Resources

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]

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]

If you are looking for information about anything related to infertility, you can likely find what you are looking for at FertilityCommunity.com. Those of you who found this blog through a search engine might not be aware that this blog is only one part of a much bigger site.

At FertilityCommunity.com, you can read about everything from conception basics to treatment options. Those of you who have recently discovered that you are facing fertility challenges might want to start by reading over the Infertility 101 topics as well as the Infertility FAQs.

When I was first facing my infertility, I was not aware of any resources such as FertilityCommunity.com to help me understand what was going on with my body… [more]

It is not often that I wish I lived in New York. I am a Southern gal through and through and enjoy the milder temperatures of the South. However, my geographical location is causing me to miss out on seeing an interesting off-Broadway play about infertility. I hope that some of my readers can check it out and let me know what they think.

I received an e-mail from Andrew Kaplan about his one-man play, He's Having a Baby, that that he is performing Off-Broadway in Manhattan. In his e-mail, he told me that he and his wife struggled with infertility, and he wrote this play from the man's point of view based upon his experiences. They now have three children. (I… [more]

Infertility is a topic that comes up quite a bit on television shows. While fertility procedures are stressful and emotionally painful for those going through them, the procedures can be portrayed quite comically by the entertainment industry.

Take the television show Coach as an example. Their fertility treatment episodes aired before I went through fertility treatments myself, and I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard at Hayden walking around with a cold water device down his pants to cool his swimmers. I also found it hilarious when Hayden and Christine had a big argument. She stormed out of the room and then back in, pointed to the bed, and yelled, "I forgot! I'm ovulating!" When I actually lived that experience, it… [more]

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association about an upcoming "webinar" on fertility treatment advances. The full title of the webinar is Fertility Treatment Advances: How the Last Decade of Success is Paving the Way for the Future.

I have never heard the term "webinar" before, but I deduced that it meant a seminar that takes place on the web. (Gotta love that college education, eh?) And I was correct. This is a seminar that will take place on the Internet on Tuesday, November 13, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST. You can register for the webinar at Resolve's Events by Date page.

According to the e-mail I received, many advancements have taken place in the world of fertility over… [more]

In my last post, How to Structure a Fertility Support Group, I mentioned that I selected the book Infertility: A Survival Guide for Couples and Those Who Love Them by Cindy Lewis Dake as the text for the support group I founded. Before continuing the support group discussion, I would like to review the book for you.

I considered several texts for the support group, but I settled upon this book because it covered all of the topics that I believed were important and then some. The book is well written, and it has a good combination of research and emotions. It is not always easy to find a fertility book with that kind of balance.

The book begins by… [more]

Lisa Safran has written a funny book called Laughin'fertility, which focuses on the humorous aspects of fertility procedures. (I referenced her book in my last post, Fertility versus Infertility.) Considering how depressing the whole process can be, I think it is a great idea to find a way to laugh through your tears. This is what Ms. Safran achieves in her book.

The book is divided up into short musings that focus on one aspect of fertility at a time, so you do not have to read the book straight through to enjoy it. You can flip through to the topic that interests you and read her observations and amusing anecdotes on the subject.

Some of Ms. Safran's observations made me laugh… [more]

In my last post, Fertell: At-home Fertility Screening Test, I mentioned a news release that a reader sent me called Couples Quiet When it Comes to Concerns about Fertility. The news release contains many interesting statistics based upon a survey conducted by Genosis Inc., the company that created Fertell. In my last post, I talked about the product. In this post, I would like to talk about the statistics in the article.

According to the news release, 807 American couples, ranging in age from 25 to 45, completed the on-line survey. Here is an abbreviated recounting of the results:

• 72% of couples underestimated the likelihood of fertility issues
• 90% of couples underestimated the likelihood of both partners having

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 between which types… [more]