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’s 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’s 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.
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This is Infertility

Episode 187: A Decade with Whitney: Freezing her Eggs, Winning the Bachelor, and Becoming a Mom

You may know her as the winner of ABC’s The Bachelor from season 19, but patients at OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center in Chicago know Whitney Bischoff Angel as their fertility nurse who can also relate to their journey.

In this episode, Whitney tells us about her decision to freeze her eggs in 2013, a decision that provided her with peace of mind as she navigated life’s uncertainties. She also shares where she is today, almost a decade later, and her journey to parenthood.

Whitney now uses her personal journey to empower women with choices and provide compassion and support to patients during their own egg freezing journeys.

Guest: Whitney Bischoff Angel, RN, BSN, OVA Egg Freezing

Host: Julie Campbell, 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:

Freezing Her Eggs

Part of my job as a nurse is listening, and I was hearing, often, “I wish I would have had the opportunity to freeze my eggs, I wish I could go back in time and make that decision for myself.” And for me, a light bulb went off in my head because for a lot of these women, egg freezing wasn’t even an option. So that’s when I made that decision to take my nursing hat off and put my patient hat on and I trusted science, I trusted the experts that I was working with. And I made the leap to freeze my eggs in 2013.Making the choice to freeze my eggs was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. And I have to say, out of all of the years that I’ve been a fertility nurse and all the women that I’ve worked with, I’ve never heard someone say, I regret freezing my eggs. Life has funny twists and turns, and you can try to plan out life as much as you want to. But it’s never going to go as you planned in your head. But the one constant I always had was I had my eggs frozen. So that was the peace of mind now is needed.

Thawing them a Decade Later

I ended up conceiving naturally. And we, you know, have a very healthy, almost five-year-old little boy. But when it was time for us to start thinking about expanding our family further, I had a very unexpected health crisis that had put that on hold. You don’t think about the unexpected things like a global pandemic, like a health crisis for yourself or a loved one. And that definitely caught me off guard. So, we did go ahead and thaw the eggs to fertilize them. They thawed beautifully, they fertilized beautifully, and I was very lucky to have about 10 embryos to work with. We did attempt one transfer, which was unfortunately not successful. But we were ready. That’s why you have multiple embryos, we were ready to, you know, gear up and go for another transfer. Unfortunately, I did struggle with a few natural miscarriages and an ectopic, but I ended up getting pregnant naturally.

Using Firsthand Experience at OVA

I feel like my experience of going through egg freezing and going through, you know, fertility struggles myself has in turn, it’s made me be a better nurse because I understand the other side of it. OVA is an egg freezing specialty center located in downtown Chicago, and our name can be a bit deceiving. So, we don’t just do egg freezing, we do fertility preservation. And we also feel like continuity of care is super important. So, any patient that has come to us for fertility preservation and is interested in coming back to use their eggs or their embryos, we also are their partner for their second half of the journey as well. We really are trying to make egg freezing or fertility preservation accessible for everyone.

Julie Hunt

Host

Julie Campbell
Vice President, Business Development, Progyny

With over a decade of experience in the fertility sector, Julie started her career as a Progyny Patient Care Advocate (PCA). Her role as a PCA, dedicated to guiding patients through their fertility journeys, laid the foundation for her profound understanding of the intricacies of fertility care. Transitioning into Business Development, Julie now harnesses this extensive knowledge and her deep-rooted passion for family building and reproductive wellness, assisting employers in navigating the fertility landscape. Her expertise is instrumental in developing comprehensive fertility and family building coverage within healthcare benefits packages.

Julie is a fertility patient herself. She was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in 2018, she brings empathy and authenticity to her advocacy for fertility solutions. Additionally, as a proud sister of a gay brother, she is a fervent champion for the LGBTQIA+ community, staunchly promoting inclusivity and equality in all facets of her work and beyond.

Julie’s unique blend of professional acumen and personal experience positions her as a leading authority in creating fertility and reproductive wellness solutions that are as diverse and inclusive as the families they help create and support.

Whitney Bischoff Angel

Guest

Whitney Bischoff Angel
RN, BSN, Senior Egg Freezing Nurse Specialist and Women's Health Educator @ OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center

Whitney has over 15 years of experience in the field of reproductive medicine. With this expertise, Whitney made the personal decision in 2013 to freeze her own eggs, which she credits for making her an even stronger fertility nurse. She is passionate about helping women achieve their fertility goals while empowering them to take control of their reproductive health. Whitney has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, Extra TV, Windy City Live and in various publications including People Magazine, US Weekly, E! Online, Chicago Tribune, Shape Magazine, The Bump and Women’s Health.