Guest Post: 10 Tips for Surviving Infertility

Lisa at Amateur Nester posted this on her blog yesterday and I just couldn't help but share!  Very insightful and helpful list!  Thanks for sharing Lisa! 

Original post HERE.

If you’ve just been diagnosed with infertility, you may be in shock. Or perhaps, you’ve suspected all along that you would have difficulty conceiving. Either way, I hope you’ll let me share with you some advice I’ve come up after struggling with infertility for the past two years.

1. Do your homework

I didn’t realize how little I knew about fertility until I was faced with infertility. You may know the basics of the birds-and-bees, but do you really understand the finer points of reproduction? Do you know what fertility treatments actually involve? There are so many fabulous resources. I suggest you start by seeking out a few credible, trustworthy resources and learn as much as you can. Some of my favorites are:

• Resolve: The National Infertility Association (website)
• Taking Charge of Your Infertility by Toni Weschler (book) 
• The Infertility Companion: Hope & Help for Couples Facing Infertility by Sandra L. Glahn (book)
• National Library of Medicine: Infertility (website)  

2. Seek out community

Infertility is more common that we think, but it can still be difficult to find others in your life who are willing to openly discuss it. You must be intentional about getting to know other people who have experienced it. If you don’t know of anyone in your “real life,” the internet is full of wonderful infertility communities. Do a Google search for “Infertility blogs” or “infertility forums” and you’ll find many wonderful sites. Or, check out some of the blogs of the wonderful women (and a few men!) who leave comments on my site.

3. Be patient with yourself

As cliche as it sounds, infertility is a journey. We don’t know how our infertility will be resolved, and we don’t know how long it will take. For some people, a few pills fix everything; others face years of IVF, surrogacy, or adoption. It’s easier said than done, but try be patient with the process and patient with yourself.

4. Try not to let it define you

Remember, you are going through the experience of infertility. You may be currently infertile in the sense that you cannot bear children, but the situation may only be temporary. And even if you never give birth, you are not an infertile being. You still have the ability to be fruitful in other areas of your life: your career, your marriage, your relationships, your faith, or your creative pursuits.

5. Improve your health

If you’re struggling with infertility, you’re likely spending lots of money and time trying to conceive. Make sure that investment isn’t going to waste and get yourself into the best physical shape you can. This doesn’t mean you need to start going to the gym every day if you haven’t been going at all. You don’t have to go vegan and eat only raw veggies. But take some common-sense steps to improve your health (which may also help you improve your emotions). Some simple ideas are limiting your caffeine and alcohol intake, making sure you get enough sleep, cutting back on processed foods, and things like that.

6. Don’t deprive yourself

Be careful not to deny yourself pleasure or enjoyment in the name of improving your health. Have a piece of dark chocolate after a healthy dinner. Take a small sip of your husband’s glass of red wine and savor it. Have a piece of pizza and follow it with a salad and an apple. Infertility it hard enough on its own; don’t make it worse by cutting out the things you enjoy.

7. Don’t let others tell you how to feel

One of the most frustrating things about infertility is that people will often tell you how to feel. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll happen if it’s supposed to.” Or, “Don’t be too upset about your miscarriage. It was so early and it happens to a lot of people.” As well-intentioned as those comments may be, they hurt and they’re not helpful. It’s not necessary to respond rudely to those kinds of comments, but don’t take them to heart. Your experience is valid and your feelings are valid. Don’t let anyone tell you how or how long you should grieve.

8. Cultivate other interests.

Infertility has the potential to be all-consuming, so try to develop some outside interests. Your hobbies can provide a healthy distraction and keep you from becoming too focused on your struggles. Read books, take up painting, watch an entire TV series on Netflix, learn a foreign language- just do something!

9. Nurture your relationship with your significant other

Infertility will either bring you closer together or put significant strain on your relationship. Do everything you can do nurture your relationship. Recognize that each of you may process the experience and express your emotions differently. Be intentional about spending time together and doing the things you enjoyed before you started trying to conceive.

10. Get professional help if you’re struggling

None of this is easy. Each of these ten commandments can be intensely difficult and it’s not good to do it alone. Don’t be afraid to find help from a therapist, counselor, or clergy member. Find someone else to talk to if they tell you “Just relax.” Ask your doctor or friends for referrals, and ask about sliding scale fees if finances are an issue.

In the News: IVF for under $300?!

Hello IF community!  My apologies for our limited presence the last few months!  Big thanks to Rach for keeping the feed alive! Real life can really deter best laid plans! 

