It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and today, we are discussing the intersection of reproductive health and psychological health with Dr. Sylvia Schneider Fox. Dr. Fox graduated with honors with a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and has over 25 years of experience working in the mental health field.  

In this episode, Dr. Fox talks about the role of psychology in reproductive health, starting from the 1930s to the present. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing that reproductive difficulties and trauma affect mental health and psychological well-being. She also highlights the growth of the Mental Health Professional Group within the American Society for Reproductive Medicine since its inception in 1986. 

Dr. Fox sheds light on how grief is often unrecognized in reproductive health due to a lack of understanding of what patients are actually grieving. She discusses how patients grieve the loss of their dreams of having a child, the journey they imagined, the innocence they lost, and the pain and hurt that come with fertility treatment. Dr. Fox also talks about how patients lose control over their lives, bodies, and social lives, leading to additional sources of pain and loss. 

Dr. Fox's insights and experience offer valuable guidance on how to deal with grief, loss, and pain in reproductive psychological health.