Episode 21: Megan Connolly: The Hope that Fertility Preservation Can Bring

This is Infertility

There is nothing more fundamental to life than the urge to continue it. But while it may be the most natural thing in the world, childbirth is far from the easiest and no two fertility journeys are the same. For that reason, we are breaking from the typical podcast form. Each episode is hosted by a different voice who brings their own unique point of view to the complex and ever-changing world of infertility. Our hosts are licensed clinical social workers, patient care advocates, clinical psychiatrists, reproductive endocrinologists, real fertility patients, and others who are, in one way or another, experts in the world of fertility. We fuse narrative storytelling with experience and science to give you a new perspective on what it’s really like to go through this journey.

Episode 21: Megan Connolly: The Hope that Fertility Preservation Can Bring

Oncofertility Series – Part 3 of 4. When Megan Connolly was 19, her whole world stopped, and she entered a fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Cancer threatened not only her life, but a lifelong dream of becoming a mother. In today’s episode we hear how Megan beat cancer (twice!) and with the help of patient navigator Kristin Smith of the Oncofertility Consortium, preserved her fertility. Today’s host is Lissa Kline, VP of Provider and Member Services at Progyny.

Guests include: Megan Connolly from Northwestern University, Dr. Janet Choi from CCRM New York, and Dr. Jennifer Levine, from Alliance for Fertility Preservation and Weill Cornell Medicine.

For more information, visit Progyny’s Podcast page, Oncofertility Consortium, Alliance for Fertility Preservation and CCRM

Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com

Host

Lissa Kline, LCSW, VP of Provider and Member Services at Progyny.

Lissa manages and oversees Progyny’s Patient Care Advocates. Prior to joining Progyny, she worked at Columbia University Medical Center in the division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Involved in Patient Services and the Donor Egg Program, she loved working with patients while they underwent fertility treatment. Lissa graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.

Guests

Megan Connolly, Project Coordinator at Northwestern University

– Megan is a two-time cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 19 years old. After receiving six months of chemotherapy she was in remission and was able to return to college. However, after eight months in remission she had a relapse. Megan’s treatment for her relapse was an intensive, aggressive and grueling treatment plan. She endured chemotherapy, total body radiation, and an autologous stem cell transplant. She has been cancer free for seven wonderful years!

Jennifer Levine, MD, MSW, Board Member for Alliance for Fertility Preservation and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine.

She was a Principal Investigator on a study through the children’s oncology group evaluating ovarian reserve in adolescents diagnosed with lymphoma. Levine completed her residency at Yale New Haven Hospital and her fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center/MSCHONY.

Janet M. Choi, M.D., a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and medical director of CCRM New York.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in English literature, Dr. Choi earned her medical degree from Columbia University. She remained at Columbia for her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Subsequently, she completed her sub-specialty fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Prior to joining CCRM New York, she was on faculty at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where she was the director of oncofertility/fertility preservation.