[Shasta18]

Hi girlies,
I'm trying to find books on infertility that I could recommend for my mom to read. She really wants to be a good support for me but really doesn't understand infertility. I thought I saw a book on Amazon last month with a title something like "Infertility: Supporting the couple you care about". I've searched Amazon and BN.com again, but to no avail. Maybe I should just recommend to her the books I've found helpful myself. Any thoughts you guys might have are SO appreciated!

[jenedens6102]

Kelly, the books that have spoken to you will speak to her as well. My mother actually bought books for me, she too dealt with infertility and thus knew my struggles and feelings. Her's was unexplained whereas mine was due to male factor, she actually took the news harder then I did because to her it was a battle we'd always fight with no success - but here we are!

[Angelwithhope]

Unsung Lullabies: Understand and coping with infertility- might be a good book for her to pick up. I know when I read it, it mentioned giving it to family members to help them understand. I recommended it to my mom, but she'd rather deny we have a health problem and tell me to just get over it. So you definately have something good with your mom wanting to read some books. I also agree with Jen, any book you might read can work for her too!!

[jencat215]

I like the books mentioned above. If you are just looking to give basic, spelled out information, Infertility for Dummies is a great easy read. I tells about the different types of problems, how to treat them, what tests need to be run. Just a good general description of what is going on.

Also, if you let your parents/ILs in on what your/DH's problems are, you would be surprised how much they learn on their own by googling things! After my ectopic and I lost my tube, my MIL had gone online and learned so much so she could help understand what I was going through.

[Shasta18]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. I will certainly look into recommending them to her...ASAP! When I told her that I was doing IUI's she said "That's not a test tube baby, is it?" Infertility has a lot of stuff to it, and right now it is painful to me to have to review all my lousy test results and explain how every test is done...

Jenseden- That is a really neat bond to your mom. Not that I wish infertility on anyone, but what better person to be able to share your struggle with. Congrats on your pregnancy and wishing you the best delivery ever!

Angelwithhope- Thank you very much for the recommendation. I've seen Unsung Lullabies mentioned elsewhere, I guess I need to pick it up! Of course, my mom hasn't told me yet that she is willing to read any books, LOL. And I'm not even sure she would have the guts to pick up a book about infertility at the library...small town. She very much wants to support me and so this was one thing I felt she could do from 900 miles away. Sorry your mom can't see how important infertility is to you, I can't imagine a mom just ignoring the hurt her daughter is facing. Congrats on your BFP!

Jencat - Infertility for Dummies sounds about right. Not that my mom is dumb, just fortunately very ignorant about infertility and this might be a very good place to start. I'll recommend it to her! Good luck with your cycle.

Thanks guys for taking the time to answer! Good luck everyone!

[jencat215]

The Dummies books are not for dumb people Actually, I have a PhD in molecular biology, but I found the book to be well written and easy to understand. I have Pregnancy for Dummies and the Idiots guide to understanding Catholism (DH is catholic). We also have Photography for Dummies. I don't think your mom will take offense to the title. I got my mom Internet for Dummies and she loved it!

You will definitely get the strange questions at first because infertility is hard for a 'normal' or fertile person to put their heads around. I had no clue what was in store when I started this journey! I find that talking/educating people about what I am going through is cathartic for me. And it seems that everyone knows someone who has gone through some sort of issue. Just be patient when explaining things. Maybe tell mom to google FSH and LH levels or infertility or artificial insemination. She will be loaded up with information. Good luck and don't worry, your mom will be a IF expert in no time (and even start giving you unwanted advice! ).

[Shasta18]

Originally Posted by jencat215

The Dummies books are not for dumb people Actually, I have a PhD in molecular biology, but I found the book to be well written and easy to understand. I have Pregnancy for Dummies and the Idiots guide to understanding Catholism (DH is catholic). We also have Photography for Dummies. I don't think your mom will take offense to the title. I got my mom Internet for Dummies and she loved it!

You will definitely get the strange questions at first because infertility is hard for a 'normal' or fertile person to put their heads around. I had no clue what was in store when I started this journey! I find that talking/educating people about what I am going through is cathartic for me. And it seems that everyone knows someone who has gone through some sort of issue. Just be patient when explaining things. Maybe tell mom to google FSH and LH levels or infertility or artificial insemination. She will be loaded up with information. Good luck and don't worry, your mom will be a IF expert in no time (and even start giving you unwanted advice! ).

Oh gosh, I totally didn't mean to indicate that the Dummy books are for dummies!!! Hopefully no one took offense to that! I'm sure my mom will love learning about all this stuff, just so she can give me the unwanted advice! She herself has a PhD in psychology (I know that's not molecular bio, LOL), so I'm very confident she can learn about this stuff. I guess I'm more frustrated that I don't feel like she's taken the time to do so - but now with everyone's lovely suggestions, I might gently encourage her in that direction.


So Jencat, what do you do with your degree? Are you teaching?

