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 4: Trying to Conceive with Premature Menopause

Many things can impact a woman’s fertility, but age is often the primary factor. Today, many men and women are choosing to start families later in life and a woman’s chances of having a baby decrease as she ages. But what happens when you encounter fertility struggles in your 20’s?  

Jenna Marinelli and her husband decided to try to conceive the month after they got married. After a year of no success, she was diagnosed with premature menopause at the age of 26. It’s a diagnosis typically made in women struggling with infertility, and simply means a woman’s ovaries have less eggs than they should for her age.  

Women with this diagnosis can often use their own eggs and successfully conceive through IVF. If that isn’t an option, there are a number of treatments out there that can help people achieve their dreams, including ovum donation, also known as donor eggs.  

In this episode, Jenna shares her personal story of getting diagnosed with premature menopause, being faced with difficult decisions, and living a life without regret. 

Guest: Jenna Marinelli 

Experts: Dr. Marcy Maguire, RMA of NJ, and Dr. Georgia Witkin, Clinical Psychologist, Mount Sanai, and Head of Patient Services Development at Progyny 

Host: Taylor Burbach, Patient Care Supervisor at Progyny 

For more information visit Progyny’s Podcast page. 

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 at Progyny

Taylor is a Patient Care Supervisor at Progyny, Inc, where she helps to 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.

Guests

Dr. Marcy Maguire, board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Obstetrician and Gynecologist at RMA of NJ

Dr. Maguire is also a Clinical Assistant Professor for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She earned her medical degree from Medical College in Virginia, performed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Tufts Medical Center, and completed her Reproductive Endocrinology fellowship at National Institutes of Health.

Jenna Marinelli

Jenna married her high school sweetheart, Nick, in 2009 & they live right outside of Philadelphia, PA. In 2010, she was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency at the age of 26. Over the next 6 years, she and Nick endured 5 failed IVF cycles, 2 egg donors, & 1 miscarriage. In 2016, she gave birth to two healthy baby boys with the help of an egg donor on their 6th IVF cycle. She is an active RESOLVE volunteer and is very involved in the infertility community.

Dr. Georgia Witkin, Head of Patient Services Development for Progyny

Dr. Witkin is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and Director of Psychological Services for RMA of NY. She is the author of 12 acclaimed books, including The Female Stress Survival Guide, The Male Stress Survival Guide, and Stress Relief for Disasters Great and Small, and is a prolific writer of research articles about women, stress, and reproductive medicine. She has been honored by the AIA, AFA, Resolve, and City of Hope. She has also served as a health reporter/host for CNBC, WNBC, and the Fox News Channel, and has been featured as a guest expert on 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and CNN.