Balancing your professional life while embarking on the intricate journey of family building can feel overwhelming. Progyny has tools and resources to help you navigate it all, including how to prioritize your mental well-being. As you take on the busy Open Enrollment season, this final webinar in our open enrollment series focused on all things mental health for a helpful reminder of the resources available to you with Progyny coverage.
Listen to the conversation our Progyny experts had on how to build your support system, tips on how to preserve your emotional health, and more.
This webinar featured:
- Melissa Maldonado, Fertility Advocate, and VP of Member and Client Experience at Progyny
- Chelsea Rose, Clinical Nurse Educator at Progyny, with expertise in fertility and labor and delivery
- Dr. Georgia Witkin, Clinical Psychologist, and Director of Member Services Development at Progyny
Building Boundaries
Fertility and family building journeys can be complex. That’s why Progyny provides a variety of resources dedicated to supporting the emotional challenges that many individuals face. These challenges can start well before deciding to start on the path to parenthood, so it is important to be supported throughout each stage of the process.
Building boundaries with family, friends, and work colleagues is a great first step to protecting your emotional well-being. For example, you may be met with questions you don’t want to answer. It is important to remember that these conversations can and should be owned by you. Your answers, or even willingness to answer, can change from day to day and it is important to allow yourself that flexibility when navigating your fertility journey.
Identifying Support Systems
In addition to your established village of family and friends, it may also be helpful for you to find community in people who are navigating similar experiences. You can find support by speaking with your doctor, identifying self-help groups, or inquiring about employee resource groups with your HR team.
If you are a Progyny member, utilize your dedicated Patient Care Advocate (PCA) and team of Clinical Educators. They are great resources to lean on and are uniquely trained to provide support for all family building pathways.
We encourage you to also find a space where you are free to speak about your experience, such as with a therapist who specializes in fertility. Working through your feelings, and talking out loud, can help you find a sense of control, lead to new decisions, and build persistence to not give up hope.
Questions from the Audience
1. Does the Progyny benefit offer any emotional support?
Progyny has an entire team of clinical educators, nurse specialists, and PCAs who can provide emotional support during any stage of your journey. Explore the Progyny website for great resources around well-being and listen to the This is Infertility podcast for unique perspectives and inspiring takeaways.
2. My partner and I are struggling with the emotional effort of updating loved ones. It’s sweet everyone wants to support us and be involved but it ends up feeling draining. Do you have any advice on navigating this?
Rely on your partner, and vice versa, to set boundaries – which can help with your feelings of burnout. You may find yourselves needing to take turns on who sets boundaries, and that leader could change day-to-day. Thank your support system for checking in on you, but remember that you are in control of what you’d like to share at any given time, and that prioritizing your and your partners’ well-being is of the utmost importance.
If you have any other questions related to this webinar, please don’t hesitate to reach out to education@progyny.com. If you are a Progyny member and have any questions about your fertility benefit or coverage, please call 888.597.5065.