Today I wanted to share information that I came across online last summer.  One of many articles out there about it can be found here.  There are new treatment methods for couples seeking IVF that cost a tiny fraction of what tradition IVF does.  The article linked above estimated $265 for the entire process, comparted to literally thousands for traditional IVF.  This is huge and an amazing prospect IF you qualify.  Couples with low sperm count or low ovarian reserve would still likely face traditional IVF. 

Studies show that this new method, which uses oral fertility drugs instead of injections and proposes the use of test tubes instead of incubators, is just as effective as traditional IVF.  Although it's not offered widely yet, it may soon be the answer to so many prayers in our community. After all, your ability to become a parent should not be limited by the amount of money you can afford to spend to become one.

Remember to contact us with any requests or questions you'd like featured here!  Help our little blog grow!

Infertility and Depression

I think we've all been there...feeling pretty low because our bodies just wont do what they`re supposed to do.

With the holidays come up soon, I wanted to share this article that I think gives some helpful hints to keeping yourself healthy and happy while going through the tough road of infertility.

Check out the Natural Fertility Info.'s article on dealing with Infertility and Depression Naturally.

Remember to take care of yourself first, especially during this time of year when the focus is so heavily on families. Just doing a couple small things might make it all just a bit more bearable!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Infertility - How your man can help...

Often infertility is projected onto the female role, but it's important to remember that - even if your partner doesn't have male factor infertility - there are always things he can do to help.

* There is much debate about whether or not any of these factors actually increase infertility in men. Some studies say yes, others say no. I say it's worth a shot - and it can't hurt!

#1 - Protect your swim team! Keep "manland" to a normal body temperature, stay away from hot environments - like hot tubs or even hot baths. Try looser under garments to keep the air a-flowing through those hot spots and try not to rest laptops or cell phones in your lap.

#2 - Drink and Smoke Less. I'm not going to say quit, because to be honest - that's your call. But the less you consume, the healthier you'll be. This includes drugs.

#3 - Have lots of sex! Every couple of days will ensure a constant supply of sperm in her body - just in case she ovulates earlier than expected.

#4 - Say "no" to lube! Or...choose wisely. Some lubes have sperm killing features - which doesn't really work with trying to concieve. So if you have to use it, make sure you find one intended for TTC.

#5 - Limit exposure to chemicals. The fewer chemicals in your body, the healthier you'll be. Pesticides have been shown to reduce fertility, so if your partner works with them in farming or landscaping, wearing gloves or a mask might be a good idea!

#6 - Exercise! Working out keeps your body in tip top shape, and helps your systems to work smoothly. A healthy body = healthy sperm (with the exception of certain diseases).

#7 - Relax. Stress affects both female and male fertility. Relax, find fertility friendly ways to de-stress and try to enjoy the process.

* Please note this isn't based on any professional expertise. It is just based on personal experience. Each case of infertility is unique, and you should speak to you healthcare professional about what you can do to increase your fertility.

An Interview with Melissa

Lisa at Amateur Nester has started a great new blog series of interviews of woman who have been personally effected by infertility and she's just posted an interview with me!  My story is not the most dramatic, but I think it can be related to by others, so I am honored to have been included.  Read the post HERE and check out Lisa's blog while you're there!

The Stork Award

Megs at Work is for Suckers has nominated us for The Stork Award!  Thanks Megs!  This is a new award that's been circulating that was created by Teresa at Where the *Bleep* is Our Stork?  I've read Teresa's blog for a long time before she became contributor here and she's an amazing person.  I love this award and I'm honored that Megs chose our little blog for this award!  So thanks again Megs and thanks to Teresa for creating this award!

Here's how it works:

1. Include the Stork Award icon in your post
2. Link the person(s) who nominated you
3. Answer the 10 questions about yourself
4. Nominate as many bloggers as you want to receive the award
5. Ask your nominees 10 new questions
6. Link your nominees and let them know they've been nominated
7. Post the Stork Award icon on your blog side bar if you are so inclined

Here are Megs questions and my answers:

1.  What is your guilty pleasure movie/music/book/TV show?
I have a lot!  I'm not super trendy, so I end up liking things that others might think are lame.  I listen to a lot of soundtracks from the TV show "Glee" (Yes, I'm a big Gleek).  My spotify is full of Glee music.  I also love to listen to Broadway Musicals.  I love to read romance novels and a couple of my favorite series' involve vampires, highlander time travelers, and witches.  As for TV shows, I watch a lot of competition shows, America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, and Dancing with the Stars are my favorites.

