An Interview With Lucinda Koza
Advocate for your immune health and find a specialist: Start by educating yourself on how immune health impacts fertility. Strive for a balanced immune system, whether or not you have an autoimmune condition. The body encounters numerous immune triggers and mechanisms to sustain a pregnancy, so it’s essential for everyone to prioritize their immune health and microbiome.
Infertility and the journey through IVF are challenges that many individuals and couples face, often accompanied by emotional, physical, and financial stress. Despite advancements in reproductive technology, the process can be isolating and fraught with uncertainty. How can we better support those navigating infertility and IVF, and what strategies can help manage the various challenges along the way? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Caryn Johnson.
In 2017, while trying to start a family, Caryn Johnson learned she was autoimmune infertile, exposing the lack of support and resources for women facing similar challenges. This realization drove her to create BOND, an innovative company dedicated to reimagining hormone health. As Co-Founder and CEO, Caryn leverages her experience and industry expertise to develop products that help women take control of their hormone health. BOND’s formulations aim to balance hormones, protect egg health, and provide cycle support. Caryn’s career began in marketing and PR, where she worked with notable beauty brands before joining Vital Proteins as the fifth employee and later as Chief Marketing Officer, leading the brand to acquisition by Nestle Health Sciences. She also served as CMO of Owlet, guiding the company through its IPO. Caryn lives in Chicago with her husband and two children, Elijah and Ruthie.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you tell us a bit about you and your backstory?
I’m Caryn Johnson, CEO and co-founder of BOND, a new line of supplements for hormone balance and reproductive wellness. My journey began with my personal battle with autoimmune infertility, which led to the realization that the support and resources available to women facing similar challenges was severely lacking.
Back in 2017, when my husband and I were trying to start a family, we hit many roadblocks, ultimately leading to the discovery that I was autoimmune infertile. It was a hard pill to swallow, made even more difficult by the lack of information available. The doctor’s office felt like a dead end, and the internet wasn’t much better, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I leaned on my industry knowledge to advocate for myself and find the resources I needed. My personal journey lit a fire in me to ensure no woman had to go through this alone, leading to the birth of BOND, a line of hormone and reproductive health supplements pioneering a more proactive and empowered approach to caring for your whole body and fertility potential.
Prior to BOND, my career was focused in marketing, collaborating with some renowned beauty brands and prestigious PR firms. My journey led me to Vital Proteins, where I assumed the role of their inaugural marketing hire, eventually working my way up to Chief Marketing Officer. After that, I lent my expertise to Owlet, a company focused on baby monitor technology and presenting SIDS, where I helped guide the company through its initial public offering.
Moreover, I take immense pride in my beautiful family, including my husband and two amazing children, Elijah and Ruthie.
Describe the process of realizing you had challenges with fertility. What was the level of access to resources available to you in order to see the right doctors, run the right tests, etc?
I had already lost two daughters by the time I discovered that my immune system was not only the cause of my infertility but also my miscarriages. My OB-Gyn and Reproductive Endocrinologist never considered my immune system, and I’ve now come to realize that most traditional fertility doctors are classically trained to focus solely on the reproductive system, often overlooking the impact of other foundational systems on fertility, like the immune system and microbiome. I was told my situation was bad luck and that my odds would improve soon.
So I turned inward, seeking out my own research and understanding, and eventually finding my way to Dr. Joanne Kwak Kim, a specialist in the field of Reproductive Immunology at the prestigious Rosalind Franklin University, who was, within one ultrasound and blood draw, able to pinpoint the major issues happening within my immune system. Hyperactivity within my immune cells and antibody levels caused my body to treat my pregnancies as foreign threats, creating a defense so strong that I couldn’t stay pregnant.
To carry my son, Elijah, now 6 years old, I successfully fought against my body’s defenses by using an intense autoimmune drug protocol similar to what transplant patients receive to prevent organ rejection.
My treatment regimen involved intravenous infusions of immunoglobulin (IVIG) along with a drug protocol that included immune suppressants such as tacrolimus, hydroxychloroquine, and prednisone. I underwent 3-hour IVIG infusions twice a week and had a total of 36 ultrasounds to monitor my high-risk pregnancy.
Did you keep this realization private? If so, why?
