Product Description
Combining attention to lived experience with the critical tools of ethics, Karey Harwood explores why many women who use high-tech assisted reproduction methods tend to use them repeatedly, even when the results are unsuccessful. With a compassionate look at the individual decision making behind the desire to become pregnant and the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), Harwood extends the public conversation beyond debates about individual choice by considering the experiences of families and by addressing the broader ethical problems presented by these technologies. ... Read more

Product Description
This compassionate book brings together for the first time issues about infertility and adoption. Fifteen to 20 of all married couples in the United States are infertile, and most people have intense psychological and emotional reactions to the experience of infertility. Infertility and Adoption provides a clear understanding of the historical and social context of infertility, its emotional impact, and the process of coping with infertility. A prototype for conducting psychosocial assessments with infertile couples is provided. Practitioners, researchers, and administrators will learn about the latest trends in preparing adoptive parents for the arrival of their child. The multidisciplinary appeal of this book will reach professionals in social work and mental health and better prepare all of those who work with the growing number of individuals touched by infertility. ... Read more

Product Description
At present, the medical response to the increased incidence of infertile couples has become highly technical, with recourse to ever more sophisticated methods for assisted reproduction. However, it sometimes appears to be forgotten that the success of any method also depends on the overall quality of the semen sample. This book presents new studies in the field of diagnosis of male infertility. The invited papers focus on the various diagnostic tests now available, the parameters of semen quality and the multifarious factors which influence fertility. Emphasis is also placed on the causes of, or associated factors in, semen anomalies whether they be secretory, excretory or combinations of these. Only with such knowledge can the most effective medical, surgical or biological treatment for improving semen quality be applied. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides an overview of the methods currently available for the treatment of male infertility. The therapies discussed range from traditional methods to microsurgery. Techniques for sperm processing and the collection of male gametes from the seminal tract are also presented. ... Read more

Product Description
Liza was a healthy thirty-four-year-old when she discovered she could not carry a baby.Like the one of every six women who hears this news, Liza and her husband, David, despaired that they would never be parents.They both had careers.Life would go on...in other ways.

Then the unpredictable happened.Liza's cousin, Jennifer, offered to be the gestational carrier for Liza and David.This is the story of how two women and their husbands came to the incredible decision to put their faith, their lifelong friendship, and their hearts into the rigorous, uncharted and emotional science of creating new life.

No other memoir has explored this medical odyssey -- the promise and the problems in pursuit of parenthood.No one has shared it with the world until now, in a heartwarming true story filled with eloquence and candor.Amazon.com Review
The road through infertility and assisted reproduction is longand lonely, and couples going through its grueling medical proceduresdesperately need to hear the stories of successfulparents. Conceiving Luc: A Family Story is one of these neededbooks, and it's both informational and deeply emotional. LizaFreilicher and her husband David went through years of operations,injections, and IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedures in a quest fora baby, until Liza's cousin Jennifer offered to serve as theirgestational carrier. Jennifer was implanted with the couple'sfertilized embryo and carried their baby to term.

ConceivingLuc is told through Liza's narration and Jennifer's journalentries, as each woman goes through her own physical and emotionalordeal to bring Luc into the world. The women were always close aschildren, but their relationship becomes increasingly tense as thepregnancy progresses, though the experience ultimately brings them,and their husbands, closer together than ever. While too much of thebook revolves around Liza's ambivalence about parenthood andflashbacks to the cousins in earlier years, Conceiving Lucbecomes a truly unique tale once Jennifer's generous offer isaccepted. The Freilichers' heart-rending experience of infertility andfertility treatment is fascinating, as are Jennifer's story andmotivations. As a story of an extended family's quest for continuedcloseness and as an inspiration for couples struggling with fertilityproblems, this story (cowritten by Liza's mother, Suzanne Wetanson) isa positive addition to the new field of literature created by theincreasing use of assisted reproduction. --Ericka Lutz ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a pretentions self indulgent oddessy of the life of Liza
I have never read a more ridiculousy self indulgent book about a narcissitic woman who dosn't want to ruin her "renaissance" looks and actually give birth.Good thing she has a sucker for a cousin!!The poor husband, does he ever get to use the bathroom mirror?

