Endometriosis Blog: National Infertility Awareness Week -- A Personal Story

This week is infertility awareness week...

My friend Alicia has numerous insightful, informative posts on infertility and miscarriage... based on her firsthand experience.

Please see my friend Alicia's blog for personal insights on infertility and miscarriage:

Yayastuff -- My Life: Random Thoughts, Daily Events, Miscarriage, TTC, IF, Adoption, Endo, Friends, Family, Nanny Job, Fur-Babies (**For posts on specific topics please see 'Labels' in left column of blog**)

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Endometriosis Blog -- RESOLVE: National Infertility Awareness Week Is October 19-25, 2008 -- Reminder

The following post contains information from RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association...

This is a re-run of the October 10, 2008 post that first mentioned this infertility awareness week. I wanted to be sure to mention it again now that we are in the awareness week itself!

RESOLVE:
National Infertility Awareness Week
October 19-25, 2008

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

The following information is taken directly from the RESOLVE website listed above. I just wanted to pass this along for anyone who is interested in checking it out.

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PLEASE NOTE:

If you are interested in registering for the web chats mentioned below, please see RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

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Join us for two Web chats led by leading fertility experts
on different topics surrounding infertility.

Moderated by Barbara Collura, Executive Director of RESOLVE
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 8:00 p.m. ET
Cancer and Infertility
Speaker: Lindsay Nohr Beck, Founder and Executive Director, Fertile Hope
Cancer survivor Lindsay Nohr Beck will lead a discussion about the options available for cancer patients in the different phases of diagnosis and treatment. In her discussion, Lindsay will review the available resources that can help you communicate with your oncology and fertility teams, provide you with financial assistance, and support you in getting through this difficult time.

Click here for helpful resources about cancer and infertility.

Register here.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 8:00 p.m. ET
Get “In the Know” About Your Fertility
Speaker: Dr. Alice Domar, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School; Founder and Director, Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF
Dr. Alice Domar, the “Fertility Goddess” according to Vogue, will lead a discussion about both the physical and emotional impact of infertility. Through the discussion, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the causes of infertility in males and females, tips for coping with the emotional impact, as well as available treatments and resources that can help couples navigate medical costs.

Register here.

Not able to participate in one of the discussions? The information will be posted on www.resolve.org/takecharge and in the new RESOLVE Resource Library after the discussions.

The Take Charge! Web chats are brought to you by Fertility LifeLines™, a free support service provided by EMD Serono, and by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

Fertility LifeLines™ and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association will keep your information confidential and will not use the email addresses provided for purposes other than to send reminders about the Web chat programs. We do not sell your personal information to anyone.

Thank you.

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Endometriosis Blog -- RESOLVE: National Infertility Awareness Week Is October 19-25, 2008

The following post contains information from RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association...

RESOLVE:
National Infertility Awareness Week
October 19-25, 2008

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

The following information is taken directly from the RESOLVE website listed above. I just wanted to pass this along for anyone who is interested in checking it out.

+++++++++++++++

PLEASE NOTE:

If you are interested in registering for the web chats mentioned below, please see RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

+++++++++++++++

Join us for two Web chats led by leading fertility experts
on different topics surrounding infertility.

Moderated by Barbara Collura, Executive Director of RESOLVE
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 8:00 p.m. ET
Cancer and Infertility
Speaker: Lindsay Nohr Beck, Founder and Executive Director, Fertile Hope
Cancer survivor Lindsay Nohr Beck will lead a discussion about the options available for cancer patients in the different phases of diagnosis and treatment. In her discussion, Lindsay will review the available resources that can help you communicate with your oncology and fertility teams, provide you with financial assistance, and support you in getting through this difficult time.

Click here for helpful resources about cancer and infertility.

Register here.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 8:00 p.m. ET
Get “In the Know” About Your Fertility
Speaker: Dr. Alice Domar, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School; Founder and Director, Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF
Dr. Alice Domar, the “Fertility Goddess” according to Vogue, will lead a discussion about both the physical and emotional impact of infertility. Through the discussion, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the causes of infertility in males and females, tips for coping with the emotional impact, as well as available treatments and resources that can help couples navigate medical costs.

Register here.

Not able to participate in one of the discussions? The information will be posted on www.resolve.org/takecharge and in the new RESOLVE Resource Library after the discussions.

The Take Charge! Web chats are brought to you by Fertility LifeLines™, a free support service provided by EMD Serono, and by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

Fertility LifeLines™ and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association will keep your information confidential and will not use the email addresses provided for purposes other than to send reminders about the Web chat programs. We do not sell your personal information to anyone.

Thank you.

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Endo Blog: Infertility Resource Provided by Alicia... Tertia Albertyn's Blog About "Infertiles"

Today's post is easy because the info jumped right out at me. Alicia, an endo and infertility patient who posts comments often on this blog and is a wonderful friend, told me about a blog I'd never seen before... about one woman's struggle with infertility.

The following blog (see her blog link below) is written by a woman named Tertia Albertyn, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa and calls herself "an infertile". This is one very persistent and determined woman! After reading her most recent post and her bio, I realized she has had 10 IVF procedures done!

Before I get to the link to her blog, I should forewarn you there is some swearing in her most recent post: "How to be Good Friends with an Infertile".

So I wanted to give you a "heads up" since I made a point of asking for no profanity on my comment boards (see my June 29, 2008 post "Endometriosis Blog: Ground Rules for Comments, Google, and AdSense PLUS My Anticipated Response Time for Comments").

While I don't use profanity in my posts, I won't shy away from sharing Tertia Albertyn's blog with you... since I believe many of our readers will take comfort in Tertia's words regarding her struggle with infertility.

Here is the link to the "So Close" blog, written by Tertia Loebenberg Albertyn.

http://tertia.typepad.com/so_close/2004/05/how_to_be_good_.html

Whether you are experiencing infertility caused by endometriosis or other factors OR just trying to support an infertile friend or loved one, I think you'll find this blog interesting!

Infertility can be a devastating, isolating, and heartbreaking journey.

Sense of humor can be crucial when dealing with such a dark emotional subject as infertility. This blog (check out the bio) provides a wickedly good sense of humor, insight, and wit to a very real and painful condition that affects so many!

Tertia Albertyn's link was published with permission from Tertia Loebenberg Albertyn.

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Infertility and Endo

According to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association (http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lrn_wii_endo), “infertility is prevalent in women 30-40 years of age, though it can begin in the late teens and early twenties” and “about 40% of patients with endometriosis will experience some degree of infertility.”

Since infertility is so common in endo patients, I thought it might be helpful to write about it for this post.

One book on the topic of infertility I’ve heard good things about is: Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein:

Here are some comments on the book by members of an infertility support group:

“So different from every other infertility book I have read. So personal…”
“ More than just a slice of her life and journey, you really develop a connection to her experience.”
“ So all consuming, infertility is life shaping.”
“ Reminded me of how easy it was to lose track of the baby and focus only on the pregnancy.”
“ If you are at the point in your journey where you need to regroup or reconnect, hearing the details of someone else’s journey will help you get off your personal island.”
“ Such a personal account, I could relate to the ups and downs.”

To be honest with you, I have not read this book myself but I decided to include it here because I have heard such positive feedback about it. Those endo patients experiencing infertility may find this book helpful.

If you are experiencing infertility, I would look for an infertility support group in your area. The RESOLVE organization may be able to help you locate a support group near you. Just check their website (above) to see if there is a support group in your area.

There are also counselors/therapists available who have special training in infertility and miscarriages. Therapists can be very helpful if you’re experiencing infertility as an endometriosis symptom. If you are looking for such a therapist, generally contacting the nearest good-sized teaching hospital in your area is a good way to find a Marriage and Family Therapy unit with therapists specially trained in this area.

Infertility can be emotionally draining. Try to find someone else near you who is going through it. Talking with others who understand can really be helpful!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Endometriosis and Endo-related Links You May Want to Check Out

Hi! I thought I'd post some links that may be of interest to endo patients. Some of them are endo websites. Others are sites for illnesses that often co-exist in endo patients. Still others are websites you may find uplifting/supportive.

There is no cure for endometriosis. There's a myth that hysterectomy is a cure for endo. Only you and your doctor can make treatment decisions as a team but I've included a couple of websites on the topic of hysterectomy. I thought this might be helpful since there is much confusion about this topic. One site is devoted to alternatives to hysterectomy. The other site says it provides "woman to woman hysterectomy support".

http://www.endometriosis.org/
http://www.endocenter.org/
http://www.endometriosisassn.org/
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/the_spoon_theory/
http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer
http://www.pelvicpain.org/
http://www.noharm.org/us
http://www.womenandenvironment.org/
http://www.forgrace.org/women/in/pain_home/
http://www.ichelp.org/
http://www.fmnetnews.com/
http://www.hersfoundation.org/
http://www.hystersisters.com/

I hope you find these helpful!