Celine Dion is taking some time out of her busy singing career to have a second child. She has announced that she is pregnant with husband and manager Rene Angelil’s baby. Celine is 41 and her husband is 67. They were able to conceive with the “help of fertility doctors in New York.”

Celine and Rene also have an eight-year old child, Rene-Charles. Celine grew up in a very large family (14 children) and had talked for years about having a family. She was overjoyed when she had her first child, and is delighted at …read more

 One of the first questions we asked when exploring Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) was, “does anything we are discussing increase the odds of birth defects or any sort of physical or mental disability?” Not that we would close our hearts to a child with a disability or medical condition, but we wanted to know what we were dealing with before undertaking any invasive procedures. Our RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) assured us that the risks were no greater than that of a “normal” conception and birth.
This month the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) affirmed that statement:
Dr. Karin Middelburg, from …read more

One way to make fertility treatments more affordable is participating in clinical trials or research studies.
Different studies have different eligibility requirements, and I’m thinking a clinical study is not something you want to do if you don’t want more folks in white coats all up in your business. But if you are at a stage in your life where you don’t want to stop trying to conceive, but you aren’t quite sure how you will afford that next round of meds or another attempt at IVF, (and like many of us, you now spread your legs for anyone with a …read more

Confession: I’m having a harder time with “Celebrity Week” here at Fertility Notes than I thought I would.
Of course, I can rehash the who used IVF and who didn’t and point to some current folks that everyone has their eye one (and the week’s not over, I might). But that info seems tired. Old. Not really helpful.
Unlike this article in the New York Times today.
Which is relevant. Fresh and well-written. Which are some things that can never be taken for granted in an article that discusses infertility or living childfree.
This article happens to star my blogging friend Pamela Jeanne whom …read more

My health insurance is great. But like most, it will not cover fertility treatments. (In fact, my gynecologist’s office had to do some “creative coding” to even get some of the preliminary bloodwork reimbursed.) My credit union credit card has a great rate, but monthly finance charges still stack up quick when your balance is $20,000+.
So what’s a girl to do?
After you’ve checked into financial assistance programs and scholarships I’ve already mentioned here, and talked to your clinic to see if they have any payment plans they can offer (mine didn’t), dig a little deeper into your benefits package …read more