A heartwarming experience
The authors were able to draw me into not only the drama of bringing Lucinto this world but to the couragious story of 4 women and what they meantto each other.As someone who has experienced the rollercoaster known asinfertility, I could relate to the feelings Liza expressed over herfrustations with the medical community as well as her own perceivedfailures.I usually fear books on this subject because they can be full ofself pity.Not this one...it was inspirational.Thank you to the authorsfor bringing hope to those of us still struggling!!

LOVE, DEVOTION, AND COURAGE
Your book was extremely emotional for me I cried all the way through it. I am a 34 yr. old female.I have had two ectopic pregnancies and 3 IVF cycles with no success.My sister has offered to be a surrogate, but myhusband and I weren't sure about that path.Until I read your book!

Idon't think people understand how difficult it is to live day to day withthe pain of infertility. The book is very clear regarding thefrustrations of not conceiving and the insensitivity some Dr.'s and nursesdisplay to their patients.That was a very important message to send toyour readers.

Your cousin Jennifer is truly a beautiful person insideand out.I think about her constantly.I loved the part about Jenniferalways wearing high heel shoes, I can totally related to you La.But, youhad the courage, strength, and love to not change Jennifer's ways.Iadmire you for that.

Thank God for loving people like Jennifer and moderntechnology. Jennifer by the way, you look gorgeous just like your mother..Thank you very much for sharing your family photos with us, their veryprecious. May you all live happy and healthy lives.

Virginia Montoya

Fairly interesting topic, quite self-involved narrator.
Appears to have been written a la romance novel -- indulgent descriptions of "my husband's Armani suit", "my Mediterranean beauty" and the like -- the truly heroic ones are Jennifer, whocarried the child for 9 months, and husband David, who endured surgery. Perspective of Liza is self-involved and her ambivalence toward becoming aparent is insulting to those who may choose adoption as an alternative. This seems written with an eye toward a Hollywood screenplay.

An emotional, hopeful, triumphant memoir of In Vitro
What an uplifting, profoundly honest story of one woman (Liza) who couldn't become pregnant, and her cousin (Jennifer), who carried her baby (Luc) for her.I was moved -- and inspired -- throughout and actuallycried 5 times! ... Read more

Product Description
To anyone living with the daily ache of infertility,Debra Bridwell offers encouragement and biblical direction.Bridwellwrites candidly of her struggle to have children, the cycle of hopeand grief, and the sorrow of pregnancy loss. The Ache for a Child alsooffers insights for those who ache with the infertile couple. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Horrible, Horrible, Horrible
This is the worst book I have ever read.Very discouraging.It is basically one woman's story of struggling to get pregnant.It is terribly out of date and down right depressing. I also found it quite meanspirited...one of the things said in the book was that scaring of the fallopian tubes could be a punishment from God for a bad lifestyle.I actually went and threw this book in the garbage.

No longer in print.Buy it while you can!
This book was life changing for me.At a time where I felt hopeless and could not find anyone who understood the depth of my grief, Debra Bridwell's words and experiences hit home and brought hope and healing.This book has had the single-most long term impact on my life, other than the Bible.While no longer in print, this one is worth picking up where ever you can find it!

Great book on infertility
This was a great book - there are discussion questions at the end of each chapter.The only thing we didn't like was that it was written for women, from a woman's point of view.We read the book together, and my husband felt men were stereotyped as being distant and unfeeling (which he is not).On the whole, the book was a good tool for us to get on the same page and have discussion.

Great for a christain woman when God seems so far
This book will re-energize the faith any christain woman who has been on her knees for long praying, and at some point asked "why God seems so far...?" The book explained that at this point, God is truly near and faithful no matter the pain of infertility.

A Godsend to those going through the hurdles of infertility
More than any other publication regarding infertility - Bridwell speaks from her heart and at times I felt as if she were speaking from mine. Bridwell not only describes her challenges and triumphs, but also focuses on how family and friends may offer support to a couple going through infertility.My husband and I have given copies of this book to our family members and closest friends - so that they may truly have a glimpse of what we are going through. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike most infertility books that focus on medical treatment, Healing the Infertile Family examines the social and emotional problems experienced by couples confronting infertility and suggests how they can be alleviated. In this updated edition, Gay Becker discusses her most recent study of couples experiencing infertility and offers guidelines for resolution of this common problem that will enable couples to face the future with hope. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fantastic!!!!!!
This is the best book on infertility and its effects on relationships that I've read (and I've read quite a few). It is written by an anthropologist who has struggled with infertility herself and is based on her research. I never expected to find such words of wisdom in a book like this. Empowering, life-affirming, hopeful, and full of love. Every couple who is experiencing infertility should read it. I would also recommend it to infertility doctors and counselors, and social workers working with adoption.

