Navigating the world of fertility, family-building and workplace benefits can feel like decoding a secret language. If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), considering IVF, or simply want to understand what’s available to you, knowing the right questions to ask your employer can make all the difference. Here are five essential conversation starters to bring to […]
Ten Things To Be Thankful For During the Holidays
1. The People in Your Life Who really Do Understand What You’re Going through This might be a new friend you met through an infertility support group or an old friend who, although she hasn’t been through infertility herself is an amazingly compassionate person. It might be your sister– who can see how much distress […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
7 Ways To Help Someone Struggling With Infertility
If you have never struggled with infertility yourself, it can be hard to understand why the person you care about is so preoccupied, upset and unable to do things they used to enjoy doing. You may even worry that they are getting so depressed and withdrawn that they will never come out of it. So what can […]
How to Balance Work, Life and Fertility Treatments
Almost no one has the luxury (if you could call it that) of undergoing fertility testing and treatments without having to continue meeting all kinds of other commitments and obligations. Which means you have to fit your appointments and your blood tests and your procedures around the rest of your busy life. And if you […]
Meet Our Contributors
Medical Experts Dr. Lora Shahine, joined Pacific NW Fertility after completing her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Stanford University. During her time at Stanford, Dr. Shahine served as a Clinical Instructor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, contributed several research publications in women’s health and infertility, and trained in one of the […]