2.  The best vacation you ever went on?
I don't have a lot to chose from here, I don't get to travel too much.  It's a close call between my honeymoon in the Bahamas, my spring break trip to NYC my senior year in high school, and my trip to California this past May.  Since I had to work in CA and I was super homesick in NYC, I'll go with my honeymoon.  It was the first time I'd ever seen the ocean or been to a beach and the Bahamas were really beautiful.  Being on the cruise ship to the island was really cool too.  My husband and I got totally roasted the first full day there, which totally sucked (this was our HONEYMOON.  We would have liked to have been able to stand being touched a little more), but we still had a really amazing time.

3.  If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
I think I'd like to be telekenetic.  Maybe that's the lazy person's power, but still, it would be cool and very handy.

4.  Time travel is a thing, but you can only go back and observe - you can't change anything.  What time period would you want to witness?
Wow that's hard.  I think I'd have to say back in Shakespere's time.  I would have loved to watch them perform those famous works.

5.  What would you choose as your last meal?
Texas Roadhouse chopped steak, salad, and steak fries and rolls.  And dessert!  Probably chocolate cake. YUM!

6.  The best book you've read in the last 5 years?
I feel sort of lame but I have to say the Hunger Games Trilogy.  I loved it.

7.  What do you love about where you live?
Almost everything and everyone I love is here.  It's familiar, is the only place I've ever lived.  It's big enough that everything I need is here, but small enough that I feel fairly safe raising my kids here.

8.  What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who make little sounds that distract me like picking at their fingernails, humming under their breath, clearing their throat, etc.  It distracts me.

9.  Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why?
It's a close race between Ms Joseph, my french teacher, and Mrs. Redding, my British Lit teacher.  They were both so sweet and kind.  I used to spend my free periods with them, just talking.

10.  What was your bravest moment?
Wow, another hard one.  I don't really consider myself brave.  And I haven't been in too many situations where I've had to keep calm in an emergency, thankfully.  Maybe during AJ's labor/C-Section.  Or when Tyler had to have an endoscopy, I had to be brave for him, keep him from guessing what was happening beforehand.  I didn't feel brave, but I kept it together around him.

My Nominees:
1. Rach at A Little Bit More
2. Alissa at Miss Conception
3. Amber at Old Lady No Baby
4. Hope at A Crack In Everything
5. Mandy at Hakuna Matata
6. Heather at Battlefish

My questions:
1. What do you consider to be your best personality trait?
2. When you are stressed, what is something you do to relax or cope?
3. Describe your dream home.
4. What is the best piece of advices you can offer?
5. What are you looking forward to right now?
6. When  you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?  Did you stick with that?
7. What is your favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving?
8. What is something you've always loved that most people think is lame or silly?
9. What website do you have to visit every day?
10. Do you believe in magic?

Thanks again Megs!!

TTC Post: Clearblue Advanced Digital Pregnancy Test

This post is geared toward our TTC readers and may include information that is not helpful for some of our readers.  If you aren't in a great place right now, please feel free to skip this post.  We want our readers to take care of themselves first!

There has been a lot of buzz recently over these new Clearblue Advanced Digital Pregnancy Tests.  They recently became available in the US, although they've been around in Canada and Europe for awhile.  Basically, it's similar to a traditional digital test, but with the added feature of predicting how many weeks it has been since ovulation.  The readout will say "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant" and if it is a positive result, it will be accompanied by either "1-2", "2-3" or "3+" (weeks, that is).  These test can be useful in pinning down ovulation date, but can be confusing in terms of estimating a due date. This is because the result does not mean a tester is (for example) 2-3 weeks pregnant, at least not in the way that a doctor would judge them.  It means it is estimated to have been that long since ovulation.  Doctor's typically date a pregnancy from the first day of your last period, so by the time a woman is 3 week past ovulation, they are most likely closer to 5 weeks pregnant, thus putting their due date approximately 35 weeks from that time.

While the POASA (that pee-on-a-stick-addict) in me is excited that these tests are available in the US now, I also know that there are limits to this information, and it isn't quite so cut-and-dry.  Since this test works by detecting the level of HCG in the urine, it can be easily skewed by things like an ectopic pregnancy (which produces higher HCG levels sooner), multiples, and the time which an egg implants.  For example, if implantation occurs fairly early, like 7 days past ovulation, the HCG levels in the blood will be higher sooner than if implantation does not occur until 12 days past ovulation.  With my second son, my HCG levels at 14 DPO (and we knew the ovulation date was accurate due to a trigger shot) was only 12, indicating that the egg had only implanted a few days prior, perhaps as late as 12 DPO. So there is some ambiguity there.

Do I think this is a good tool?  Yes!  But I caution women to read the instructions carefully and if they have concerns about their results to consult with a physician.

The article discussed in this post can be found here.