{"id":26580,"date":"2024-08-26T14:21:48","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T14:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/?post_type=podcast&p=26580"},"modified":"2024-08-26T14:21:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T14:21:48","slug":"episode-190","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/podcast\/episode-190\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 190: How Lauren Turned Her Infertility Story into an Infertility Non-profit"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[451,230,229],"tags":[235,237],"class_list":["post-26580","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-family-building","category-education","category-ivf-facts","tag-ivf","tag-pcos"],"yoast_head":"\nEpisode 190: How Lauren Turned Her Infertility Story into an Infertility Non-profit | Progyny<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lauren's story is one of courage, perseverance, and a commitment to helping others find hope amidst their own.\" \/>\n<meta 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was always heavy on my heart to start a nonprofit. I was very passionate about sharing my story, being open about it, and talking with other people. ","episode_intro_guest":"Lauren Clements","episode_intro_company":"Chosen Infertility Group ","episode_banner_section_intro_text":"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\u2019s 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\u2019s our mission to give those struggling a platform to be heard, a community connection, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the 1 in 6 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.","episode_page_title":"Episode 190: How Lauren Turned Her Infertility Story into an Infertility Non-profit","episode_embed_code":"<iframe style=\"border: none;\" title=\"Embed Player\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/32638042\/height\/128\/theme\/modern\/size\/standard\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/ffffff\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\/stats-code\/landing190\/font-color\/000000\" width=\"100%\" height=\"128\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>","episode_details":"<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today's guest is a testament to resilience, turning personal pain into a powerful purpose. Lauren Clements faced a long, difficult journey in her efforts to build a family, battling through a diagnosis of PCOS, blocked fallopian tubes, and undergoing numerous treatments. Yet, despite these significant setbacks, Lauren never lost hope.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">In this episode, she opens up about how these challenges inspired her to create <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/choseninfertility.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Chosen Infertility Group<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a nonprofit dedicated to providing local resources, advocacy, and financial grants to those struggling with infertility in Detroit. Lauren's story is one of courage, perseverance, and a commitment to helping others find hope amidst their own.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Guest: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren Clements, Founder and President of Chosen Infertility Group<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Host: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger, Progyny<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">For more information, visit Progyny\u2019s Podcast page and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.progyny.com\/education\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Progyny\u2019s Education page<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for more resources. 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 <\/span><a href=\"mailto:thisisinfertility@progyny.com\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">thisisinfertility@progyny.com<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Learning Loss\r\n<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">03:19 \u2013 08:35<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren Clements:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> I was told that I had PCOS and I think that there was a bit of unexplained infertility as well. I really wanted to find a provider that was willing to invest time into doing additional testing. And I had an HSG test where they put the dye in your tubes, and that is where I found out that my tubes were blocked. That was a very devastating day.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren had the surgery to remove her fallopian tubes, and she was ready to move ahead with IVF.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> I think the one thing that maybe mentally, I wasn't prepared for was the first round not working. By the time you get to IVF, you think, this is going to be it. So, we were excited, and we had a lot of expectations on that first round, and we had found, after six weeks, that there was no heartbeat, and that was again, just another devastating day in the journey. I think that was a learning curve you know: each route, each IUI that you do, each round that you do, each testing, the doctors are gaining more and more insight and information based on how you respond to medications, and how your body is and everything else. So, I wish that I maybe would have looked at it differently in that, it was still a step in the right direction, even if it was unsuccessful the first round.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Creating Cause: Chosen Infertility Group\r\n<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">09:43 \u2013 15:25<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Sometimes, IVF can work in some ways while not working in others. They still had other embryos, so after about a month to let Lauren's body recover, they went back in for another frozen embryo transfer, and this time, Lauren became pregnant with twins. Twin pregnancies can be a bit scary and even risky at times, but everyone was healthy, and down the line, they welcomed their twin baby girls into the world, and that is where we pivot from Lauren's infertility story to her infertility nonprofit.