My blood work results came back on the low end of normal. My hormone levels were not low enough to explain our infertility.

The next step was to do a sperm count on my husband. Considering my husband thought that screening for infertility was premature, you can imagine his reaction when I asked him to provide a semen sample. His initial reaction was so negative that I feared our infertility screening was dead in the water. It took quite a bit of cajoling over a period of several months to get him to agree to do it at all. ... more

After month 6 came and went with no pregnancy, I was really getting frustrated. I told my husband that I feared we had a problem. Mr. "Deer in the Headlights" was perfectly content for conception to take a while because -

1. He was scared to death of becoming a father.
2. He was enjoying the "perks" of trying to conceive.

So, he was not very happy when I told him that I had made an appointment to see an OB-GYN for a screening. My husband asked around and learned that most doctors will not screen for infertility until ... more

All around me this week are endings. A friend has experienced a break up of her relationship. Another friend is putting her dog down tomorrow. And this week is my last writing for this fertility blog.

I have learned so much and have met some wonderful people through this forum. It gave me something to do while exploring my infertile times and welcoming my new son into our lives. A dream experience for a work at home mom.

And now, there are new things to learn and new things to say. I have no idea if I'm done with infertility, but I am for now in my life and in my career. I'm excited to see where this blog goes and am so excited to see the guest bloggers and new ... more

I was so certain that we would conceive right away. I ate all of the "right" foods and refrained from drinking any alcohol. I read What to Expect When You are Expecting and did everything that a pregnant woman is supposed to do. I told all of my family and friends that we were "trying." I fully expected to announce our pregnancy any day.

When I failed to get pregnant the first month, I told myself that it was probably a good thing because my body needed to fully flush out the birth control pills. When I wasn't pregnant the second ... more

Hi! My name is Faith. I am the proud mother of a six-year-old boy named Nicholas, who joined our family through adoption after 4-1/2 years of infertility treatments and a grueling adoption process.

I offered to guest blog over here because I remember the pain of my infertile years all too well. (I am the Hoping to Adopt blogger over at adoptionblogs.com.) In fact, I am still infertile. Adoption cures childless, not infertility. ... more

Marley and Me

I just finished listening to John Grogan's book Marley and Me. Most times, I don't enjoy having an author read their own book. Grogan's voice didn't match what I had in my head, so it took me awhile to come around. It is a true story of a dog's lifetime with his owners and all of the adventures that they go through, Marly and Me is a true story that will be familiar to dog owners past and present. My librarian warned me that he wasn't able to finish the book, due to the end that he knew was coming, but I made it through to the end. It made my errand running enjoyable and now I know the difference ... more

My friend Dawn over at Family Found has written a remarkable post on fertility and insurance. No matter how much research I do on the topic, I couldn't ever say it as well as she did. She has graciously allowed me to reprint it here.

Please

I am infertile and we have chosen adoption over extensive fertility treatments because of the cost. We currently do not have insurance coverage for fertility treatments and one round of IVF with no guarantee of a pregnancy or live birth can cost w/drugs up to $15,000--that is for one month--imagine having to do 3 or so rounds without ... more

Have you ever hear of Ten on Tuesday? It is a blog that puts up a prompt for each Tuesday and then you complete it and link your post to it. And they have been doing so since 2004. Today the list of ten has to do with bragging about yourself. I completed the list and then thought that this would be a great activity for anyone going through the self abusing minds that infertiles have at times. Or, anyone, for that matter.

Here is my list:

Time to Brag: 10 Awesome Things About You
1) I love my freckles
2) I love my age
3) I recycle with a passion, especially clothes ... more

While I was trying to conceive I had a feeling of being so out of control of everything. My body was out of control, my mind was out of control. I was out of control.

When I felt controlled by everything else besides myself, the only thing that helped was to take control of something. Anything that I could steer an outcome towards. Something that I could set my mind to and finish. Even if it was something tiny like doing the dishes, it was worth it to feel accomplished at something.

