When you have a few minutes (because it’s pretty darn long), go check out this article at Psychology Today entitled, “Who Stole Fertility?”
Originally written for the 1996 March/April issue of Psychology Today Magazine, this article stills feels timely and relevant. I’ve had this page bookmarked for a while and have been digesting it in bits. Don’t be turned off by the first paragraph which states:
Contrary to popular belief, there is no infertility crisis sweeping the nation. We’ve just lost all conception of what it takes to conceive. Reproductive technology has made us impatient with nature. So for increasing numbers …read more

May is Mental Health Month, but don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to “just relax.” This year’s theme is “Get Connected.” Let’s talk about that.
In celebration of the event, I want to remind my readers that in addition to their online resources and forums, the National Infertility Association RESOLVE actually offers two different types of “real life” support groups – one led by mental health professionals and a more informal peer-support group often known as “coffee and conversation.”
RESOLVE understands that,
Making the decision to join a RESOLVE group can be difficult for some people. It may be …read more

Fertile Dream’s 4th Annual Paths to Parenthood Conference will be taking place at the Orlando Marriott on Sunday, May 4th.
Why am I telling you this? Besides the fact that there seems to be a great lineup of speakers, it is FREE!
Yes, completely free. The conference runs from 8 am to 4:30 pm and your free admission includes breakfast and dinner.
The following information is from www.fertiledreams.org:
If you are trying to start a family, but have questions, reproductive health and adoption experts will be available to answer questions on the latest advances in as well as adoption.
Fertility and adoption experts include:
Alice Domar, …read more

This month’s selection of the Barren B*tches Book Brigade is AM Home’s memoir, The Mistress’s Daughter. And it is a prime example of how the number of pages or words doesn’t necessarily correlate with the length of time a book can linger in one’s mind. I probably finished The Mistress’ Daughter the day after I borrowed it from the library; I have been thinking about it ever since.
The book focuses on the author’s feelings about being adopted, finding her birth mother, or rather, her birth mother finding her, and trying to find the similarities, if any, between “who I …read more

So, I was pretty upset by the Tyra Banks Show last week. But I wasn’t the only one. Melissa includes a link to Fertility Notes (thanks!) and several other blogs in her Thursday article for BlogHer entitled Wolves in Duck’s Clothing. And these are just a few of the posts that I have seen in response to the show. If you want to see some angry and mobilized women supporting each other, you should see visit some of the TTC (trying to conceive) and IF (infertility) message boards out there. Many have copied and shared their letters to the show …read more

Spokesmodel and “Queen of the Internet” Cindy Margolis decided to pen Having a Baby…When the Old-Fashioned Way Isn’t Working: Hope and Help for Everyone Facing Infertility because she felt that there was a “lack of first person fertility literature” available to women and couples seeking alternatives and assistance getting pregnant.
At the time of writing, she was probably right. Fortunately, a lot has changed since Cindy (who is also the Celebrity Spokesperson for RESOLVE) decided to write her book. And I am hopeful that public perception will change even more as women like Cindy bravely share their struggles with infertility …read more

I was just remarking to my husband that with all of the hullaballoo over stem cell research and focus on pro-life/anti-choice activism, it seems as if the organized church has kind of turned a blind eye to in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproduction techniques. Oh sure, the Catholic Church sees such things as “gravely evil acts” but I really haven’t heard a lot of outcry from my former fellow churchgoers. At least not recently. Could it be that IVF has slipped under the radar of evangelists, clergy and other religious leaders who are usually so vocal about anything …read more

Ever wonder what goes on when one of your friends tells you she is on infertility “treatment” or “medication?” Are you and your partner considering getting some help conceiving? Has someone suggested “IVF” as an option to you? What do those code words mean?
Usually, they mean a lot of shots. Some big, some small. Some in yer thigh. Others in your belly. Nice long ones in your butt….
I don’t mean to scare anyone off. Quite the contrary. I think the more the mystery around assisted reproductive technology (ART) is unshrouded, the easier it will be for the general public to …read more

There are several things that can scare folks away from assisted reproduction techniques. For me, it isn’t the cost (heck, what’s a few more zeros on our credit card statements?) or the odds (better than zero, which is where we started). It is the idea of having to shoot myself with long, loooong needles filled with Progesterone in oil (fondly known as PIO) that makes my chin quiver and tears well up.
Luckily (or unluckily), there are women out there that have been there, done that and been kind enough to share their PIO tips with us. Sube at Waiting for …read more