Loss lives on in ways large and small following an infertility diagnosis and failed IVF. This truth permeates the world of IVF survivors. That’s just one of many topics explored in a new Life Beyond Failed Fertility podcast with yours truly now available on iTunes and on Spotify, Podomatic, and Amazon. Loss Reflections When the podcast…
Category: Another Perspective
Mother Is Also a Verb
Mother is a word typically associated with an individual. This gets hammered hard particularly toward the second week in May as greeting card companies and consumer marketing teams get busy. But, let’s remember mother is also a verb (and an adjective for that matter). Mother Of All Change We’ve had to rethink many things during…
Stuck? Seems We’ve Been Here Before
Stuck? Spinning your wheels? Same here. The world feels akin to Contagion, Ground Hog’s Day and Lost in Translation — combined. And so, no surprise, I identify these days as mostly stuck. Some days I feel caught, somehow, as if in amber. Worries and COVID fears abound in the news and seize my attention. Even…
How Has Not Having Kids Affected You? How Much Time Do You Have…
Greetings, longtime blog readers! My recent blog sabbatical wasn’t planned. Competing writing projects, doctor visits and travel demanded my time. More on those activities in a subsequent post. Meanwhile, I’m happy to report our community continues to make new inroads into education and support for those affected by involuntary childlessness. First Up: Fresh and Frank…
Royal Birth Creates Royal Rethinking
We’ve seen this movie before. Like many around the world I greeted news of the newest royal baby with joy. The joy is easy to understand. Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex have beamed with more brilliance than usual since their pregnancy announcement. Both are modern role models for self-empowerment and compassion. They’ve been…
An idea for Michelle Obama: Use 2019 bully pulpit to convey IVF risks, realities
Michelle Obama can help educate her audiences and followers about the reality of IVF and its risks.
IVF is 40, Untold Stories Cast Milestone in New Light
IVF is 40 this month. Type ‘IVF is 40’ into your news search engine of choice. You’ll find headlines that reflect a one-dimensional narrative. Missing from the narratives are couples who’ve had to cope with the aftermath of 20 million failed IVF cycles. You also won’t read about the health toll on young women involved…
Have a Story to Tell? #UnmaskingIVF
One story will forever mark a turning point for me. It ran June 10, 2008 so that date now has special significance. It’s the day I crossed over from a blogger writing under a pseudonym to my reveal on The New York Times homepage (yeah, I know, it still blows my mind, too). In the…
How Honest Talk About Infertility Breaks Down Barriers
You want to talk about a loaded topic? There are few disclosures as emotionally charged as admitting that you were unable to conceive children. If you think it’s awkward for a woman, try wading into that discussion as a man. There are very few who possess the courage or emotional stamina to go there. As…
Room for Dissent on IVF?
Should IVF Coverage Be Mandatory? Writer Christina Gombar first posed this provocative question in 2009. In a stand against RESOLVE’s stated goal to “control the conversation,” she agreed to let me repost her dissent perspective here. ~~ A couple of Decembers ago, I got an email from Resolve, the national infertility organization — a plea…