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Pamela's Story
I first dealt with the confusion and difficulty
caused by infertility in isolation. This was a time
not so long ago in my prime baby-making years (pre-"Dr
Google") when most information on the topic was
only available via the doctor's office, library, or
book store. For more than a decade my husband and I
tried unsuccessfully to conceive. We tried both conventional
and "unconventional" methods -- none of which
were covered by health insurance: Clomid, IUI, ICSI
IVF (several times), acupuncture, yoga for fertility,
raspberry tea, chiropractic adjustments, Chinese herbs,
Fertility herbal blends. Diet changes. Lighting candles.
You name it, we tried it.
| It was only after we ceased treatments that
I began to fully appreciate that infertility is
about more than making a baby. It touches and
changes our lives in ways large and small. It's
not something one ever gets over, we can only
come to terms with it and that's not easy to do
in isolation.
That's when I decided to start a blog called
Coming2Terms.
Within a matter of weeks I was pleasantly surprised
by how much writing and joining a community of
those who had walked in my shoes helped to make
sense of my long-suppressed emotions and sense
of "otherness."
I'm now passionate about raising awareness concerning
the societal challenges caused by infertility
-- in particular the emotional hurdles that remain
long after the physical and financial demands
of treatment end. My life no longer revolves around
doctor visits and 28-day cycle watches. I live
and work in Silicon Valley and devote my free
time to raising awareness about infertility.
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Last June I shared my infertility experience with the
New York Times, which led to a health feature story.
I've since written a book on the same subject called
Silent
Sorority . My writing can also be found on Fertility
Authority. My hope is that one day there will be less
stigma and more understanding about couples who try
joyfully to conceive only to find that nature and modern
medicine don't always cooperate.
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