For the most part, yes, I kept it private. Sadly, there isn’t a lot of awareness around autoimmune infertility, and there was essentially zero awareness back in 2017. When I would speak about it with medical professionals and others in my network, I would be skeptical about whether it was an actual prognosis because it was an area of medicine they hadn’t yet heard of. So, I chose to trust my instincts and make decisions that felt right for my body, without letting others’ opinions influence me, particularly those that simply weren’t informed. .
How much did this realization affect your sense of self, or call into question your plans for your future?
The realization that there was something more significant going on in my body outside of my reproductive system was scary, like looking out and just seeing darkness. So often, when we find ourselves in these situations, we protect ourselves by defaulting to the worst-case scenario. For me, it was that I would never have children. I pictured what my life would be like without them, and since I had dreamed of being a mother since I was a young girl, that was really hard. I hadn’t mentally prepared for another path in life; there was just this one road, and I couldn’t see my life any other way.
Instead of accepting a new reality, I fought against it with everything in me, refusing to give up on my dream of becoming a mother, just like I had refused to accept my initial “unexplained infertility” diagnosis.
Following through with the complete process of fertility testing and treatment can be absolutely grueling for your body for what could be years. How did you cope with constant procedures, medications, hormones?
The best thing I learned was to meditate. I feel more tapped in spiritually when I am pregnant or close to being pregnant. I created this little altar with books, candles, mementos and I would meditate once or twice a day. I experienced some pretty special visualizations — like seeing my son (who does in fact, look exactly like the little boy I visualized). This practice helped me control my stress, but also gave me greater hope and comfort about my future.
It also gave me the fundamentals of how I operate today, which is in the present and connected to myself as the ultimate source of truth.
Was there a point at which you felt as if your body wasn’t your own? If so, how have you been able to reclaim it? Explain.
The hardest part of the journey for me was forgiving myself and my body for the repeated pregnancy losses. When you are autoimmune infertile, you can’t help but blame yourself because the issue is, in fact, inside of your own body. I disowned myself for many years, but I’ve finally shown up and forgiven myself for the things that happened outside of my control.
I felt the divine need to create BOND because of my own story with autoimmune infertility, where I had to experience so much loss and trauma to bring my children to this world. I want to be a light to others, teaching them to care for their hormone health with resources I didn’t have. I love connecting with and helping people. I think a little part of me heals every time I am able to be a beacon of light for someone else.
Can you please share “5 Things You Need to Navigate the Challenges of Infertility and IVF”?
- Do not accept unexplained fertility as the final diagnosis: For every issue in every walk of life, there is a root cause. If there is no cause, there is no issue; when you break it down, it’s the simple fundamentals of physics. But for some reason, we’ve accepted unexplained infertility as an official diagnosis, as if it provides real answers as to what we are going through. We walk out of our doctor’s offices without question, looking down a dark, endless tunnel with just hope that at some point, a pregnancy will work out for us, that the advanced reproductive treatments will just work.
Of the population experiencing infertility, 30% of cases are unexplained. It’s staggering that we accept this so readily. 1 The American Journal of Reproductive Immunology published a report on potential biomarkers of infertility associated with microbiome imbalances. From this data, I discovered three key learnings about this community of women:
- 73% are deficient in Vitamin B and/or Vitamin D
- 65.5% have an issue in their immune system
- 56% have metabolic syndrome
These are significant statistics that should be considered and pursued by both those battling infertility and doctors diagnosing unexplained infertility to seek effective treatment plans. There are other avenues to explore.
2. Seek to support your microbiome as a top priority: If every issue has an underlying cause, the primary consideration should start with the microbiome, particularly the gut, as gut microbiota are the most abundant and functionally critical microflora. Disturbance to your body’s gut microflora leads to an imbalance and disruption in your body’s microflora, called dysbiosis. When you have open tight junctions in your cells, foreign antigens, molecules, or molecular structures recognized by the immune system as non-self can enter the bloodstream. This can activate the immune system and may travel via the bloodstream to target various systems in the body. Maintaining a healthy microbiome supports the immune system’s normal functioning, a crucial pregnancy regulator that is often overlooked in reproductive health. Supporting the body with lactobacillus-rich probiotics and prebiotic fiber, which promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids and lactobacillus, is essential.
