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.
Apple Podcasts Spotify Podcasts Stitcher Podcasts Google Podcasts
This is Infertility

Episode 56: Infertility in the Military: IVF in the Field

November 11th is Veteran’s Day, and in honor of this, we are rolling out three episodes to spread light on an issue that is often overlooked, dealing with infertility in the military. We will hear from those who had their own personal battles with building a family, learn how different treatment can be, but also how similar some of those struggles and challenges are.

In the second episode of our three-part series, we hear from Kerry Karwan, a retired Coast Guard Officer, and Ellen Haring, a retired Army Colonel and CEO of the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN), a non-profit that supports, connects, and advocates for service women; past, present, and future.

Kerry shares what it’s like to go through fertility treatment while on active duty. For her this meant on the road IVF injections, going to multiple clinics across the country, and going through all of this on her own. During her journey, she found SWAN, which connects women in the military to information, resources, and legal support. We learn how an organization like SWAN are fighting for better policies and healthcare.

Guests: Kerry Karwan, Retired U.S. Coast Guard and Member of Service Women’s Action Network, and Ellen Haring, CEO of Service Women’s Action Network.

Host: Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny.

For more information visit Progyny’s Podcast page and Service Women’s Action Network.

If you want to learn more about the report discussed in this episode, you can find it here: Access to Reproductive Health Care: The Experiences of Military Women.

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

Dan Bulger

Host

Dan Bulger
Producer at Progyny

Dan has been in the healthcare industry for the last six years as a multimedia content producer. Better known as ‘Video Dan’ he as interviewed numerous doctors, patients and other experts in the world of fertility. He’s also the producer for this podcast, This is Infertility. 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.

Podcast-Headshot-KerryKarwan_Swan

Guest

Kerry Karwan
Retired U.S. Coast Guard and Member of Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN)

Today Kerry is trying to change how fertility treatments are covered in the military from her own experience. From the lack of support to lost embryos to multiple failed IVF cycles and how trying to have a family while serving cost her career and having a biological child of her own.

Podcast-Headshot-DSC_0073-2-1

Guest

Dr. Ellen Haring
CEO of the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN).

Dr. Haring is the CEO of SWAN, a nonpartisan non-profit that supports, connects and advocates for service women; past, present, and future. She is also a senior fellow at Women in International Security where she directs the Combat Integration Initiative. Haring’s research and work focuses on women and gender in the military. She is a West Point graduate and a retired U.S. Army colonel. She holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and she has taught at the US Army Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College. Haring has published numerous articles and papers on a wide array of military and security related topics. She has been a guest speaker on foreign and domestic news shows. She guest lectures and has been invited to address members of Congress.

Music From This Episode:

Artist: Dave Keifer
Track: Wait Riot
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Jason Shaw
Track: GREEN LEAVES
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Track: SIDEWALK
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Kai Engel
Track: Traffic
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Track: Brand New World
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Jahzzar
Track: Dew
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Lee Rosevere
Track: Betrayal
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Steve Combs
Track: To Move an Inch
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org

Artist: Swelling
Track: Dawn II
URL: https://freemusicarchive.org