Dr. Juan Alvarez works at Fertility Centers of Illinois. I chose to do a profile on Dr. Alvarez and highlight his work because of his unique perspective – as one of the few fertility specialists who is both Latino and openly gay. After his interview, I now consider Dr. Alvarez to be not just […]
How To Get Pregnant With PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine system disorders, affecting one in 10 women of reproductive age and as many as five million women in the U.S. In a normal monthly cycle, immature eggs known as follicles develop, and one egg is released into the fallopian tube during ovulation. In women […]
Why We Need To Praise The Good Guys
Lately new allegations about sexual misconduct by male celebrities or politicians come out almost every week. I am glad that so many brave women are speaking out – and hope the #metoo and #timesup revolution continues to build steam and creates permanent social change. But I have to admit, it’s really depressing each time I […]
The Cost of Delaying Motherhood
I was told from a young age that a woman’s main purpose in life is to have and raise children. Most of the women in my family were stay-at-home moms, who married young and had children before they turned 30. That wasn’t my life plan. My passion was to have a successful career. I figured […]
Talking To Your Kids About Their Donor or Surrogate
There are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of kids and young adults in the world who are either donor conceived or carried by surrogates. And that number grows larger everyday. Although some parents are reluctant to tell their children about the unique circumstances of their conception and birth, most are talking to […]
What Is Natural IVF and Is It Right For You?
For a woman struggling with infertility, hearing that there might be a way to increase your chances of getting pregnant, without having to inject yourself with drugs, sounds almost too good to be true. Well, that’s exactly the claim made by fertility clinics that perform Natural Cycle IVF. So, what is Natural IVF? It’s basically […]
Infertility: The Emotional Tsunami
The psychological, biological, social and cultural expectations to have children are quite strong in most people and, for many it is a question of “when” and “how many” rather than “whether”. When faced with the painful reality that they may not be able to conceive, it is a crisis of paramount proportions and most people […]
6 Ways To Help You Cope With Infertility
MAKE SELF CARE A PRIORITY The complex psychological, physical, financial and relational demands during this time leave even the strongest depleted. It’s highly beneficial to develop a daily strategy of self-care that replenishes, relaxes and restores. Physical exercise, meditative practices and social support are key elements of self-care during infertility. It’s also important to create […]
Celebrities Who Struggled With Infertility
Chrissy Teigen Supermodel Chrissy Teigen struggled to conceive a baby with husband, John Legend. Teigen opened up about her experience undergoing IVF – during a Sports Illustrated Swim Shoot, in Zanzibar, of all places! She told People, “I was getting my shots and everything in Zanzibar, I had a little medical kit. It was hard because you bloat from […]
When Is It Time To Stop Trying and Move On?
Figuring out how long to keep trying to conceive – which usually means how long to keep doing fertility treatments- is one of the most difficult and important questions to answer. As everyone knows, fertility treatments are expensive, intrusive and emotionally exhausting and there is always something new to try. It is easy to get […]
