Partnering with your Reproductive Endocrinologist
Part I: Partnering with your Reproductive Endocrinologist
Remember when you were in charge of how and when you had a baby? At least we all thought so: what time of year to get pregnant? What age for my spouse and me? How many children to have? Now, in the reality of infertility, it feels like you have the least control and understanding of how, when, and if a baby is conceived. Perhaps, having wrestled with the various stages of grief, you made a mental “bargain,” something along the lines of “I will be the best infertility patient there ever was and comply with everything asked of me to give us the best chance of having a baby.” After all, these are the experts, right?
How to ask questions (and how not to!)
Part II: Partnering with your Reproductive Endocrinologist
How to ask questions (and how not to!)
Why don’t we speak up as active participants in our treatment? We confuse the appropriateness of asking questions with the appropriateness of how to ask. Let’s face it: babies are magical and we can get magical in our thinking: If I become the troublesome, problem patient, will this physician pay a little less attention to my case and am I decreasing my chances of success? Your goal is to be that courteous, respectful patient who, far from interfering with the treatment, asks great questions and adds her own understanding and reasoning to the partnership with your physician. Here are some specifics:
Friends and Family
YOUR SUPPORT CAN CHANGE HER LIFE FOREVER AS SHE FACES THE CRISIS OF INFERTILITY TREATMENT. The infertile woman you love, who dreamed of romance, nurseries and baby names, has entered into a world of invasive tests and procedures. As a couple, they never imagined creating their baby would require a team of relative strangers, in a brightly-lit office, following weeks and months of finely-orchestrated medical intervention. She fights a feeling of terror they might never conceive at all. The medical language is complicated for those outside the world of infertility.
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who were very unhappy because they had no children. They took advice from dozens of doctors, drank buckets of water from wishing wells, and tried all kinds of spells.
The Sleeping Beauty
-As retold by Jean Richardson
My RE has said we should wait two months before trying another IVF cycle. This idea of waiting and wasting time is killing me.
Many infertile women describe the waiting periods of treatment or between treatments as the most difficult part of the process. I invite you to re-frame the “waiting” period as an opportunity to get yourself in the best place physically, emotionally, and relationally for your next IVF procedure.
I think I need a second opinion. I feel disloyal to my Reproductive Endocrinologist.
FULL QUESTION:
My husband I are in our early 30's and have been married for 6 years. We are both very active and healthy and it never crossed our minds that I would not be able to get pregnant when we were ready. All of our close friends have all had one baby and some are pregnant with their second child while we continue to struggle with disappointment after disappointment.
How do I support my infertile sister-in-law?
Full question:
My sister-in-law and her husband have been struggling with infertility for some time now. They have been married 11 years and have been very private about their struggle. I have two children and the other families each have 4 children, so there have been many pregnancies and babies over the last 11 years, which I can see is very painful for her each time another pregnancy in announced.
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Mark your calendar! We will be presenting a webinar for The American Fertility Association Invite your best friend or a close family member to watch with you as we discuss Go to The AFA website |
| We can send this book to friend or family member with a note that says, "Someone you care about needs your help." Place your order and then send us an email from the "Let's Talk" link. |
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Videos from a recent radio interview: The Sad Truth of Infertility (above) & Friends and Family: What you CAN do |