Birthing New Ideas About Infertility

Andrea Frazer, Good Housekeeping

April 24 - May 1 is National Infertility Awareness Week. As I've said on many occasion, Rex could do his business in the bathroom upstairs. Somehow his sperm would find a way into the baby hatching machine known as my uterus. But not everyone is so fortunate.

Luckily for them, organizations like RESOLVE exist. This organization provides invaluable support for couples trying to conceive. They do everything from define what it means to be infertile (the definition chanes depending on how old a woman is), the emotions behind not getting pregant/miscarriages), how to optimize one's chances with and without medication, and more.

Many of my close personal friends (and family members) have suffered from infertility. While one friend swore she wouldn't be the jealous type, she'd blubber like a two-year old every time a member of her infertility support group got pregant. "Why wasn't it me?" she'd lament.

Evonne Lack, a collegue and writer I admire greatly, talks about her journey to pregnancy through her blog at BabyCenter. She writes with candor and honesty about her emotional journey toward that positive pregnancy test. Like icecream during my third trimester, I highly recommend a big dish of Evonne for those on traveling down the pregnancy highway.

Then there's the whole issue of sex. One of my male friends complains that while sex used to be the best part of his day, it quickly morphed into the dreaded, " Now's The Time Don't Waste a Moment on Foreplay Just Get It Done" thrice monthly task. (And let's not even start with what happens - or doesn't happen - AFTER the baby arrives.)

I'd love to hear from some of you who are going through the ups and downs of trying to have a baby. How are your marraiges holding up? Do you think, in wanting a baby so badly, you are losing some of the magic between each other? Does anybody have any stories of hope for those who feel like they'll never be blessed with parenthood? And mostly, for the purposes of this column, what can you do to keep your marriage strong despite frustration in the fertility department?

* Photo of my little Pipsqueak days after she was born. She slept with me downstairs for the first three months of life. Not shockingly, there wasn't a lot happening in Rex's bed in those early days. Sound familiar, any new dads out there?


Posted by Andrea Frazer


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