I am so thankful for Gay Becker and her research. This book is a treasure.

Healing the Infertile Family
I read this book cover to cover. from the beginning it wasn't grabbing my attention.I was very bored while reading it.It's main focus to me was on older couples, 35 and up, with infertility problems. Completely ignoring the younger reader such as myself. (I'm 24 and have had infertility issues for 4 yrs.)I did like the interviews the author used to express the couples actual feelings, although, my husband and myself didn't seem to relate to a lot of the male perspective and some of the female perspective the author was giving. The title is -Healing the Infertile family:Strengthening your relationship in the search for Parenthood- I don't feel like I learned any new coping techniques,I don't feel any good information on what my husband and myself could do to strengthen our relationship was presented like the title would insinuate. So I rate this book only 2 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
In a groundbreaking new work on American public policy and human fertility control, policies and practices of the past thirty years are reviewed and analyzed. Arguing that morality politics have helped make fertility control policies contentious and complex, McFarlane and Meier conclude that current policies are inadequate for addressing unintended pregnancy, and even contribute to high pregnancy rates. The authors offer alternative public policy designed to be more effective in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 2251 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.

The second edition of the “International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family” adopts an international, cross-cultural approach to such diverse and important topics as adolescent parenthood, family planning, cohabitation, widowhood, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, codependency and commuter marriages. It includes articles specific to countries and to religious traditions, examining the history of family life within these cultures and discussing how families have been affected by political and social change.

Product Description

This book is the first one to be devoted to the analysis and interpretation of the lowest low fertility in the Southern part of Europe. It presents a comparative viewpoint and enables the readers to understand the peculiarities of a demographic situation that has characterized a vast part of Europe over the past three decades. The book places a particular emphasis on the cultural keywords, i.e. the connection between strong family ties and fertility.

Product Description
A Bold Examination of the Hidden Commerce of Conception

Despite legislation that claims to prohibit it, there is a thriving market for babies spreading across the globe. Fueled by rapid advances in reproductive medicine and the desperate desires of millions of would-be parents, the acquisition of children—whether through donated eggs, rented wombs, or cross-border adoption—has become a multibillion dollar industry that has left science, law, ethics, and commerce deeply at odds.

In The Baby Business, Debora Spar argues that it is time to acknowledge the commercial truth about reproduction and to establish a standard that governs its transactions. In this fascinating behind-the-scenes account, she combines pioneering research and interviews with the industry’s top reproductive scientists and trailblazers to provide a first glimpse at how the industry works: who the baby-makers are, who makes money, how prices are set, and what defines the clientele. Fascinating stories illustrate the inner workings of market segments--including stem cell research, surrogacy, egg swapping, "designer babies," adoption, and human cloning--as Spar explores the moral and legal challenges that industry players must address.

The first purely commercial look at an industry that deals in humanity’s most intimate issues, this book challenges us to consider the financial promise and ethical perils we’ll face as the baby business moves inevitably forward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great distillation of multiple issues
This book is an investigation into the various components of child acquisition outside of plain sexual conception by the intended parents.So the book covers adoption, surrogacy, IVF, cloning, and the numerous other technological ways of creating human life.Written as a dispassionate inquiry, the author examines the various issues associated with each method, profiles the historical development of each method, and most importantly, looks at how different localities around the world handle each issue.So the author does a great job of showing evolution over time, and differentation over space.There are numerous tables spread throughout the chapters that provide a lot of numerical data, such as the cost of IVF at different centers in the US.Hence the book also serves as a how-to-guide for would-be parents contemplating adoption, IVF, etc...All in all, a good book with enough science to explain the facts, but simple enough for any college student to read.

Very Interesting
The picture on the cover is creepy but this book is well written and easy to understand.It's amazing and disgusting how much it costs to get help when you can't get pregnant the old fashioned way.If you're looking for a self or planning guide this is not the book for you.If you or your husband is the finance/business type and likes to read, this helsp explain why the doctor assisted pregnancy process is so outrageously expensive.

Fabulously Informative and Unemotional
I love this book for what it is.Some other reviers commented on the Stoic nature of the work.They are accurate about that.However, that is why I like it.The book isn't meant to say what's right or wrong or make judgements.The author does raise some ethical and moral questions but makes no attempt to answer them.As someone who has spent some time on the infertility hamster wheel and also has a background in Economics, I found this book fabulous.It is very dense, containing a very informative mix of economics, history and science.It is all about the market for babies.

