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 8 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.

Episode 33: Endometriosis and Fertility: Finding Support Through a Facebook Group: Nancy’s Nook

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a common condition that is often extremely painful, hard to diagnose, and can affect a woman’s fertility. In honor of this month, we’re rolling out a four-part series to bring awareness to this disease.  

Being diagnosed with endometriosis is just the first step and now you’re left with more questions than answers. So, what do you do? You start searching on the internet and you’re flooded with information.  

How could you possibly sort through it all? Well, there’s a special Facebook group called Nancy’s Nook that offers education around endometriosis to its 82,000 members. The group has grown to be such an important resource that even doctors refer patients to it.  

In the final episode in our four-part series on endometriosis, we hear from Donna Laux, one of the key administrators for Nancy’s Nook, who shares how the group was created and how it’s helped thousands of women.  

Guest: Donna Laux, Administrator for Nancy’s Nook 

Host: Taylor Burbach, Patient Care Supervisor at Progyny 

For more information, visit Progyny’s Podcast page and Nancy’s Nook. 

To learn more about endometriosis, check out Progyny’s What is Endometriosis Infographic. 

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. 

Host

Taylor Burbach, Patient Care Supervisor, Progyny

As a patient care supervisor, Taylor helps oversee a team of dedicated patient care advocates. She is also recognized as a reproductive health advocate in her community as a Clue Ambassador. Prior to joining Progyny she organized two Darwin Day Colloquiums in 2014 and 2015 and helped organize the inaugural meeting of the Southeastern Evolutionary Perspectives Society. She recently discovered Krav Maga, which she practices in her free time.

Guests

Donna Laux, Admin for Nancy’s Nook

Donna has a long history of working for endometriosis causes, which led to her position as the founding Program Director of the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta. Currently semi-retired, she is an Admin for Nancy’s Nook, the premier Facebook group about endometriosis.

Donna lives in San Antonio with her husband Gill and their rescue dog Karski. She earned her BA at Ripon College and her MA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in English. She has written and spoken millions of words over her career in support of women’s health. She’s written blog posts, research papers, newsletters, educational materials, speeches and thank you notes. She has spoken in large auditoriums and in church basements. Her message has always been one of empowerment and education: when we know, we can act.