Infertility for Dummies (ISBN - 0470115181)

386 Pages·2021·3.26 MB·English

by Sharon Perkins,RN and
Jackie Meyers-Thompson

Infertility

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

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by Sharon Perkins,RN and
Jackie Meyers-Thompson

Infertility

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

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Infertility For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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About the Authors

Sharon Perkins has spent the last twenty years working as an RN, raising five
children and spoiling two grandchildren. Following her Air Force pilot hus-
band from state to state, she’s lived from Arizona to South Carolina, and still
enjoys traveling from Arizona to Texas to Michigan to Virginia to visit kids,
grandkids, and mom.

Sharon’s ambition to be a writer dates back to grade school, if not earlier, and
her desire to be a nurse (okay, she originally thought it would be nice to be a
doctor but changed her mind) goes back at least that far. Amazingly enough,
she found a way to combine nursing and writing in a way she would never
have dreamed possible, thanks to a patient (Jackie) with the persistence and
drive to make it happen.

Jackie Meyers-Thompson is managing partner of Coppock-Meyers Public
Relations/JD Thompson Communications Inc. and a “professional” fertility
patient (seeking “early retirement” however!) It’s been said that we make
plans . . . and the gods laugh. Jackie has heard that laughter often. It took her
longer than she expected, and yielded more than a few laughs, and tears,
before she met her husband-to-be, Darren Thompson. But by 35, she was
newly married and deliriously happy and felt that the rest of the story would
soon fall into place . . . Jackie can be a slow learner.

Nonetheless, she can also be an industrious worker. She loved writing and, as
a result, carved her path in marketing and public relations. She had a loving
husband and a successful business, so the only things left to add were a few
cherubic children and her own Great American Novel. Three years and a slew
of physicians later, Jackie had more than a few doubts whether her future
would ever include children. But her persistence and focus paid off. Infertility
For Dummies is, in part, Jackie’s story of the journey that landed her a book
and her beautiful baby daughter Ava Rose, who at 31/2, doesn’t want to be
called a baby anymore. When not writing, working, or watching her daughter
grow, Jackie spends her time making plans. Some things never change.

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Dedication

From Sharon: To my father, who always thought I could do anything, and my
mother, who kept all our dreams alive.

From Jackie: This book is dedicated to my still wonderful and Darling
Husband (DH!), Darren Thompson, who has now added DF (Darling Father)
to his ‘resume’ as well! And to Ava Rose Thompson, our long awaited child,
who reminds me daily of the miracles in life that so often come when you
least expect them.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

From Sharon: It’s hard to say thank you to everyone in the world, and yet
I feel I would have to thank everyone from third grade teachers to babies I
cared for in the NICU, because every one has taught me something useful
and helped me become who I am today--both a nurse and a writer!

So I’ll settle for thanking my family, including children, husband, in-laws, sis-
ters, brothers, nieces, nephews and of course my grandchildren. I can’t leave
out my friends, work buddies, and every patient I’ve ever cared for, as well as
my church family and various writing groups who have been supportive and
encouraging over the years. And, last but not least, Jackie — for having the
vision and optimism to see that we really could accomplish this, even when we
hardly knew each other outside of the nurse-patient relationship. Without her,
I never would have tried this, and we’ve long since left the nurse-patient thing
behind for genuine friendship. To quote St. Paul, “I thank God for all of you.”

From Jackie: I don’t believe I would have gotten to this point had it not been
for the wonderful care and treatment that I received through Dr. Jerome Check
and the Cooper Center for In Vitro Fertilization in Marlton, New Jersey. It was
also at the Cooper Clinic that I met Sharon Perkins. Her humor, caring, and
expertise make her as great a nurse as they do a writer and most importantly
a friend.

I have so much to be grateful for in the support of family and friends. Cousin
Sandy searched and researched and learned as much about fertility as his
own field of medicine in helping us through the maze of doctors and proto-
cols. My mother Larissa Meyers who helped us through the highs and lows in
every way she knew how along with the rest of our families, the Thompsons,
the Jaffes, the Cicecklis, and the Perlsteins. To my friends Melissa, Camille,

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Courtenay, Susan, Leslie, Irene, Erin, Liz, Judy, Donna, Patty, Angie, Cheron,
Leora, Margaret and Maureen, who were there for me during some of the
most difficult and glorious times, unfailing in their encouragement and
always providing a shoulder to cry on or a voice to laugh with.

