Skip to content

Silent Sorority

Infertility Survivors Finally Heard

Menu
  • My Story
    • Silent Sorority: Memoir
    • Coming2Terms Blog
  • About
  • Bylined Work
    • Times of London: The False Hope of ‘Fertility’ Benefits
    • NYT Op-Ed: The Big IVF Add-on Racket
    • STAT: Dark side of IVF
    • Do à la carte menus serve infertility patients?
    • New York Times Op-Ed: Selling the Fantasy of Fertility
    • WIRED: The Sobering Facts About Egg Freezing
    • FORTUNE: The Tough Truth About Egg Freezing
    • The Huffington Post
    • Medium ‘Human Parts’
    • Seleni Institute
    • New York Times Motherlode
    • Infertility’s Emotional Impact
  • In the News
    • MSNBC: Childless Not By Choice
    • STAT: IVF ‘add-ons’ rest on shaky science
    • IVF ‘Add-On’ Procedures Offer False Hope
    • Named ‘Top Health Blogger’ by Health Magazine
    • The Globe and Mail
    • The New York Times
    • MarketWatch – 10 Things Fertility Clinics Won’t Say
    • Women’s eNews
    • Radio: Living Childfree
    • Yahoo Shine Health Feature
    • The Broad Side
    • ABC TV Interview
    • Redbook
  • ReproTech Medicine Reporting
Menu

Silent Sorority: The Memoir

Silent Sorority became the first infertility memoir not written by a mother. Learn more about the book and the reviews it has received from readers around the world.

“Silent Sorority helped me beyond measure. I also gave the book to my family. My folks, although clinical psychologists, could not quite grasp the continual pain. They became much better about it. MUCH.”

“After years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, Tsigdinos stopped, becoming an online hero for documenting her journey away from motherhood.” – Katrina Onstad, The Globe and Mail 

“Pamela’s ‘silent sorority’ of women who can’t conceive are becoming more vocal. These days, many women are sick of the whispers. They’re infertile and they’re not ashamed.” – Piper Weiss, Pop Sugar /Yahoo

“Mother’s Day looks different from where she stands.” – Lisa Belkin, The New York Times

“Tsigdinos has given a voice to infertile women’s experience.” – Bitch Magazine

“One of the few memoirs I’ve read where there isn’t a ‘happy baby ending’. The world needs more of  these and Pamela Tsigdinos is an inspirational spokeswoman for the baby-less generation.” – Jessica Hepburn, In Pursuit of Motherhood

“Silent Sorority is a brave book and a gift to all infertile women, whatever stage of the journey they may be on.” – Kate Johnson, NBC/iVillage

“An intelligent social commentary on our mommy-centric culture and what it’s like to be childless-not-by-choice when everyone around you is baby-mad.” – Lisa Manterfield, I’m Taking My Eggs and Going Home

“Witty, heartbreaking, and absolutely bittersweet.” – Marcie Pickelsimer, Grown In My Heart

“I know that I am not the only one who has been emboldened by Pamela’s story. See for yourself. Buy her book, read it and go to her blog and see for yourself the power of being part of this Silent Sorority. We are not alone.” — Amazon.com Reviewer

In September 2010, Silent Sorority earned a ‘Best Book’ award.

 

 

 

Related Posts:

  • Book Club: Silent Sorority Author Participates
    Book Club: Silent Sorority Author Participates
  • Where Did Eight Years Go, Silent Sorority?
    Where Did Eight Years Go, Silent Sorority?
  • Friend or Coworker Clueless About Infertility?
    Friend or Coworker Clueless About Infertility?
  • Finally Heard
    Finally Heard
  • Fertility Treatment Cancer Links, Rethinking IVF Funding
    Fertility Treatment Cancer Links, Rethinking IVF Funding
  • Guest Posts
    Guest Posts

4 thoughts on “Silent Sorority: The Memoir”

  1. Pingback: certainlydifferent
  2. Mash says:
    November 30, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    I just spent the weekend reading this book and I loved it. One of the things that had me laugh out loud (I definitely thought I had the monopoly on this one) was the use of birth control pills after failed fertility treatments to get rid of her periods. It sounds like a crazy thing for an infertile woman to do, but it’s one of the best gifts I ever gave myself, after five years i.e. 60 monthly reminders of my infertility – I’d had enough. Of course I have a sound medical reason to take them (endometriosis) and that’s what I tell anyone who finds out that I do. But the truth was right there in Pamela’s book!

    Reply
  3. Sue Boniwell says:
    February 16, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    I am childless through illness and hysterectomy at the age of 30 and a couple of months before marriage. I was offered a chance of surgery to remove some endo damage and then IVF. We declined as the stress was too much and the chance or it working, very small. I didn’t want to risk my health or a potential child by invasive and then, new treatment. My consultant approved and afterward told us that I would have had to have a hysterectomy as the endo was so bad, we don’t regret that decision although I do sometimes feel sad. Does that make me selfish? I don’t think so. We have a good marriage and I have been free to look after elderly or ill family.