3. Listen to the signs your body is giving you to tap into which systems need support: The immune, metabolic, and endocrine systems all signal underlying issues within, which you may notice if you observe closely. In my case, I had stabbing pains in my abdomen, over 100 food sensitivities, and little bowel regularity. These were all signs that there was something more significant happening in my immune system, but I couldn’t get anyone to discuss these issues alongside my fertility. My doctor at the time had a sign in his office that said, “I didn’t go to med school for you to be Dr. Google,” which initially scared me out of advocating for myself. But remember, you are the only person who lives in your body and can interpret underlying symptoms. Any doctor who isn’t listening to your opinion or actively participating in solving for your health simply doesn’t have your best interest in mind.
4. Support inflammation and oxidative stress daily: No doubt the world we live in greatly impacts how the foundational systems of our body function. The inflammation tax on our bodies is like nothing we’ve seen before, and sadly, most of the general population believes that what they eat keeps them healthy enough to combat environmental factors and toxins. Even the most nutritious of diets these days can’t fully protect us from the stress on our bodies, so daily antioxidant supplementation (with N-acetyl-Cysteine or similar) should be a crucial part of our daily routines. I take BOND’s Daily Balance, a drinkable multivitamin packed with 15 essential nutrients to support our foundational systems, hormone balance, and reproductive potential. We crafted this formulation with clinically backed ingredients to simplify the complex regimen often associated with hormonal support and provide you with the antioxidants needed to help women take better care of their fertility potential.
5. Advocate for your immune health and find a specialist: Start by educating yourself on how immune health impacts fertility. Strive for a balanced immune system, whether or not you have an autoimmune condition. The body encounters numerous immune triggers and mechanisms to sustain a pregnancy, so it’s essential for everyone to prioritize their immune health and microbiome.
If you are having trouble getting pregnant and are seeking additional answers, then ask your doctor to do additional blood tests. Many offices have a “recurrent miscarriage panel” that they can run as a starting point. Still, you also want to ask for an immune antibody panel to check your immune system in relation to your fertility. This panel should test for NK cells, TH1/TH2 ratio, and antinuclear antibodies. If your doctor doesn’t support your investigation, you can work directly with Pregmune to take their IRMA test. It’s the first-ever comprehensive AI-powered fertility assessment that will provide you with a baseline of knowledge to see if you need to pursue the next steps.
When exploring reproductive immunology, it’s crucial to find a specialist in this field, as typical reproductive endocrinologists and IVF doctors may not be able to provide the necessary support. There are a few in the US, with many taking remote patients; here is a list from the American Society of Reproductive Immunology.
A woman’s drive and desire to be a mother could be completely personal, simple, or nuanced. It could also be a bold imperative. I believe mothering and caregiving is the most essential labor toward creating a better society. Would you share what has driven you to work so hard and sacrifice so much toward this goal?
I’ve just always wanted to be a mother since as long as I can remember. As soon as I was old enough to play, I had a babydoll in my arms. My first job was a mother’s helper, where I earned $1 / hour to care for a baby. I feel like it was imprinted on my soul from the beginning.
Now that my children are here, I see their wonder and joy, and I understand why I had to struggle to bring them into the world. My journey was meant to guide and support others. Holding my children in my arms, I realized that my purpose extended beyond motherhood — I was meant to channel their energy into serving others. That’s why I launched BOND in 2023.
Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)?
I would love to meet Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist and New York Times #1 bestselling author. His practice changed my life and my health, finally curing relentless bouts of SIBO and helping me reclaim my health through my microbiome.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The movement to bring school-aged children education and better resources around hormone health. Take a moment and think about what you learned in school regarding hormones, women’s health.. Imagine if we shifted the dialogue beyond mere pregnancy prevention towards empowering young women with comprehensive knowledge about their hormonal dynamics. By educating them on the intricacies of their hormonal cycles, highlighting indicators of abnormalities, and providing insights into their fertility windows we could foster a deeper understanding of their bodies and reproductive health.
How can our readers follow your work online?
You can connect with me through BOND’s Instagram here. Also, check out our thoughtful lineup of products on our website here.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Caryn Johnson Of BOND On Navigating the Challenges of Infertility and IVF was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.