There are lots of places on the Internet where you could read infertility stories – and it looks as though there are stories about every different type of infertility. Every situation is covered – repeated miscarriages, IVF and other fertility treatments, donated sperm, womb or eggs (or all three!), multiple births and adoptions are all covered. You will definitely find something at least a bit similar to your situation! The story that got my eyes all misted up was the one about a lady who gave her identical twin sister an ovary so she could get pregnant! Matching DNA, matching basic building blocks for the eggs, no chance of rejection! The donating twin had already had the kids she wanted so she was delighted to donate, despite the chance of early menopause. I get all emotional just remembering it.

And that brings me to another point: I must confess I’m not sure if it’s a totally positive thing to have so many infertility stories available! You may get depressed listening to a whole bunch of success stories where you don’t seem to be having any good news at all, although to be fair the stories might also cheer you up. I believe it’s best to find a balance between real-life counseling and sharing infertility stories through cyberspace. You could give the excuse that there aren’t any infertility support groups in your district, but have you considered starting one? Other couples in the area could benefit from having a platform to tell their infertility stories. You might already have heard of other couples who are battling, but perhaps you could put up some posters at the local GP’s rooms. You don’t have to be a trained counselor; all you need is a shoulder and an ear – an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on, and maybe a teapot too.

Telling infertility stories is essential – so try to find a platform where your voice can be heard. As I said before, perhaps you could think of starting one yourself. Recounting your infertility stories and knowing that you aren’t alone may go a long way to helping you cope.

Here is more information on Infertility Stress. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.