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 the first time you have ever been in a group and you may wonder if you will become overly emotional in the group and too vulnerable to others. Remember that most people feel insecure about joining a group! But, keep in mind that a group, whether it be professionally led or peer led, will help you feel less isolated, empower you with knowledge and validate your emotional response to the life crisis of infertility. Also, a recent study found that attendees of RESOLVE support groups had higher pregnancy rates.

If you’re looking for some one-on-one advice, you can find a mental health professional who understands the psychological and emotional aspects of reproductive health through American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)’s Mental Health Professional Group. Why go see a mental health professional? ASRM’s 2-page FAQ sheet talks about the why and what a MH professional might be able to help you do.

But if you’re still feeling a little shy, I invite you to find support as you work through your fertility issues online. Or, perhaps you just need to know that you are not the only person trying to navigate what should be a simple path towards parenthood: Cyclesista is a great place for that.

When we first started to explore assisted reproductive options, what was important to me was to know that we weren’t just spinning our wheels and that there were people out there who were now proud parents with a little help from some friends (and good reproductive endocrinologists). And I can’t thank Melissa enough for leading me to them. No matter which stage you are in on your journey, you can bet you will find someone to connect with on Stirrup Queen’s Completely Anal List of Blogs that Proves That She Missed Her Calling as a Personal Organizer.

So, what are you waiting for? Get Connected!

Post from: Blisstree

Get Connected for Mental Health Month

• Monday, May 19th, 9:00PM EST: How to Start a RESOLVE Peer-Led Support Group, hosted by RESOLVE’s Executive Director, Barb Collura

• Tuesday, May 27th, 10:00PM EST: Finding the Best Clinic, hosted by Laurie J McKenzie of Houston IVF

• Wednesday, May 28th, 9:00PM EST: Adoption 101, hosted by Kathy Brodsky of Ametz Adoption (sponsored in part by a generous donation by the Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey)

Post from: Blisstree

Three Free Tele-Seminars Hosted by RESOLVE

The journalist Cheryl Miller contacted me after reading this post about another article in the media which I felt treated us “baby-desperate” folks far too unkindly. But halfway through our hour-long conversation, I was wondering where this new article would be headed and if I were just fueling the flame for yet another essay on us wacky men and women who allegedly think about nothing other than babybabybabybabybaby.

All of this worry over an article which, after all of that, only mentions me twice. In passing.

Phew!

And rather than being something scathing, judgmental or worse salacious or misleading, I found Ms. Miller’s piece to be pretty well-informed. In fact, I even learned a few things. I would love to know who coined the phrase “repro lit.” Have you ever heard that term before? I completely related with Ms. Miller’s attempt to decipher one blogger’s profile description, filled with acronyms and coded phrases – because when I began reading and writing blogs related to trying to have a baby a year or so ago, I found myself lost in this new language as well. And I found her raising questions that I often think about myself.

I haven’t listened to her interview about the article yet. How is it?

Post from: Blisstree

“Blogging Infertility” and What It All Means