Childlessness and joy are rarely used in the same sentence. Lesley Pyne, however, has devoted the past few years digging into the reality of childlessness. Her quest? To understand how to process the losses, carve out a new path and rediscover joy. It’s all in her new book, Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness: Inspiring Stories to…
Tag: childlessness
The Human Side of Failed IVF
So for some time now I’ve been intrigued by the different ways countries treat the infertility experience. In the U.S. there’s a concerted effort by the commercial infertility industry to fund groups like RESOLVE and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The objective: to grow the market and extend customer reach. In the eyes of…
Infertility Community: A Microcosm of Society Misunderstandings and All
It has happened again. ‘It’ being a misunderstanding of perspective and tribal affiliation that flares up periodically within the infertility blogosphere. While all who take part in this blogging community identify at some level as ‘infertile’ there are many shades of grey here. I first experienced this awkwardness nearly eight years ago when I started…
‘Fess Up. What Are Your Blind Spots?
So there are real blind spots… (Note: Each of your eyes has a blind spot at a certain distance from objects. You never take notice because your brain makes up information based on what else is around and what your other eye sees. ) Test Instructions: To discover your blind spot, cover your left eye…
“The No-Baby Boom” Nails Cultural Shift and Gloria Steinem Rocks On at 80
It was easy to walk a little taller on Sunday. Why? I had just consumed, back to back, articles on women fearlessly tackling stereotypes and unabashedly breaking molds. It was as though a light was switched on as I read, illuminating just how dramatically society has shifted in the past 50 years — in particular…
Looking Out for Our Sisters In a World of False Fertility Claims
While my gray roots benefited from a rich brunette color drenching in a new hair salon recently a younger stylist handed me a glass of champagne. She was not my usual go-to hair expert so there was the usual get-to-know-you chitchat. (Yes, I decided to splurge a bit this time around since it was the…
When Life is Interrupted By Failed Fertility
Missing from many of life’s conversations where infertility is concerned is the male perspective, which is why I was both pleased and surprised to see that the first questions asked during the Q&A portion of The Cycle: Living A Taboo Forum came from men. While I don’t remember the exact dialogue that unfolded, I do…
One Small Step For Infertility Awareness, One Giant Leap For Society
My expectations for September 27 and The Cycle: Living A Taboo were very high — not only for those of us presenting at the forum, but for those who would join us. What transpired surpassed my expectations. As the evening drew near, we speakers assembled in Tribeca from Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Spanish Harlem, Boston,…
Teach and Learn: Lift the Veil on a Taboo
UPDATE: Hat tip to Amy McVay Abbott, the journalist who wrote Infertility: The Billion Dollar Business & the Heartbreaking Realities and Jody Day for thought-provoking perspectives on our event, The Cycle: Living A Taboo. About the importance of participating in the conversation. Jody wrote: “I get that it’s daunting to attend something where you’ll be…
Do You Live A Taboo? I Do, Too!
UPDATE 8/27/2013: For those of you around the world who are unable to join us in person in New York City, we’ve opened up a page on our event website to share your thoughts. Please comment below and we’ll include you as virtual participants. …when a path wasn’t clear, the natural instinct was to go…