Clear-eyed Analysis of the Infertility World
Unlike so many books in this field, Ms. Spar does not fall into the trap of sensationalism.Of all of the books I've read on this technology and its impact on society, it is the best.

Mere markets?
The fact that this book is published by the Harvard Business School and the author is a professor there tells us much about how this topic is broached. The main focus of the book is on how the infertility industry (the baby business) and the market interact. Other vital elements, such as moral considerations, are barely mentioned. And this is where the book breaks down. Yes, the market side to the question is very important, and rightly needs to be explored, but taken out of a bigger social and ethical context, the approach comes across barren and empty (no pun intended).

Spar quickly dismisses ethical concerns, arguing that they are messy, controversial, and incapable of any resolution. Thus her focus is single: to see how the desire for babies fits in with the world of trade and commerce. And her premises are not easily gainsaid: people desire to have babies (and/or baby parts, or services, or technologies) and there are many who are happy to provide these things, especially for a price. It is as simple as that: supply and demand.

Economically speaking, as Spar keeps noting, it is a match made in heaven. This trade in babies is therefore inevitable and here to stay, she argues. The horse has bolted, and there is no going back to the stable now. We must live with the new reproductive technologies, and their inevitable commercialization. The only question is whether the baby market should be open slather, or whether some sort of regulatory scheme should be put in place.

The bulk of this book examines the various areas of the baby trade - be it IVF, surrogacy, sperm and egg selling, cloning and the like - and how money has been invariably linked to the fertility industry.

Of course this book describes the situation in the US, where there is very little government regulation at all over the fertility business. Other nations do have regulatory schemes in place, which the author refers to now and then. But it is the wild west of the American fertility trade that is in focus here.

Spar believes that the market will always be part of this industry, and that it is not a bad thing at all. But she recognizes that as the "product" in discussion is a human baby, many are reluctant to speak of it all in purely financial terms. She occasionally acknowledges the critics, like Leon Kass, who see much of the reproductive industry as involved in the commodification of children and the manufacture of life, but seems little impressed by their concerns.

Indeed, she says early on that the market will always triumph, while issues of morality will remain unresolved, and by implication, be of secondary importance. Thus she simply accepts the reproductive revolution and Big Biotech as necessary, inevitable forces that will not go away. Don't worry about the ethical concerns, she seems to suggest. Instead, given the inevitability of the market in this area, the only real issue is what kind of regulation, if any, do we want applied. The topic of regulation she only addresses briefly, and in her final chapter.

She in fact claims not to have any clear answers here. She does state her preference, a "light-handed regulatory regime" in which choice, information and costs are considered. She recognizes that there may be a dark side to an unchecked market, especially in some of the `yuk' areas like human cloning, but she seems to think the market as a whole, with a little help from the government, will largely get things right.

Thus she is optimistic about both the science and economics of the reproductive revolution. Many others, of course, are worried about the brave new world implications of where all this is headed. Spar here and there acknowledges these concerns, but generally sees them as irrelevant or of no great consequence. Of course such considerations are too controversial for many to even raise. Indeed, free marketers will be squeamish about such discussions. But they are nonetheless part of the equation.

Indeed, the traditional philosophical, spiritual and social implications are as much a part of this discussion as mere market concerns. So for a more inclusive and well-rounded discussion of these issues, the reader needs to go elsewhere.

But if the reader wants a simple overview and history of the new reproductive technologies, and their economic implications, this book is undoubtedly a good place to begin. ... Read more

Product Description
Explores the past and present medical management of male infertility and allows men to tell their own stories of what it feels like to be infertile. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I would have prefered narrative.
I am fascinated by actual and perceived gender-atypical phenomena.There are men who have lupus and women who are colorblind, for example.Although many reports now say the man is equally likely to cause a couple's barenness as a woman, there's still a perception that women are to blame.In this book, the author speaks to infertile man.

This book will definitely make you sympathize for the group.From a scientific perspective, researchers are not as interested in male infertility as much as its female counterpart.Fertile men have said to them within earshot, "At least I'm not shooting blanks!"The book does mention instances of couple's divorcing due to the problem.One man said, "I'm masculine and hairy, how can I be infertile!?"

