Mo’s story: Finding hope and answers through Maven

Opening up about fertility challenges

I recently decided to publicly open up that I’m infertile and struggling with this, and it felt really empowering. A main reason why is because I finally got answers and felt like I had the support to give me the strength to talk about this openly. It’s been amazing to see how supportive my friends and family have been. For so long, it felt like this secret. Now I feel so much more empowered to not only advocate for myself, but advocate for other people going through this. And I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to talk about this more openly had I not had the support from Maven.

About a year ago, I started to look for a new job. To be honest, a big part of why I started looking for other employment last year was due to my fertility struggles. When I was looking for employers, Zynga really stood out to me because of the phenomenal fertility, family planning, and maternity benefits. I am thrilled I joined the team. Zynga has given me so much in terms of my benefits, and Maven really stands out. 

To put it simply: I feel like Maven has completely changed my life. For years, I was so worried that I might not be able to have a family, but having the support of Maven and being able to get the answers that I’ve now gotten, I actually have hope that I’ll be able to have the family I’ve always wanted. And to know that Maven will not only get me to the point of starting a family but then supporting me and my family beyond pregnancy into postpartum and getting back to work, and really supporting me and my family holistically--that is just life-changing. 

How Maven is helping Mo navigate fertility

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for about four years now. It’s been quite a long road. Interestingly enough, it was Zynga and Maven that really helped me get the answers that I needed. I was originally diagnosed with unexplained infertility, which is an extremely frustrating diagnosis. 

I immediately began using Maven when I joined Zynga. I had never seen such a robust offering  for fertility with overall health, wellness, and emotional support. What I love about it is that it really covers all aspects of family planning through pregnancy and returning to work. I love knowing that no matter what step of the journey to parenthood I’m on, I will have Maven’s support.

Immediate support from Maven’s care team

My care team on Maven is so professional, compassionate, and responsive. I’ve met with Reproductive Endocrinologists, Nutritionists, and Mental Health Specialists. My Care Advocate is fantastic. I’ve gotten answers for my questions, anytime, within a matter of minutes, and have  been able to book appointments with specialists in less than 24 hours. 

This was especially important to me when I was going through my egg retrieval and urgently needed to talk to a doctor. The lab mistakenly released test results to me at the same time they did my doctor; typically I would’ve had an in-person consult where my doctor would’ve walked me through the results. But when I received the results, there was a flag for an Ovarian Cancer screening. And this was just two days before I was going in for my egg retrieval. So I panicked. I couldn’t get a hold of my doctor or my clinic, so I reached out to my Maven Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Scott Morin, and I got an appointment with him in less than 24 hours at 7am the next morning. I shared the results with him and he was so wonderful and calming, and explained what everything meant and that I shouldn’t have any concern about the flag. He  really just put me at ease. 

After that, I finally got through to my doctors and they reiterated everything that my Maven Reproductive Endocrinologist had said. It was really great to have that support from Maven through such a critical time—to be going through an egg retrieval and on all the hormones, then to see these results come in, it was really scary. But it was Maven that put my mind at ease so I could feel more at peace going into that retrieval.

Specialized mental health support 

Before that, while I was struggling to get answers around my infertility, I met with Maven mental health providers quite frequently. It’s really challenging going through fertility anytime, but trying to go through fertility during a pandemic was so hard. Originally, I was supposed to do my egg retrieval in March but it got cancelled four days before I was supposed to do it because of Covid. So there’s been more waiting, and my Maven mental health provider has been a huge support. 

Having a mental health provider who specializes in fertility is an amazing benefit. It has been wonderful to be able to rely on mental health support whenever I needed it, and to have somebody provide support that’s specific to fertility, and the struggles and challenges this entails—because it’s a very specific type of trauma to go through.

Using Maven Wallet

Before I even get to reimbursement, the fact that I have funding for reimbursement is huge! Fertility benefits aren't common for most employers so to have this benefit was really impactful for our financial situation, and really helped support us. 

Going through the reimbursement process with Maven, I was kind of assuming it would be a nightmare like you would, maybe, with insurance companies. And it couldn’t have been farther from that. It was so easy. I just uploaded my itemized receipts to Maven Wallet, they had one question and I gave them the answer, and then they said they were processing it. 

I did it all on my phone, and it was just the easiest, smoothest process for a reimbursement I’ve ever been through for anything—let alone fertility. And when something goes right in fertility treatments, it just feels like such a win because so much of it is so difficult so anything that makes it easier is just so impactful. 

Maven is “truly life-changing” 

Oftentimes, people don’t think about fertility or benefits until they have to, and usually when they have to, it’s because something is wrong. When that happens, it can feel like a very dark, lonely place and knowing that Maven is there, it really is like a comforting best friend you just didn’t know you needed. I read the articles on Maven frequently because struggling with fertility can feel so isolating, so to hear about other people’s experiences and different parts of their fertility journeys really helps. I love that it covers so many different paths to parenthood. And to read stories on Maven and know that I’m not alone and that there are other people out there like me, it makes me feel like I have so much support. 

While I've only used Maven for fertility thus far, I love that I know I can have full support once I am pregnant and then have a baby. Knowing that I have a care team to help during my pregnancy and transition through postpartum to return-to-work and parenting makes the entire experience so much easier and less scary. I can't wait to utilize more of the Maven benefits to support my growing family. Most benefits just support one aspect—fertility or pregnancy most commonly—but the full cycle of support from Maven is truly life-changing in setting up families for a happy future. 

I couldn’t be more grateful to have Maven on this journey with me. It’s given me the hope that we can have a family, and that’s invaluable. 

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