MILES: Men, Infertility, and Life Experiences Steven Miller

This episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Clayton Brigance, who recently got his PhD in Counseling from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. We talk about his own experience through infertility, as well as the research he has been doing regarding trauma and infertility. A recent study of his showed that 43% (primarily women) had symptoms of PTSD due to reproductive trauma.



Dr. Clayton Brigance, PhD, LPC, is the founder and
clinical director of Shiloh Counseling, LLC, in Ballwin, Missouri (just outside
of St. Louis). Clay’s clinical focus and utmost passion is working with couples,
navigating infertility and reproductive loss. Clay and his wife have had their
own experiences with infertility, which was recently published as a
duoethnography in the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy. Clay
has also published several other articles as well on counseling couples going
through infertility and reproductive trauma in some of the top scientific
journals, such as The Family Journal, Contemporary Family Therapy, and Psychological
Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.

Clay is on the Healthcare Task Force for the Institute
of Reproductive Grief Care in San Diego, California, where he works with
medical doctors, nurses, and other mental health professionals on how to
advocate for couples going through the unique journey of infertility. Clay has
spoken on this special topic across the country to various audiences, including
the American Psychological Association. Clay is currently Level III trained in
Gottman Method Couple Therapy and will soon seek full certification. Clay’s
dissertation was focused on how couples achieve couple satisfaction in their
relationship during infertility from the lens of the Gottman Method. Clay, his
wife, and their two miracle boys live in Ballwin, Missouri (though Clay is
often pining away for his home state of Kentucky).



Clayton Brigance, PhD, LPC | LinkedIn

Shiloh Counseling (shilohcounselingllc.com)



The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

⁠Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos⁠

⁠Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos⁠

⁠The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter⁠

⁠(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook⁠

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com













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Happy National Infertility Awareness Week! To kick off the week, I decided to release a couple of episodes, and this is the first one.

At some point in our fertility journey, we have all been told to relax and that stress is the cause of our infertility struggles. I have heard several people talk about this through my connections and on the internet. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Angela Lawson, a licensed psychologist at Northwestern Fertility and Reproductive Medicine in Chicago. We discuss if this anecdote is either fact or fiction and what is behind the idea of stress causing infertility. This episode is for all the people that have been told to relax.


Dr. Lawson is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in women’s reproductive health and sexual and other traumas. She joined the faculty at Northwestern in 2008, where she provides clinical consultation as well as psychotherapy related to infertility and other reproductive concerns. She also conducts research on the psychological aspects of infertility and trauma. Dr. Lawson serves as a past Chair of the Executive Committee for the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, is the Chair of the Mental Health educational track at the annual Midwest Reproductive Symposium International conference, and the Chair of the LGBTQ Speciality Interest Group of ASRM.


Angela K. Lawson, PhD | Northwestern Medicine

Fertility and Reproductive Medicine (nm.org)



The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

⁠Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos⁠

⁠Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos⁠

⁠The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter⁠

⁠(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook⁠

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com






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In this week's episode, I talked with Dr. Kristin Brogaard, the Chief Scientific Officer at Inherent Biosciences. We discuss the lack of research on male infertility and what Dr. Brogaard is doing about this issue.

Kristin Brogaard received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Northwestern University
developing a novel epigenetic technology that allowed for single-base pair
resolution mapping of DNA binding proteins genome-wide. To continue her
training in technology development, Dr. Brogaard worked as a postdoc with Dr.
Leroy Hood, a pioneer in personalized medicine technologies, developing new
methods for low-level antibody capture and quantification in blood for early
detection of autoimmune diseases. After her postdoc, she continued to work with
Dr. Hood as the director of a human-subjects clinical trial based on Dr. Hood’s
vision of the intersection of systems biology and personalized medicine. From
the results of the clinical trial, the team launched a scientific wellness
start-up, Arivale, where Kristin was the Director of Program Management and
responsible for directing the formation, communication, resourcing, and tracking
of Arivale’s quarterly strategic objectives and their associated key
performance indicators. 

Kristin co-founded
Inherent Biosciences Inc. and acts as Chief Scientific Officer to combine her
passion for epigenetics and personalized medicine. At Inherent, she uses
epigenetic discoveries to answer unexplained medical conditions, providing
better diagnostics and treatment plans. Outside of work, Kristin loves to hike,
cook, and spend time with her husband, two kids, and crazy dog.


(4) Inherent Biosciences, Inc.: Overview | LinkedIn

SpermQT (“Sperm Quality Test”) (@path.fertility) | Instagram

Inherent Biosciences


The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos

Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter

(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com

















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This week's episode I was able to sit down and talk with Ryan Ferrante, who is a Reproductive Attorney in Chicago. Not only is he an attorney, but he is also on the volunteer committee and has an active part in the planning of Federal Advocacy for Resolve. Federal Advocacy Day is where people like you and me can get involved in speaking with our legislators to pass pro-family building legislation at the federal level. Ryan and I talk about our experiences with this day, as last year was my first year sharing my infertility journey with legislators from Wisconsin. Also, we talk about the importance of advocating for legislation in our state government to increase access to fertility treatments. Building Families Alliance in Wisconsin are hoping to do just that, so the 172,000 people in Wisconsin can have better access to treatment. Only 19 states have mandated insurance coverage for fertility treatments and Wisconsin is not one of them, meaning that citizens in those states will be out of pocket for treatments such as IVF, which can cost around $45,000. Below are ways that you can get involved in Federal Advocacy Day on 4/25 and Building Families Alliance if you are in Wisconsin. The best part? You can do it from the comfort of your residence because it's virtual. It's not too late to sign up. Your story is powerful, and you never know who needs to hear it.



Register at:

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association


Building Families Alliance: SurveyLegend Survey
Home | Building Families WI



Ryan's Social Media
Ryan Ferrante (@ryancferrante) • Instagram photos and videos
Ryan C. Ferrante | LinkedIn


The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos

Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter

(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com


























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A fertility pharmacist by day and a film director by night, Tarun Verma, during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, had decided that he was going to make a film about infertility and the experience both men and women go through. His film, Conception, has been shown at film festivals and is currently on Prime Video. Tarun and I discuss his experience filming the movie and infertility.


Watch Conception | Prime Video (amazon.com)

Troon (@mrtverma) • Instagram photos and videos



The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos

Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter

(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com






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On this week's episode, I have Dr. Bill Petok, who has provided mental health support to couples and men with infertility since 1985.  We discuss how he got involved in Reproductive Mental Health, trends he has seen with men responding to infertility, and SART.  SART is the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology.  Bill Petok earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1978. His practice specializes in the problems of individuals and couples struggling with infertility for whom building the family they desire is challenging. 

Bill Petok > Home (drpetok.com)

SART: Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology



References

Angela Lawson (@aklawsonphd) • Instagram photos and videos



The MILES Podcast Social Media and Contact Info

Steven Miller, MS (@sjmiller2024) • Instagram photos and videos

Steven Miller, MS (@milespodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

The MILES Podcast (@miles_podcast) / Twitter

(2) The MILES Podcast | Fort Atkinson WI | Facebook

Email:  themilespodcast@gmail.com


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/miles-podcast/support