Title Details

The Unofficial Guide Panel of Experts.

Introduction.

1. Trying…and Failing to Get Pregnant.

1. Understanding Human Reproduction.

A Refresher Course on Conception, or Back to the Basics.

The Female Reproductive System.

The Male Reproductive System.

Female Hormones—the Language of Her Reproductive Cycle.

The Male Hormones: the Language of His Reproductive Cycle.

Making Love …and Babies.

The Journey Towards Conception.

From Egg to Embryo: in Eight Sometimes Not-so-Easy Steps.

When Everything Goes Right.

When Everything Seems to Be Going Wrong.

Take Control of the Situation.

Determine if and When You're Ovulating.

Other Ways of Taking Control of Your Fertility.

Just the Facts.

2. Understanding Infertility.

What Is Infertility?

What Is Female Factor Infertility? What About Male Factor?

Common Conditions That Can Affect You and/or Your Partner.

Age and Infertility.

Recurrent Miscarriage.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Antisperm Antibodies.

Diabetes.

Smoking.

Alcohol and Mind-Altering Drugs.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES).

Athletic Activity and Weight.

Female Factor Infertility.

Cervical Factors.

Tubal Factors.

Ovarian Factors.

Uterine Factors.

Male Factor Infertility.

Seminal Abnormalities.

Structural Abnormalities.

Medical Disorders.

Infections.

Testicular Trauma or Torsion.

Medications, Toxins, and Illicit Drugs.

Myths and Misconceptions About Infertility.

Just the Facts.

2. Finding the Problem.

3. Dealing with Doctors.

Finding the Right Doctor for You.

What Is a Fertility Specialist?

What to Look for in a Doctor.

What About Charisma?

Looking for Dr. Right.

Common Obstacles to Consulting a Fertility Doctor.

Making the Most of Your Consultation.

Not Being Taken Seriously.

Taking Charge of Your Infertility Treatment.

The Doctor-Patient Relationship.

Switching Doctors or Doctor Hopping.

Just the Facts.

4. The Basic Infertility Workup.

Getting Ready.

Reasonable Expectations.

The Initial Evaluation: Both Partners.

The Diagnostic Rationale.

The Workup.

History.

The Physical Examination.

Routine Office and Laboratory Tests.

Common Hormone Tests for the Woman.

More Specialized Tests for the Woman.

More Specialized Tests for Men.

Taking the Steps to Diagnosing Infertility.

Just the Facts.

3. Finding the Right Treatment.

5. Fertility Drugs and Other Noninvasive Treatments.

How Age Affects Fertility Drug Treatment.

Fertility Drugs for All Types of Infertility.

The Basics of Hormonal Control.

Ovulatory Dysfunction and Fertility Drugs.

What Fertility Drugs Treat.

What to Remember about Fertility Drug Treatment.

Why Monitoring Is Needed.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).

How Ovulation Induction Is Monitored.

A Guide to Fertility Drugs.

Other Common Nonsurgical Treatments for Male or Female Infertility.

Therapeutic (Artificial) Insemination by Any Name.

Other Nonsurgical Treatments of Male Infertility.

Fertility Drugs: Not for Women Only.

Antibiotics.

Other Causes of Male Factor Infertility.

Just the Facts.

6. Surgical Treatment for Infertility.

The Dilemma: to Cut or Not to Cut.

Surgery Is Less Invasive Than Ever Before.

Surgical Solutions.

Tubal Disease or Obstructions.

When More Is Needed.

Reversing Tubal Sterilization.

Endometriosis and Other Pelvic Adhesions.

Removing Uterine Fibroids.

Surgical Correction of Male Factor Infertility.

Vasectomy Reversal.

What to Expect.

Fixing a Varicocele.

Opening Blocked Ejaculatory Ducts.

New Sperm Retrieval Techniques.

Making the Decision to Have Surgery.

Just the Facts.

4. Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

7. The State of the ARTs.

Who Are the ARTs Helping?

What You Can Expect.

The What's, When's, Where's, and How's of IVF Procedures.

Defining the ARTs.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT).

Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT).

Tubal Embryo Transfer (TET).

Micromanipulation Techniques.

Cryopreservation: An Expanding Frontier in ART.

Just the Facts.

8. Considering the ARTs.

ART, Emotions, and Ethics.

Choosing an ARTs Program.

Competency Is Key.

Compatibility Concerns.

Convenience Counts.

Cost Considerations.

Defining ART Success.

Interpreting Success Rates.

How Often Should You Try?

Old Age or Old Eggs?

The Short- and Long-Term Risk Considerations.

Just the Facts.

5. Alternative Solutions for Today and Tomorrow.

9. Sometimes It Takes Three…or Even Four or More to Make a Baby.

Considering Third-Party Reproduction.

What Are Motherhood, Fatherhood, and Parenthood?

Passing on Genes.

Coming to Terms.

To Donate or to Divide.

Family Matters.

Legal Considerations.

To Know or Not to Know.

When the Donor Has a Face.

To Tell or Not to Tell.

The Adoption Option.

Opposition to Adoption.

Misconceptions about Adoption.

Further Considerations.

Just the Facts.

10. Pursuing Third-Party Reproduction.

What Third-Party Reproduction Programs Handle.

How Private Agencies Help.

What to Ask.

Screening Donors.

Sperm Donation.

Egg Donation.

Embryo Donation.

Donor Sperm/Donor Eggs.

Traditional Surrogacy.

Gestational Carrier.

Donor Egg/Gestational Carrier.

Sperm Donation, Egg Donation, Gestational Carrier.

Just the Facts.

11. Back to the Future.

Improving ART Success.

On the Horizon.

Cloning, Cloning, Cloning.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

CAM and Infertility.

Acupuncture.

Vitamin Therapy.

Homeopathy.

Stress Reduction.

Naturopathic Medicine.

Going the Alternative Route.

Just the Facts.

6. The Social, Emotional, and Financial Side of Infertility.

12. The Infertile Marriage.

…And Doctor Makes Three.

Adding Insult to Injury.

Things May Get Worse Before They Get Better.

Scheduled Sex.

Scheduled Abstinence.

A Vicious Cycle.

Surviving Scheduled Sex.

Fertility Fights.

Whose Fault Is It Anyway?

Fertility Rights…and Wrongs.

Obsessing About Infertility.

Withdrawal Symptoms.

Involving Your Spouse.

Talking It Over.

Talking Points.

Fertility Rights.

Long-Term Effects.

Just the Facts.

13. Living and Working in the Fertile World.

Coming Out.

Strained Relations.

Unsolicited Advice.

Insensitive Comments.

No News Is Good News.

The Fertile Earth.

To Go or Not to Go.

Pregnant Co-Workers.

Job Interference.

Risky Business.

You Can Work It Out.

The Waiting Game.

Working Through Your Problems.

Just the Facts.

14. Surviving and Resolving Infertility.

A Multitude of Losses.

Loss of Control.

Loss of Self-Esteem.

Loss of Positive Sexual Identity.

Mourning Your Losses.

Survival Strategies.

Religion.

Finding Support from Others.

Self-Help Organizations and Support Groups.

Overcoming Barriers to Joining.

Seeking Professional Help.

Finding an Infertility Counselor.

Traditionally Trained Therapists.

Stress and Infertility: Cause or Result?

Deciding Enough Is Enough.

Childless by Chance…or Choice.

Talking Points.

The Need to Nurture.

Ambivalence.

Just the Facts.

15. The Financial Side of Infertility.

An Infertility Treatment Cost Breakdown.

Medication Costs.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).

Monitoring Costs.

When Surgery Is Required.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs).

The Great Insurance Debate.

What's the Problem?

The Legal Dimension.

The State-by-State Breakdown.

What's Covered, What's Not.

Type of Carrier Makes a Difference.

Decoding Your Policy.

What to Tell Your Insurer.

Mum's the Word.

Other Creative Cost-Cutting Options.

Just the Facts.

A. Glossary.

B. Recommended Reading List.

C. Resource Directory.

D. Important Documents.

Index.