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 211: UFCW Local 152: How Personal Pain Led to Life Changing Benefits

Guest: Danny Ross, Jr., UFCW Local 152 President
Host: Dan Bulger, Progyny

Danny and Elizabeth Ross got married at 26, excited to start their lives together and hopeful about growing a family. When they started trying, they were met with a series of challenges that changed everything.

Elizabeth was diagnosed with endometriosis and PCOS. Danny had male factor infertility. After a year of trying to conceive, they were told their best option was IVF. At the time, they had no fertility coverage.

They started with IUI. One attempt turned into two, then six, then thirteen. They tore through their savings. Elizabeth suffered an ectopic pregnancy that led to the removal of one of her fallopian tubes. They had hit a wall. IVF was their next and only option.

On their third round of IVF, their first daughter was finally born, and they welcomed their second, a few years later. Through it all, Danny and Elizabeth remained each other’s rocks: husband, wife, and best friends.

Today, Danny is the president of UFCW Local 152, where he oversees the benefits for thousands of union members. When the opportunity arose to improve those benefits, his mind immediately went to fertility. Could they offer fertility coverage to union families so others wouldn’t have to go through what he did?

After an exhaustive search, they decided to partner with Progyny, a labor-friendly benefit with experience supporting union members. For Danny, what stood out most were the Progyny Care Advocates and Smart Cycle plan design. It was everything they never had: guidance, clarity, and a path to better outcomes.

Tune into this episode as Danny reflects on the impact of adding fertility coverage to his union’s benefits and the importance of leaving things better than he found them.

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.

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Dan Bulger

Host

Dan Bulger
Producer at Progyny

Dan has been in the healthcare industry for the past ten plus years as a multimedia content producer. Better known as ‘Video Dan’ he has interviewed numerous doctors, patients and other experts in the world of fertility. He’s also the producer for this podcast, This is Infertility and the producer behind the Progyny YouTube Channel which features interviews with dozens of the nation’s leading fertility specialists. On a personal note Dan’s parents started fostering kids when he was four years old, and he considers himself a proud older brother to over 100 foster children.

Danny Ross

Guest

Danny Ross
Jr., UFCW Local 152 President

UFCW Local 152 President Danny Ross, Jr., has spent more than 25 years advocating for working families. Union Organizer at heart, Danny has successfully connected with many workers in different industries to fortify their trust in organized labor, specifically the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Danny’s dedication and willingness to take on more responsibilities afforded him opportunities to escalate his career, holding many positions at his local union, ultimately be sworn in as President in May of 2024.

Now, Chairman on multiple Taft-Hartley funds, Danny seeks to protect and improve benefits for participants while striving to maintain the fiscal responsibility needed to properly manage multi-employer funds.

Danny resides in New Jersey with his wife Elizabeth and young daughters, both of whom were conceived through IVF.