Still, I wish this was not reporting by the author; I would have prefered for each man, or couple, to have had a chapter all too themselves.The author is always giving her two cents and summarizing things that are obvious.I really think those readers with this difficulty would have related more to men just speaking about themselves without a journalist's filter.

This is a British book and I think things may be different in the US.First, I imagine that the British health system would pay for infertility treatments that stingy US medical companies would not.Several times men said, "I'd be ruled too old to adopt."In the US, with our large number of parent-less children, I highly doubt that would be a problem.These men seemed reluctant to have donor insemination and in the US, they keep things so private with donor substance that it would be easy for a couple to get help and just pretend it's the husband's child.

This book left two occurences out that I imagine are major.First, I bet that many men don't know they are infertile until they are on a second or third wife who doesn't get pregnant.I'm guessing that many men blame their wives for childlessness without digging further.Second, something tells me that many an infertile man has his brother or male cousin do the goop-supplying if they cannot.The author only mentions a fertile man telling an infertile one, "You want me to set you up?" once.

The (female) author stated that she became interested in this subject because her husband is infertile.She never reveals whether he was accepting of her putting his business all out on Front Street.She never says how she and her husband addressed the problem.She could have let him speak for a few pages to clear up these matters.

There are very few books out there about male infertility.The ones that exist are mostly boring, scientific tomes about curing the problem.This is one of the few books that I found that allowed men to talk on this matter.I thank the author for her effort, but I would have done this book much differently.

first steps
This is such a tragic, moving story - hearing the voices of men discussing the almost undiscussable. But for me the most amazing aspect is their ability to cope - their ability to 'go with the flow' and get on with things. Of course, this book is a very tiny sample (and even the author recognises that the sample is biassed - too many sterile rather than infertile respondents compared to population statistics - perhaps that tells us something about sterile men) and necessarily the author could not interview any man with fertility problems who had made the ultimate withdrawal from an unsatisfactory world.

I know a man who is sterile and I can see synergies between him and the responses reported here, even though his cicumstance is different from all of them. Unlike the respondents here he knew before he was in a relationship - so he did not have a partner to provide support - neither did he have a partner with whom he could bury his own responses by providing her support. It affected him in different ways, but then his life did change. But, for all of these afflicted men, the continual ache in the background does remain even when parenting softens the blow to a degree.

None of the men with infertility problems in this book makes the demand on their partner that they should just accept what fate has dealt them. These men - despite qualms and uncertainties - go along with their partners and fufill their own desires as much as is possible, by following the routes of adoption and assisted fertility processes such as donor insemination (DI).

Perhaps there is another book to be written - one with a broader perspective. How do men cope, for whatever reason, with a failure to become a parent? Is it important to them? Does it have an impact on their life's 'achievement' (think about Beethoven for example)? Are men different in this to women?

Be prepared to confront uncomfortable ideas when you read this book - other people's sadness. One of the men saw that he had an 'invisible disability'. For me this might have been the most telling comment of all - perhaps everyone has invisible disabilities of one sort or another and we should respond to people with understanding and acceptance of that.

But then there was the anguish too. As one of the men said - It's terrible to have a problem, and your wife is the one who gets all the treatment and suffering for it.
... Read more

Product Description
Baylor University, Houston, TX. Male reproductive physiology, pathophysiology, and clinical treatment, for urologists. New information on tests for sperm function, immunopathology of male reproductive failure, and the role of estrogens in infertility. 53 contributors, 50 U.S. DNLM: Infertility, Male. ... Read more

Product Description
In spite of the broad selection of contraceptive methods available 38% of all pregnancies are unintended worldwide and 22% end in an abortion. These facts alone clearly indicate the strong need for broadening contraceptive choices.

The status of reproductive science, however, has so far led only to pharmacological fertility control measures with high standards of safety, efficacy and convenience for females. As far as men are concerned, there is still no effective reversible male contraceptive available. Nonetheless, one third of all contraceptive methods used worldwide depend on male "cooperation".

With the new opportunities presented by molecular biology, there is now a realistic chance that new effective reversible methods for male fertility control can be developed. However, much more basic research is needed to reach this goal.
As a consequence the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ernst Schering Research Foundation decided to take up this challenge and mounted a multi-year global collaborative effort, involving a network of top-level research institutions to intensify research on the regulation of the male reproductive system with special emphasis on post-testicular activity, using new approaches in molecular pharmacology (Application of Molecular Pharmacology of Posttesticular Activity - AMPPA - network). ... Read more

Product Description
Infertility is a heartbreaking condition that can affect every aspect of a woman's life, and 9 million American couples struggle with it each year.

