Friday, November 23, 2012


so dry & stuck,  stuck & dry - what is all this business...

after my body's failure to respond during my 1st IVF cycle (July 2012), I started going to a fertility acupuncture specialist - the Yinova Center. They are supposed to be the best in NYC. During my first visit, which included an analysis of my situation, I was told that I am a mix of "dry and stuck", in terms of my body's fertility type. Seemed like pretty perfect descriptors, and a pretty perfect name for my blog. 

For more info on the 4 different fertility types, link here. From what I know, one of the founders of Yinova also wrote this book - The Fertility Plan - and at the core of "the plan" are four different fertility types, based on chinese medicine. Knowing which "type" you are, will help you better figure out a treatment plan, and what you can do differently (lifestyle decisions) to help set you up for greater success with fertility.

You've heard of the wall street 1%. Well, how about the infertile 6%? 

According to 2006-2010 data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 6% of married women in the US age 15-44, are infertile. That's 1.4 Million women. To set things straight - infertility is defined as women who have been trying for at least 12 months to get pregnant with no luck. 

I am one of the 6%. My husband and I "started trying" (gag - I know) over a year ago. Nothing much was happening, but it wasn't until a gynecologist check up and subsequent blood testing this past winter that we learned something was up. In short - I have a very low egg count. While it has been difficult to get a truly robust understanding of my situation, what I do know is that no matter what the cause (nature versus nurture), my situation isn't good. 

I liken my ovaries to a perpetually stalling engine. No matter how much you push on the gas, they just won't take. That's kind of how I understand my crazy hormone (LH) spikes - my brain is sending the signal (pushing the pedal) to my ovaries to ovulate each month, but my ladies are pretty much hoarding their remaining reserve of eggs. No touch. They are protective, and I can respect that. Just doing their best in light of the situation.

So that brings me to this blog. I realize there are many many blogs out there already, and many devoted to the personal plights of women and men related to infertility. What good is throwing another one into the mix? Well, with that attitude, what newness would ever come out of the world. Google wouldn't exist and I'd still be getting answers from askjeeves.com. 

This blog is mostly for me, but clearly it is public, and I am opening up to you all as well. I am approaching it as an iterative outlet - who knows how it will turn out. But ultimately, I am trying to bring some enlightenment AND lightness to the situation, for myself and for others in a similar situation as me.