In the writing of this book, a number of professionals became friends as
well. Jennifer R. Bloome, founder and president of Anji, Inc. and The Anji
Connection, provided me with great insight into the power of mind and
body when trying to conceive. To Rachel Glasser who listened and helped
me learn. To Lisa, Evan, Dan and all the great folks at Follas Laboratories
who celebrated every good result with me.

And a special thanks to Dr. Garry Cutting and his staff at Johns Hopkins
University who gave their time and expertise when we hit another brick in
the wall during our efforts to conceive. Thanks as well to Dr. Martin Schwarz,
who became a friend and great source of information on the ‘other side of the
pond’ and Steven Keiles and Dr. Luke Padwick, who helped provide us with
some crucial pieces to our puzzle.

From both of us: Wiley took a chance on us six years ago, and we thank
you all for your faith in us and your support. Our acquisitions editor
Lindsay Lefever’s enthusiasm for this book was infectious; our project
editor, Jen Connolly, has been a pleasure to work with.

Immense thanks to Dr. Richard Paulson, who has been a marvelous source of
information and guidance for this book; he kept our hyperbole under control
and made sure we had our facts straight!

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and
Media Development

Project Editor: Jennifer Connolly

Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Lefevere

Copy Editor: Jennifer Connolly

Technical Editor: Richard Paulson, MD

Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker

Editorial Supervisor: Carmen Krikorian

Media Development Manager:

Laura VanWinkle

Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan Mooney,

Joe Niesen, Leeann Harney

Cover Photos: © Matthias Kulka/Corbis

Cartoons: Rich Tennant

(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Heather Kolter

Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Carl Byers,

Laura Pence, Alicia B. South

Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico

Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Susan Sims

Indexer: Techbooks

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction .................................................................1
Part I: Are We There Yet? Wondering
Why You’re Not Pregnant..............................................7

Chapter 1: Where, Oh Where, Can My Baby Be? ...........................................................9
Chapter 2: Understanding Your Anatomy .....................................................................21
Chapter 3: Practicing Positive Behaviors — Before Conception ...............................41
Chapter 4: Struggling with Secondary Infertility..........................................................55
Part II: Stepping Up Your Efforts .................................65

Chapter 5: Trying Simple Techniques in Not-So-Simple Situations............................67
Chapter 6: Considering Special Circumstances ...........................................................89
Chapter 7: Seeing a Doctor — and Keeping Your Cool..............................................103
Chapter 8: Taking Supplemental Steps on the Road to Baby ...................................117
Chapter 9: Are We Having Fun Yet? Trying

to Conceive and Your Relationship ...........................................................................139
Part III: Asking for Directions:
Finding the Problem..................................................147

Chapter 10: Finding the Problem: Testing 1, 2, 3........................................................149
Chapter 11: All About the Boys ....................................................................................169
Chapter 12: When the Beginning Is the End: Early Pregnancy Loss ........................183
Part IV: Moving Up to High-Tech Conception ..............195

Chapter 13: A Little Help from Dr. Specialist: Intrauterine

Insemination and Fertility Injections.........................................................................197

Chapter 14: Welcome to the Big Time: In Vitro Fertilization.....................................213
Chapter 15: Let the IVF Cycle Begin!............................................................................233
Chapter 16: The Care and Feeding of an Embryo:

Amazing Teamwork in the Lab...................................................................................251

Chapter 17: Waiting, Waiting: Surviving the

Two-Week Wait after an IVF Cycle..............................................................................269

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Part V: The Road Less Traveled . . . So Far! ................285

Chapter 18: Challenges of Third-Party Reproduction................................................287
Chapter 19: Moving On..................................................................................................307
Chapter 20: Hello, Dolly! New Advances, New Concerns in Fertility .......................315
Part VI: The Part of Tens ...........................................331

Chapter 21: The Ten-Plus Most Annoying Things

to Hear When You’re Trying to Get Pregnant...........................................................333

Chapter 22: Ten (Okay, Seven) Groups of Fertility

Medications and Where to Find Them......................................................................337
Index .......................................................................345

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