[jencat215]

Originally Posted by Shasta18

Oh gosh, I totally didn't mean to indicate that the Dummy books are for dummies!!! Hopefully no one took offense to that! I'm sure my mom will love learning about all this stuff, just so she can give me the unwanted advice! She herself has a PhD in psychology (I know that's not molecular bio, LOL), so I'm very confident she can learn about this stuff. I guess I'm more frustrated that I don't feel like she's taken the time to do so - but now with everyone's lovely suggestions, I might gently encourage her in that direction.


So Jencat, what do you do with your degree? Are you teaching?

Of course I didn't take offense I was just teasing you. Sure, if it isn't my direct field, I am a Dummy! I was just hoping you wouldn't think the Dummy books are lame or for 'dummies' because I really find them well written and so easy to read!

I work for a medical device company. I have a recombinant protein and cloning program that I basically set up and run.

Your mom will be fine. Mine actually said the, you know so many people adopt and then get pg, thing to me last night. In which I replied, do you know the statistics? Sure it happens, but how many adopt and don't get pg? And do you know how expensive it is to adopt, and even that is not a guarantee you will get a baby, and if you do it in a foreign country you run the risk of that country closing its borders and you lose your money and your baby? That shut her down pretty darn quick! I know my mom means well and she knows that I am under a lot of stress, but I was good and just took it all in stride. You are definitely doing the right thing encouraging your mom to learn about your condition. And I will be happy to answer any questions you have...I do specialize in research after all

[Shasta18]

Originally Posted by jencat215

I work for a medical device company. I have a recombinant protein and cloning program that I basically set up and run.

Your mom will be fine. Mine actually said the, you know so many people adopt and then get pg, thing to me last night. In which I replied, do you know the statistics? Sure it happens, but how many adopt and don't get pg? And do you know how expensive it is to adopt, and even that is not a guarantee you will get a baby, and if you do it in a foreign country you run the risk of that country closing its borders and you lose your money and your baby? That shut her down pretty darn quick! I know my mom means well and she knows that I am under a lot of stress, but I was good and just took it all in stride. You are definitely doing the right thing encouraging your mom to learn about your condition. And I will be happy to answer any questions you have...I do specialize in research after all

Recombinant protein and cloning program? Wow, you are the man! (Well...woman, actually!) That's pretty cool. What are your proteins for, or do you sell them to other companies for research? I'm not very familiar with recombinant proteins, except for their use in insulin - and only that because I'm a nurse...certainly not intimately knowledgable on the specifics. Kudos to you for your hard work getting through grad school and setting up this program. You must be extremely self-motivated, something I really admire! My DH finished his doctorate in Physics almost 2 years ago, so I can really appreciate the long haul of doctoral work.

I had to chuckle about your convo with your mom and the "adoption then preg rate". Are there actually statistics on that? I'm sure glad you set her straight. You are so right though that even adoption doesn't work out all the time. One of my good friends has the most interesting adoption horror stories ever. Her experience has seriously made me think twice about sinking thousands into adoption. She did end up with a baby, but it was very lucky that she did - it wasn't the original baby she had travelled across the country for.

You know, I emailed my mom and told her that I have some infertility books to recommend to her, and she emailed back and said that she has already read one from her library...I was shocked! I guess she cares more about my infertility than I realized. It was really touching. Maybe she and I can read some books together or something.

Have a good weekend!

[jencat215]

Originally Posted by Shasta18

Recombinant protein and cloning program? Wow, you are the man! (Well...woman, actually!) That's pretty cool. What are your proteins for, or do you sell them to other companies for research? I'm not very familiar with recombinant proteins, except for their use in insulin - and only that because I'm a nurse...certainly not intimately knowledgable on the specifics. Kudos to you for your hard work getting through grad school and setting up this program. You must be extremely self-motivated, something I really admire! My DH finished his doctorate in Physics almost 2 years ago, so I can really appreciate the long haul of doctoral work.

I had to chuckle about your convo with your mom and the "adoption then preg rate". Are there actually statistics on that? I'm sure glad you set her straight. You are so right though that even adoption doesn't work out all the time. One of my good friends has the most interesting adoption horror stories ever. Her experience has seriously made me think twice about sinking thousands into adoption. She did end up with a baby, but it was very lucky that she did - it wasn't the original baby she had travelled across the country for.

You know, I emailed my mom and told her that I have some infertility books to recommend to her, and she emailed back and said that she has already read one from her library...I was shocked! I guess she cares more about my infertility than I realized. It was really touching. Maybe she and I can read some books together or something.

Have a good weekend!

See-I told you that the go and get the info on their own! That is wonderful! She does love you and only wants you to be happy. It would be great for you to read books together.

The recombinant proteins I make are being used in our products. We don't sell them (yet- might be worth it because purified toxins cost a fortune!).

I don't think there are any official stats on adoption then getting pg. Just stories people like to tell

[Jimmy123]

Not a book but an amazing website to explain things in an easy clear explanation
What is Human Artificial Insemination Procedure | Intrauterine Insemination | IUI Success Rates