And as we’ve come to discover, resources simplify the process.
Lissa Kline: Brave people like Gretchen, Slade, and all of our guests are using their voices to affect change. Gretchen and Slade are finding when you put this kind of personal truth out there, you get plenty of love and support back.
21:49 – 23:43: Staying Hopeful Through Infertility
Lissa Kline: And what this podcast is trying to make clear is that it isn’t easy for anyone, no matter your mindset, your income or your family history when you’re faced with a loss after loss after loss, it can become extremely difficult to keep going.
This is why at Progyny, we don’t just have a benefit that covers people the right way. We also offer genuine and personalized support to all of our members. Infertility is hard, and you shouldn’t have to go it alone.
If you want to listen to more episodes of This is Infertility click here.