I have a confession to make. When I offered to blog about fertility, I was not entirely sure that I was qualified for the job. This blog is called a "fertility" blog, not an "infertility" one. Yes, I have a lot of experience with infertility, but fertility? Not so much.

Actually succeeding in getting pregnant is not my area of expertise. However, I thought that somebody who is fertile probably does not have many issues to discuss on a blog and concluded that this blog really is about infertility after all. So, why call it a fertility blog?

In her book Laughin'fertility, Lisa Safran talks about the terminology of fertility versus infertility. She says that if you look at the books on this topic in a bookstore, half of them call themselves "fertility" books, but the other half are called "infertility" books. She concludes that fertility and infertility are the difference between the "half full" and "half empty" view of your situation.

This observation makes a lot of sense to me, and it is not something I ever thought about during the years that I was trying to conceive. I can focus on being "infertile," or I can focus on pursuing "fertility" treatments to help me achieve a pregnancy. Whenever I think about my situation, I can think about the empty womb or the dream of a conception. Seeing a positive outcome can help make that happen.

Over the past couple of years, I have spent a lot of time learning about spirituality. I have had a strong religious faith since I was a child, but spirituality itself is relatively new to me. In particular, I have added meditation to my daily schedule. I have found that I can use meditation to shape my life into what I want it to become.

Part of meditation is choosing an "intention." My intention might be to heal, relax, or any number of things. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, you can visualize yourself as a thinner person and focus on how you would feel if you achieved that goal. This practice plants a seed, which focuses your energy toward reaching that goal.

Calling what you are going through "fertility" procedures versus "infertility" ones can accomplish the same thing. No, I do not believe this simple change in terminology will magically make you pregnant. (If only it were that easy, right?) However, it can plant the seed, focusing your energy toward achieving a pregnancy. It is worth a shot, anyhow.

Related Topics:

• The Impact of Language
• Loving My Body in Spite of Infertility