Tag Archives: infertility

Book Review: Adopting After Infertility

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Adopting After Infertility differs from other adoption books in that it goes more deeply into the losses of infertility, attitudes toward family, and decision making, as well as parenting adopted children if that is the option chosen. The book is divided into three sections. Part One deals with the losses experienced by persons who are infertile. There are tips on self-care, dealing with the stresses of infertility, and handling family events and relatives’ baby showers. Rather than specific medical information on options, this book offers ways to consider the emotional impact of the various options such as hormone treatment, in … Continue reading →

What is Adoption Loss?

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We all know of miscarriage, or pregnancy loss. “Adoption loss” is the bereavement felt when an expected adoption does not occur. Although less than one-tenth of a percent of finalized adoptions are contested each year, parents are often heavily invested emotionally before finalization or before placement. Often they have been meeting with birthparents for several months. They may have seen the baby via ultrasound, chosen a name for the baby, shared the news with their families, prepared the baby’s room, and bought clothing specific to the gender of the expected child. Some birth parents even invite the adoptive parents to … Continue reading →

Labor Day

I’ve observed that often every group of people imagines themselves to work harder than any other group. It might be husbands and wives, the so-called “mommy wars” between stay-at-home moms and working moms, kids who are jealous that their parents don’t have to study any more and parents who forget just how hard it is to be a kid sometimes. Sometimes it’s mothers who’ve adopted their children and mothers who’ve been pregnant and given birth to their children. I hear parents who’ve adopted their children bemoaning the paperwork, the many questions that sometimes feel intrusive, the lack of control, and … Continue reading →

Book Review: Making Sense of Adoption by Lois Ruskai Melina

Lois Melina’s Making Sense of Adoption is unique in that it deals with questions asked not only by adoptees from traditional adoptions, but by children and young people conceived using assisted reproduction techniques such as egg or sperm donation or surrogacy. These persons also, whether a legal adoption proceeding took place or not, must deal with knowing that they either have genetic parents who are not the parents raising them, or that they were born to someone other than their birthmothers. Melina, an adoptive parent of two, is the author of Raising Adopted Children and has been a frequent writer … Continue reading →

A Star’s Struggle To Conceive

Martha Stewart has made a fortune by advising others to emulate her perfect lifestyle (never mind that she spent five months in federal prison for lying about a stock trade a few years ago). Like many people I have watched the domestic diva create seven-layer cakes from three ingredients and stood in awe as she fashioned a lampshade from a handful of pipe cleaners (I’m exaggerating, but if anyone can pull off those feats it’s Martha). It really begs the question: What CAN’T Martha do? Her daughter Alexis has the answer. Sadly, the 41-year-old daughter of the lifestyle guru is … Continue reading →

Initial Infertility Testing

If you have been trying to conceive for one year without success, it may be time to call a doctor. If you are over the age of 35, you should be evaluated after six months without natural conception. Your initial evaluation can be done by an infertility specialist. The initial evaluation is often done by the OB/GYN. A minor problem can be treated by your regular doctor. In many cases, after these initial results come back you may be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist. A thorough initial evaluation will save you time and money at the fertility clinic. Most of … Continue reading →

Hashimoto’s Disease

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease when I was ten years old. My mother’s first indication there might be an imbalance came when she noticed I was starting to put on a little weight. (Her actual words were, “Your arm is getting squishy.”) Because she herself has a thyroid condition, and thyroid conditions are hereditary, she took me in to get me diagnosed right away. A blood test later, it was confirmed that my thyroid levels were indeed low. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the disease which most commonly causes hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid.) It goes by many names: Hashimoto’s Disease, autoimmune … Continue reading →

Can Infertility Treatments Cause Autism?

As if worrying about getting pregnant isn’t enough, a new study suggests that infertility treatments may put children at an increased risk for autism. A study done at the University of California showed a four times greater instance of autism in women who had taken fertility drugs to get pregnant. Since I am a former infertility patient, this study caught my attention right away. I was injected with fertility drugs to conceive our first child. I’ll admit that I was so intent on having a baby that I didn’t know, or care, what was in the drugs. I just wanted … Continue reading →

I’m Not Pregnant, I’m Fat

I assume when people see me they can tell I’m overweight. For this reason it blows me away when I get questioned about being pregnant. Do I really look pregnant? Can’t people tell the difference? I remember when I was very young I was at my grandma’s home. Her neighbor who was very heavy had just left for her house. I asked my grandma if the lady was pregnant. I remember her telling me she was so glad I asked then and not while the lady was standing there. She explained the lady was overweight and we should never ask … Continue reading →

Understanding Ovulation

You’ve probably never thought much about the process of ovulation, until you started trying to get pregnant. When you decide it’s time to try for a baby, you will need to understand the ovulation process. This will help enhance your chances of successful conception. The area of the brain known as the hypothalamus is responsible for ovulation. Ovulation is triggered by two hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland. These are follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The hormones stimulate the production of an egg in one of the two ovaries. The egg is then released from … Continue reading →