In Conquering Infertility, Harvard psychologist Dr. Alice Domar-whom Vogue named the "Fertility Goddess"-provides infertile women with what they need most: stress relief, support, and hope. Within a year, more than 50 percent of the patients who used her mind/body techniques along with their infertility treatment conceived pregnancies that resulted in a baby, compared with 20 percent who did not use the mind/body tools.

Dr. Domar provides wise, strong words on:

* sustaining a career during infertility
* coping when friends and family members become pregnant
* navigating the medical maze
* what to do when infertility threatens your belief in God
* exploring other options when treatment fails

With Conquering Infertility, women learn how to cope with infertility in a much more positive way and carve a path-however unexpected-toward a rich, full, happy life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

very helpful when you are frustrated with infertility
I found this book to be very helpful.When I was at my worst and feeling like nothing will ever work and no one understands me I read this book and it really helped.I also took a mind/body class on infertility that I found in my city that was based on the author's book/guide and the class was essential in helping me to cope with all the stress and anxiety and ambiguity of infertility.

Incredibly helpful!
This book was incredibly helpful.If you are facing infertility, this book is for you.Dr. Domar knows the scientific literature and gives a well-researched perspective on how to deal with the emotional consequences of infertility.It helped me so much that I recommended it to a friend.She also loved it!

Not what I expected.
From the title of this book, I thought it would include lots of mind/body techniques to help you deal with infertility and the stress of IVF.However, only a couple of chapters dealt with breathing techniques and visualization etc.The rest were all about how to deal with family members, different case stories/success stories.If you don't have unsupportive people in your life you really don't need this book.However, I will go back and read the 2 chapters that had decent information.

Helpful perspective.
I found this book to be a bit negative at times...But I think that the author addressed the emotional/spiritual issues of infertility very well.Many times she really hit the nail on the head and it was comforting to read that others have felt the same things I'm feeling.In addition, I found some things about the book very helpful.All of her coping strategies were things I already knew.But I still liked the idea of the minis, which is simple to remember and can be used any time.I also loved reading another perspective like talking to your family and friends about infertility.I had been avoiding talking to my parents about it completely.But based on her comments I thought that I would share some of my struggle with my mom (no details) and it went very well and we both felt better.I also keep thinking about the author's statement, which she makes several times throughout the book, that some day this struggle will be over and life will go back to normal and if you really want to be a parent you will be.This keeps me sane when I feel trapped in the nightmare of infertility.

Very basic information with negative slant
I found the relaxation exercises to be very basic techniques I was already familiar with, although I did appreciate the reminder to take time each day to relax.

Maybe because I already have a support forum and have discussed the emotional issues with my RE, I didn't have the eye-opening sense of surprised self-recognition of some reviewers. Yes, she accurately describes many of the emotional pitfalls of infertility, but I never thought I was the only one who was jealous of pregnant relatives and coworkers or who had a hard time finding sympathy for those with secondary infertility.

The biggest problem I had with the book was that I came away from it feeling hopeless. So many of the stories are about situations where all attempts failed. She stresses adoption and childlessness, which are valid choices and obviously must be considered at some point. But I feel like I need to go into these procedures with a positive attitude and this book robbed me of the hope I had been clinging to. As an example, I became convinced that my cycle was going to be canceled due to lack of response to stimulation and spent several days worrying about that, needlessly it turns out. Before reading this, I wasn't worried at all because I knew that my eggs develop slowly.

In summary, some good relaxation techniques, although probably nothing new to you, and probably helpful if you have no infertility support group already. ... Read more

Product Description
In this pamphlet, Sally Keeble asks: do women have a "right" to have children? What limits should be placed on scientific reseach into infertility treatments? Should provision be available on the NHS? She argues that the traditional feminist alliance with arch-conservative opponents of new reproductive technologies is misguided, denying women a basic choice about their lives. Contrasting the history of feminist attitudes to contraception and abortion, Keeble proposes that freedom for women is the ability to say "yes", as well as "no", to having children. Further, she argues that the ethical dilemmas posed by the possibilities of scientific developments raise issues of fundamental importance to society, such as the role of the family, parenting duties and the purpose of the welfare state. ... Read more