<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lauren:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> It was always heavy on my heart to start a nonprofit. I was very passionate about sharing my story, being open about it, and talking with other people. When the pandemic hit my husband actually was working from home, and he has always been such a huge support with my vision. So, it was at that point that I said, I'm just gonna start with the small things. I'm going to do monthly support groups, and I'm going to be on social media and just really start making that network that way. And then I would say, from very early on, I had also told my doctors at RMA (of Michigan) about wanting to start this nonprofit, and they were super supportive. I said, I'm not going to do it without you. So, I was very thankful, very blessed that they have been a partner from the very beginning stages of doing all of this, and it's become such an awesome thing to see it evolve and see where it's gone.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mental support<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{"335552541":1,"335559685":1440,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"\uf0b7","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">We are partnered with North Star Psychological Services. So, for those within our group that are struggling and need some help on the mental health front, we have therapists that are such amazing souls that can really help people go through that. They also join us every other month with our support socials to kind of help with the dialog and the conversation surrounding that.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Acupuncture<\/span><\/b>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{"335552541":1,"335559685":1440,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"\uf0b7","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Then we've got an acupuncturist, Acupuncture of Michigan and they also work closely with RMA for supplemental treatment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Support socials<\/span><\/b>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{"335552541":1,"335559685":1440,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"\uf0b7","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Our monthly support socials are really just a way to get everybody together, to network, share, resources, referrals, advice and feed that emotional support. It's been incredible to see how many friendships and relationships have come from those I've had some, quite a few of my girls. You know, I always encourage everyone to slap phone numbers and text just. A lot of them have become close friends to this day.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Fundraising<\/span><\/b>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{"335552541":1,"335559685":1440,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"\uf0b7","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The other part of it is our fundraising. We hold a gala every year. It's called, In the Spirit of Infertility, it's just really one big, great space for all those to come and support the cause.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>","episode_host_image":22677,"episode_host_title":"Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny","episode_host_bio":"Dan has been in the healthcare industry for the past ten plus years as a multimedia content producer. Better known as \u2018Video Dan\u2019 he has interviewed numerous doctors, patients and other experts in the world of fertility. He\u2019s also the producer for this podcast, This is Infertility and the producer behind the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/progyny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"exc\" aria-label=\"Progyny YouTube Channel - opens in new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"na\">\u00a0Progyny YouTube Channel<\/a>\u00a0which features interviews with dozens of the nation\u2019s leading fertility specialists. On a personal note Dan\u2019s parents started fostering kids when he was four years old, and he considers himself a proud older brother to over 100 foster children.","episode_guest_1_image":26581,"episode_guest_1_title":"Lauren Clements, Founder and President of Chosen Infertility Group ","episode_guest_1_bio":"With the birth of IVF twin girls, Lauren has continued her journey in the infertility community by supporting, educating and providing assistance to those on the same endeavor. Working closely with other infertility specific professionals, Lauren has carefully orchestrated Chosen bearing in mind all aspects of which greater focus can be of benefit along with treatment.\r\n\r\nLauren hosts monthly support socials and connects individuals on similar paths. She also directs, organizes and designs fundraising events in which proceeds fund the \u2018Chosen Grant\u2019 for those financially in need with the next steps in their treatment.\r\n\r\nAlong with her daughters, Lauren resides in Walled Lake with her husband and puppy dog Posh. She is a MSU Spartan Alumni with a Bachelors in Retailing and Sales Communication and is operationally proficient in the dental industry. A prior athlete, Lauren is also currently a professional figure skating instructor at Novi Ice Arena.","episode_guest_2_image":"","episode_guest_2_title":"","episode_guest_2_bio":"","episode_guest_3_image":"","episode_guest_3_title":"","episode_guest_3_bio":"","episode_guest_4_image":"","episode_guest_4_title":"","episode_guest_4_bio":"","episode_guest_5_image":"","episode_guest_5_title":"","episode_guest_5_bio":"","episode_music_section_links":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/26580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}