I get a newsletter from Get Organized Now! by Marcia Gracia. The most recent issue had an article about getting certain things organized ... more

I have just finished reading an article about the nutrition status of United States women in regards to folate.

Folate definition from pdr health.

The term folate is used in two different ways. Folate, a member of the B-vitamin family, is a collective term for a number of chemical forms which are structurally related and which have similar biological activity to folic acid. Folate is also the term which is used for the anionic form of folic acid. Folic acid or pteroylglutamic acid (PGA) is comprised of para-aminobenzoic acid linked at one end to a pteridine ring and at ... more

Persistence Paid Off For Paralyzed Dad

Miami Project

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

I have heard of procedures to help retain the sperm of paralyzed men in episodes of Law and Order and also on shows like ER. But I began wondering how true any of these series were. What options are there for paralyzed men and their families? How closely did these shows resemble what is available in real life?

I found the article, "Persistence Paid Off For Paralyzed Dad" on HappyNews.com, ... more

Once again, another study that reminds me that physicians are normal people. In this article titled, Doctor's Often Don't Fess Up to Errors we see where even doctor's are people too.

I am lucky in the fact that the doctor's in my life are also people that I feel a companionship with or have worked hard to build a dialog with. Except for one emergency room doctor who changed the face of it all and made me realize how important ... more

After I had my first miscarriage and the subsequent comedy of errors that went along with it, I couldn't find any solace. Until, through the kindness of a client and interim pastor, I found a novel that took me away from it all. Far, far away. Which is where I wanted to be. And where I wanted to stay.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet was my ticket outa there and I seized it like Charlie with his golden ticket. At one point, I remember that Chris spoke to me from a couch length away and I was startled back into my reality. It had been forever since I had gotten so immersed in a book, the narrative and descriptions so captivating that I ... more

I mentioned last week that I am changing birth control this month. But the landscape keeps changing and I'm glad that there are options to hopefully work for all of us when we need birth control.

While trying to get pregnant, I kept thinking about all of the money and all of the years wasted on birth control. But honestly, I think that I would have made the same choices over again. Birth control provided me with a peace of mind that I needed to grow into the person that I am today. If I would have added in the anxiety of wondering if I was pregnant when I wasn't trying to become a mom, I wonder if that growth would have occured.

There will now be another birth ... more

Last week I posted about toxic friends, the types of toxic friends and how to deal with them. But, when I turn the lens to myself, I got to wondering if I am a toxic friend. And I have been in the past. While reading through the types, a lot of them rang familiar to what I would sometimes do in relationships. I then started looking to do a little self discovery on what type of friend that I am.

After taking these quizzes, and seeing my results, you can see why I'd be a little confused!

... more

I'm starting a new type of birth control method this month, which means that I will be having a period again. With my previous method, an absence of a period was a very pleasant side effect for me. But now that I'm getting into all of the cycling again, I was wondering what foods I should be eating while menstruating. I know consciously the extreme changes my body goes through during the 28 days and I started to think about ways that I could support my body with food. Here is what I found from Women's Health ... more

I am continuing my list of toxic friends that I have dealt with in my life in italics within the blockquote stating the types of toxic friends. Hopefully, if you can recognize any of these types in your life, you can begin to change the relationship or learn to let it go.

The Promise Breaker as a Toxic Friend:
This person rarely does what he says he will do. If you have a date, your toxic friend is often a no-show. A general lack of dependability makes this person a toxic friend

The Gossip as a Toxic Friend:
The gossip will eventually betray your trust and become a toxic friend. Gossips are easy to spot so beware your friendships with ... more

Inserted into the blockquote, I'll be writing in italics to describe some of my interactions with the various types. Fortunately, I'd done some relationship housecleaning before I decided to try to have children, so my infertile years were somewhat toxic friend free. Looking through the types and descriptions, I'm even more grateful. Having these types of friends in your life is stressful enough without adding in the stress of building your family.

The User as a Toxic Friend:
This person only has friends as long as he/she can use them for some purpose or goal of his/her own. This person could be the most harmful of toxic friends.

In my ... more