Reactions to Infertility

Whatever the cause of infertility, the dawning realization that having a baby may be difficult or impossible is very traumatic for most people. Infertility is one of the worst experiences many people have to cope with in their whole lives. Those who discover that they are infertile speak of it as a terrible blow, as bad for some as receiving the news that they are to lose part of their body or have a potentially terminal illness. One woman shows this clearly, when she recalls the feelings she had on receiving her diagnosis: "They told me not only that I couldn't have children but that I had cancer. The first thing that struck me was grief that I couldn't have a baby. The fact that I also had cancer hit me about 30 seconds later."

Coping with Infertility

Infertility is a difficult problem because many people feel that they are personally responsible for it. Having had an abortion in the past, delaying having a baby till later in life, using a method of contraception which may have affected fertility, can all haunt the infertile.

If infertility is unexplained — as about 10 per cent of it is — the couple may wonder if there is a psychological element. Couples are told to 'Relax, then you will conceive.' Some doctors and psychiatrists do believe that stress and anxiety can block conception.

Am I Pregnant?

Every woman will have different symptoms before discovering for sure that she is pregnant. She will even have different symptoms from one pregnancy to the next. Certain women swear that they have symptoms within days of conceiving and other wait patiently to feel pregnant far into the first trimester. There are some common early pregnancy symptoms that can be used to guide the woman who is trying to conceive or who may be not trying and anxiously awaiting the reason for certain symptoms.

How Home Pregnancy Tests Work

There are a lot of questions asked by women who are trying to conceive especially when it comes time to test to see if they were successful in their current menstrual cycle. Home pregnancy tests (HPTs) are quite popular because they can be done discretely and in the comfort of the home or anywhere that there is a bathroom.