Laura Kavanagh knew she would encounter challenges as the first female fire commissioner of the FDNY. But she didn’t anticipate the false rumors that she slept her way to the top — or the nastier rumors about her supposed pregnancy. Now, for the first time, she shares what was actually going on in her reproductive life when she ran the fire department.

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Recommendations from the archive

• Listen to Eggs Over Freezy for more about the process of freezing your eggs.

• Curious about IVF? Check out One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF.

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Episode resources

• Laura Kavanagh wrote an op-ed for Fortune about her time as FDNY commissioner, and how to change the workplace for the better.

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Cover photo credit: Guerin Blask for City and State

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When Rumors Spread Like Wildfire About the Fire Commissioner