Causes

In a previous post I talked about our annual girls' trip and my friend who is struggling to conceive. Her particular situation hits so close to home because she has endured the same questions from the same friends, is dealing with eerily similar issues such as fibroids and polyps, and like me, seems to be truly content with the decision to pursue adoption. One thing that she did say that made a lot of sense to me, but that I had never thought about is that she really, really regrets not attempting IVF right when it was recommended as essentially her only option by her RE. Her initial consultation with her doctor took place over a year ago. She was finally… [more]

Each year, for 11 years, I have gone an annual girls' trip to the beach with up to 10 (some years there are a couple that can't make it but we typically have 7 or 8 every time) college friends. Through the years our conversations have changed as together we have made it through the first years after college and trying to establish ourselves in our chosen careers; to getting married and navigating our way through the newlywed years with the help of friends and experience; to celebrating first, second, and even third children for some. This year there were two absent - one was nursing her third child and since we make this an absolutely no children, no… [more]

When you make the decision to seek the help of a fertility specialist you often just choose the closest fertility clinic to where you live. That isn't a bad thing considering you have to factor how inconvenience and travel will affect you and your cycle if you decide (or are forced) to go outside of your area. If, however, you are fortunate to have a number of clinics to choose from or if you decide that you want to seek out the assistance of the most reputable, successful clinic possible then the success charts and annual reports on Assisted Reproductive Technology can provide excellent information. To see the 2006 (most recent) report for all clinics you can follow this… [more]

I recently went in for a thorough physical and got into a discussion with the Doctor about Vitamin D deficencies and new research that shows that supplements can really make a difference for women in regards to bone strength, fatigue, rates of certain types of cancer, and in a number of different areas. I was definitely intrigued, but agreed with the doctor that my results would probably come back fine considering that I got well more than the recommended amount of sunlight each week and tuna fish and salmon are two of my favorite meals. So, I was pretty surprised when my level came back really low and not only were supplements recommended, but a prescription was… [more]

It's easy to concentrate on the negatives of infertility, but when I talk to friends who have "surprise" pregnancies or to those who are indifferent about having a child I realize that there is one "positive." We go through so much to start our families that there is no doubt that if and when we do conceive we know that the child is wanted and will be loved. Every moment of the pregnancy is precious and I honestly believe that infertile people sometimes have more patience with their children as new parents because they truly realize that they are miracles and appreciate finally having the opportunity to deal with a crying (or preferably happy) baby. Couples who are infertile… [more]

Another embarrassing confession - when it was first suggested to me to take my basal body temperature I had no idea where to begin and or what to do. I didn't know if I needed a special thermometer, what I was supposed to be noticing and what it meant, etc. Measuring and charting basal body temperature tells you when you are ovulating and your fertile days and is a typical first step for couples experiencing difficult conceiving. In case there are others out there like me who are advised to take your basal temperature and chart it who feel a little lost about the whole thing, I thought I would just cover the basics of the "BBT" method… [more]

As much as I complain about the exorbitant expense of IVF there was one "add-on" that I really wished that my doctor would suggest. In our IVF class they talked about ICSI and the improved success rates for some patients. Our doctor did not think it was necessary for us, but at the time I wanted to do anything possible to improve our chances. I did a little remedial research and what exactly the procedure is and although I thought it couldn't hurt, my doctor ultimately decided that it was just not something that we needed to spend the extra money on. ICSI is an acronym for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Put simply it is the process… [more]

I find it very appalling that in an industry that is largely self-pay there are many deceitful clinics that advertise false pricing for IVF. A friend of mine who was using my same clinic and just beginning her fertility treatments challenged me when I said that my husband and I had spent easily $15,000 on our IVF cycle when all was said and done. She had recently attended her consultation when they told her (and gave her a packet of information) that said IVF was $8,000. My explanation was probably unnecessarily heated, but I remember feeling as though we had been mislead and wanted to make it clear that we spent well more than the original estimate… [more]

When your insurance does not cover fertility treatments the cost of self-paying for IVF can be very overwhelming. When we decided to try IVF we knew that we could only do one cycle - that's all we could afford! When searching around for what it would truly cost (and it still ended up being higher than expected)I came across an intriguing option. My husband and I loved to travel and were selfishly upset that all of our savings that we had hoped to use for trips and treats in years to come was going to be used for just one IVF cycle. So, when I heard about IVF vacations I thought it was an excellent… [more]

When we made the decision to move onto IVF I got tunnel vision and suddenly felt as if I had to know everything there was about the process, about other women's experiences, and about infertility in general. In addition to seeking out information on the internet and joining forums, I also read as many books as I could get my hands on. I sought out books written in a style that wouldn't thrust me into a further pit of despair; I was looking for humor or stories written from the trenches and found some that really did help. I, like a lot of other infertile women, first read Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. It… [more]