One summer day at work I received a call from my husband who had recently been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had just met with his oncologist, who advised him to bank his sperm before having surgery to remove a germ cell tumor. He had a bit of reluctance in his voice and asked, “Do you think I need to do this?” At age 26, we didn’t have plans for a family right away. I remember stepping outside my office building for some privacy and saying, “Come on, just do it and we can figure...

Everyone’s path to parenthood is unique. For some, becoming a parent can take a month while for others, it can take years. Some go through many rounds of IVF to carry a baby to term, while others find themselves pursuing surrogacy to grow their families. No matter how someone’s journey may unfold, there’s power in understanding the who, what, where, when, and how of each potential family-building option so you’re well-prepared for what’s to come.  Emily Sonier, LICSW and Vice President of Culture and Program Support at Circle Surrogacy, has worked with families for the...

There’s no denying that women have more frequent and complex health needs than men. From PCOS and endometriosis to gynecological cancers and UTIs, there is an abundance of health issues women have to deal with that men simply do not. However, women’s health conditions have been historically understudied, and underfunded, and it takes us an average of 4 years longer than men to receive a diagnosis for the same disease.  Think about it: The female reproductive system is responsible for menstruation, ovulation, fertilization, pregnancy, and childbirth, all of which involve a complex interplay of hormones,...

Period sex — some people love it, and others avoid it. While it’s completely your own prerogative whether you choose to have sex while menstruating (and by sex, we mean penetrative sex, oral sex, masturbation, or toy play), there are some benefits to it that you may not be aware of. If the mess is your reason for steering clear, well, we have a solution for that, too.   What are the benefits of having sex during your period?  Now let’s look at some of the benefits of having sex on your period, and how it’s even...

In one study of reproductive-age women in the U.S., 40% were unfamiliar with the ovulatory cycle. Yes, you read that right: 40%. When I first came across that statistic I thought, “That can’t be right.” But after really contemplating it, I can’t say I’m very surprised.  I was 27 and newly married with a bachelor's degree before I knew I could only get pregnant during my ovulation window. A few months later, I was completely blindsided by an infertility diagnosis — even though, according to the CDC, 1 in 5 women struggles to conceive for a...

When I miscarried after my first pregnancy, I was shocked by how long it took me to feel like myself again. At the time, I was a journalist covering reproductive health — intellectually, I knew so much about pregnancy loss. But despite all that information (as well as the massive shift in public awareness of miscarriage, and the de-stigmatization of people sharing their own experiences), I had absolutely no idea how my loss would affect my body and mind.  For months, I felt like I was walking around in someone else’s body. And in speaking...

Planning for a family can take a physical, emotional, and psychological toll on prospective parents. Infertility can leave us feeling like many questions go unanswered. I know one of my main ones was, “Why is this so difficult for us and, seemingly, so easy for so many others?” When I was going through infertility in the mid-2010s, I didn’t know. All I learned, in the end, was that my eggs were prematurely aged, and my embryos did not reach the blastocyst stage. Only a few short years ago, there weren’t as many options as there are...

Trying to conceive has a way of taking over your life, especially once you’ve hit the point of infertility. You go home to find an entire drawer in your bathroom devoted to ovulation kits and pregnancy tests. You look at your calendar and wonder how you’ll fit in all the appointments alongside work and personal commitments. You cringe through conversations about when you’ll “finally” have kids. You reconfigure your social media feeds to block out pregnancy announcements and updates. And you juggle a mental load that’s crushing…and largely underrecognized.   That mental load begins mounting before...

Going through an IVF cycle comes with a lot of questions and many things that are out of a couple’s control. But for all of the details that are out of a person’s hands, there are a few that they may actually have a say in.  For instance, if you're undergoing fertility treatments in the United States, you may have the option to select the gender of your baby. Gender selection, or family balancing, is possible as part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. IVF and Gender Selection Couples may want to pursue gender...

A fertility journey is full of unknowns, but there are certain things that you can have contingency plans for. For instance, traveling. While going on vacation or jet-setting around the world may be the last thing on your mind during IVF, sometimes last-minute travel plans can't be avoided. Planning ahead will help you feel more equipped to handle last-minute trips, unexpected events, or maybe even a spur-of-the-moment getaway with your partner.     Can You Travel During IVF? Unfortunately, the answer to whether or not it's okay to travel during fertility treatments is not a simple...