    Reply
  4. Sandra says:
    February 20, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    I am a Mom-by-adoption. I am eternally grateful for that journey; my ultimate goal of being a Mom, was fulfilled by two beautiful gifts of life -pre-schoolers when they came “home forever”- with huge losses of their own. We are filling the holes in each other’s hearts.

    I will always be a part of your silent sorority because although my grief has found its place in my life, it will remain with me until my dying day. I’ll never forget crying out, “How could God do this, first I didn’t have a Daddy (he died when I was 7) and now I can’t have a Baby??” The loss of the natural course of things as a woman… getting pregnant, being pregnant, giving birth, breast feeding, holding a newborn, sharing all of that with my husband – was at the time excruciating for me. I had so much hope when starting infertility treatments – all we ever heard about was the success stories. I kept joining support groups, but quickly found out that really, they were groups to support you until you were successful. The quiet, crying, sad ones, like me, quietly faded away.

    And so, I am glad to know that you all are here. We have survived. We are able to live with the recurring grief as we pass though different stages of life and face that primary loss over and over again. And so, most appropriately we remain silent. But we can know that we are never alone.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

My Books

Popular Posts

  • IVF Rollercoaster: BBC Radio Show Callers Describe ‘Grueling, Painful, Isolating, Roll of Dice’
  • Strong At The Broken Places
  • Infertility Community’s Black Sheep: Women Who Don’t Achieve Motherhood
  • Casting off Chains of Infertility: Fertility Diary, The Life of Pi and Search for Peace
  • Dear Abby Strikes Out On Infertility, Childless Not By Choice Question
  • Defining Abuse in Assisted Reproductive Technology
  • The Invisibleness of Infertility: To Pass or Not to Pass?
  • Not Having Children After Infertility ‘An Assault to Identity’
  • Ending Fertility Treatment Equated with Madness?
  • Identity after Infertility and Failed IVF

Subscribe to New Blog Posts

 Subscribe in a reader

Archives

Tags

Avalanche bioethics change Childless childlessness conflict culture egg freezing emotions expectations fertility industry fertility treatment friendships grief growth guest post healing health heroines identity infertility IVF Jessica Hepburn Jody Day journey lessons loss media motherhood myths narrative non-moms psychology reinvention relationships research RESOLVE silent sorority society stigma survival trauma travel truths what ifs

Categories

  • An Act of Kindness
  • Another Perspective
  • Bioethics
  • Book Musings
  • Changing Perceptions
  • Choices
  • Different Than I Expected
  • Documentary
  • Fortitude
  • Guest Post
  • Linking Around
  • Movies
  • News Reports and Studies
  • Pandemic
  • Pop Culture
  • Psychology
  • Relationships
  • Remembrance
  • Spontaneity
  • Strength Personified
  • Tapestry of Voices
  • The Cycle Relay Forum
  • Uncategorized
  • What I Wish I'd Know Then

Recent Comments

  • Permission to Feel Emotions Deeply - Silent Sorority on Childless Not by Choice: A Conversation with Civilla Morgan
  • In Limbo Once Again: Long COVID This Time - Silent Sorority on Parallel Universe Reveals Hard Truths
  • In Limbo Once Again: Long COVID This Time - Silent Sorority on A Sad Daughter Confronts the End of the Long Goodbye
  • In Limbo Once Again: Long COVID This Time - Silent Sorority on Pandemic Elicits Curious Time Space Musings
  • In Limbo Once Again: Long COVID This Time - Silent Sorority on Forever Changed … Again

Blogroll

  • A Blank New Page
  • Bent Not Broken
  • Childless By Marriage
  • Conscious Childless Elderwomen
  • Des meandres aux etoiles (French)
  • Different Shores
  • Elaine OK (German)
  • Ever Upward
  • Femme Sans Enfant (French)
  • Finding A Different Path
  • Gateway Women
  • Infertile Phoenix
  • Infertility Honesty
  • It's Inconceivable
  • Jessica Hepburn's Blog
  • Just Being
  • Lavender Luz
  • Lesley Pyne
  • Life Without Baby blog
  • MSNBC – Life After IVF
  • No Kidding in NZ
  • Other side of the threshold (Swedish)
  • ReproTechTruths
  • Sitrrup Queen's Blogroll
  • SlidingDoors
  • Slow Swimmers & Fried Eggs
  • The Dove Cote
  • The Empty Cradle (Brisbane)
  • The Infertility Voice
  • The Next 15,000 Days
  • The NotMom
  • The Road Less Travelled
  • Uber Barrens Club
  • Walk in Our Shoes
© 2023 Silent Sorority | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme