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.

Endometriosis Blog: National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week - "Medications, Illness, Fertility and the Desire for Motherhood"

As mentioned in previous posts, this week's events for National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week include online seminars. Callers can dial in and talk about various chronic illness-related topics.

Yesterday there was a seminar on "Medications, Illness, Fertility and the Desire for Motherhood" with Jenni Saake. (I was unavailable to participate at the time of Jenni's seminar but thankfully all of this week's seminars are available in the blogtalkradio archives)!!!

I had posted a general comment on the II forum yesterday (II is commonly used this week as an abbreviation for "Invisible Illness").

Then, last night, Jenni posted a comment on this blog (see Jenni Saake's comment in the comments section of Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week - Shameless Plugs For Their Merchandise). She had seen my comment and had tracked down this blog since the "endometriosis" topic got her attention.

I have since listened to Jenni Saake's seminar and I'm sure many of our readers will find it helpful!!! If you are interested in listening to it, you'll simply need to register for a blogtalkradio login (a quick process)... and then login to blogtalkradio when you're ready to listen to archived seminars like this one.


The name of Jenni Saake's seminar is: "Medications, Illness, Fertility and the Desire for Motherhood".

Here's a description of the show (as listed on blogtalkradio):

Wondering if you should consider parenthood with your illness? Concerned about your fertility as well as the impact of medications? Jennifer Saake has lived 18 years of illness, with infertility for 10 of those years. Balancing both conditions includes: medication side effects (illness meds on fertility and fertility meds on illness), questioning sanity of wanting desperately to have children yet fearing how she would care for them when she can hardly care for herself, facing the frustration of attempted adoption when her health makes her less "marketable." She has written a book on infertility and loss and is praying about someday writing a book on living with chronic illness.

I encourage you to check out Jenni Saake's talk on blogtalkradio by logging in as described above. With Jenni Saake's personal experience with endometriosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFIDS), hormonally-induced panic attacks, infertility issues, investigating adoption, miscarriages, PCO (polycystic ovarian syndrome), surgery, pre-diabetic condition, artificial insemination, etc... I'm sure many readers here will have a great appreciation for Jenni Saake's compelling story!

Jenni's story is engrossing, informative, and very worthwhile listening! Please consider listening to this fantastic program!!

Here are two of her sites that she mentioned during the program:

http://www.hannahshopebook.com/
http://www.harvestinghope.blogspot.com/

This is a wonderful seminar that will appeal to many readers of this blog!!

See related posts regarding National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week:

Sunday, September 7, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: Tomorrow is DAY ONE of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week 2008!!

Monday, September 8, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: ***TODAY*** Kicks Off National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week 2008!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week - Shameless Plugs For Their Merchandise

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

Endometriosis Blog: November Is National Prematurity Awareness Month

Today I was inspired to write a post after reading an excellent article posted by Kelly Damron!

Her blog is called Twin Peas Blog and Podcast: Infertility and Premature Birth resources and experiences.

I was just reading Kelly Damron's blog post regarding the fact that November is National Prematurity Awareness Month.

I didn't realize until reading Kelly's post that November 12th was National Prematurity Awareness Day because I hadn't heard about it until after the fact!

However, again, the entire month of November is National Prematurity Awareness Month

When certain conditions get more attention and research dollars than others, it's hurtful and damaging to those who have the "under researched" issues that are less talked about in public circles.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating graphic descriptions of laparoscopic surgeries at the dinner table. What I am saying is that if a bladder cancer patient can discuss his/her condition with family and friends... then patients with endo or patients with infertility/miscarriage history and/or adoption proceedings should be able to discuss their situations just as freely... if they wish to do so.

As Kelly alluded to in her blog post, relatively little attention is given to events honoring "infertility, loss, and premature babies" and that there is much more publicity given for other conditions. This simply should not be the case.

Here are my thoughts after talking with many women who have or have had infertility, miscarriages, and had premature babies...

1) Our society as a whole doesn't know how to deal with these issues. People may gave good intentions to be "polite" and to not be "intrusive". They may avoid discussing these topics for fear of upsetting couples dealing with these issues. However, this can lead to isolation of the couple and make the healing process harder for them than it would be if they felt they could talk openly about it. While patients who go through these emotionally draining and exhausting issues all have their own ways of dealing with their situations, most that I have met WANT to talk about it.

PLEASE NOTE: For open and candid discussion about infertility, miscarriages, and starting the adoption process, please see my friend Alicia's information-packed blog Yayastuff.

Alicia's candor about the wide range of emotions she has been through on her journey is a testiment to her strength and determination. Her courage is inspiring her many readers on her blog!

2) Illnesses or conditions that affect or are related to reproductive organs tend to be less openly discussed than others. For example, endometriosis is rarely brought up in casual conversation but if a person were to talk about asthma or diabetes, the conditions would/could just be discussed openly. There are people who are uncomfortable discussing issues that make them feel awkward. It has taken years for me to do a 180 degree turn from being quiet, shy, and downright mousy about my endometriosis (and other) symptoms... to being open, candid and comfortable talking about my illnesses as if they were any other. (It took me a few years to fully comprehend that I have nothing to be embarrassed about or feel awkward about. If others don't feel self-conscious discussing their conditions, why should I feel muzzled about my health issues)???

I'm not sure if my theories answer Kelly's question or not but I have seen in working with many women in endometriosis support groups that there is often a "stigma" or a level of embarrassment that women sometimes feel when discussing "taboo subjects" such as periods, cramps, hormones, etc. This is truly unfortunate.

How can we band together to make headway on these issues if people aren't talking much about it? If the people dealing with these conditions don't feel at liberty to discuss them with anyone but fellow patients, how will anything ever change for the better as far as awareness?
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Please see previous articles I have written about the other (related) awareness days and/or weeks that I heard about in time. Thanks to Kelly, I heard about awareness month in time to post about it for November!

Related articles:

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act

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

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: National Infertility Awareness Week -- A Personal Story

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

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.

Jenni Saake's Tips For Coping With Infertility At Holiday Times...

Recently, I was thinking about how the holidays can be a particularly challenging time for infertile couples. With all of the holiday get-togethers (often with babies and small children present) and with all of the "holiday expectations" many face this time of year, I decided to contact Jenni Saake for ideas on coping tips for dealing with infertility at holiday time.

I didn't have an email address for Jenni, who I "met" online several months ago through National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week.


Find more videos like this on Illness-Disability-Healthcare-Caregiver Ministry Network


So I sent her a twitter message asking if she had any ideas for writing a post about coping with infertility at holiday time.

Jenni Saake is the author of:

Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Adoption Loss



Here is a site with information on her book, referenced above:

Hannah's Hope

After contacting Jenni on twitter, she sent me several messages back with feedback on my question. I really appreciate her quick response and I'm including links she provided here. Hopefully they will help readers struggling with infertility (endometriosis-induced or otherwise).

Here are the links Jenni Saake provided:

1)

"Surviving 'Parent's Days': 101"

This is an article written by Jennifer Saake. [This article is geared for Mother's Day and Father's Day but may also help when coping with other holidays, per Jenni].

2)

The Road Less Traveled: A Journey Through Infertility

[This article written by Meridith at the cited link].

3)

Great Books For Christmas Gifts For The Reproductively Challenged Woman

[This article written by Barbara Winters at the cited link].

To contact Jenni Saake, you can click link below to visit her on twitter:

Jenni Saake (aka "Infertility Mom")

A few months back, there was a seminar on blogtalkradio talking about "Medications, Illness, Fertility and the Desire for Motherhood" with Jenni Saake. (Her seminar is available in the blogtalkradio archives).

Just click the "blogtalkradio" icon in the sidebar to access her seminar from last fall.

Related link:

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week - "Medications, Illness, Fertility and the Desire for Motherhood"

Hopefully's Jenni's links above and her blogtalkradio seminar will be useful for readers coping with infertility at this challenging time of year!

THANK YOU JENNI!

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