The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line!Once you decide to start a family, you may think pregnancy will occur quickly. However, it takes the average healthy young couple six months to a year to conceive. This guide helps you get in the best possible shape for conceiving, discussing conception and misconceptions in depth.If pregnancy doesn't happen "automatically," you're not alone; one in six couples have fertility problems. The Unofficial Guide to Getting Pregnant provides clear, unbiased guidance on the many confusing medical, emotional, and financial issues related to getting pregnant. This book objectively reviews state-of-the-art infertility treatments and procedures, including fertility drugs, corrective surgery, IVF, and the other assisted reproductive technologies. It also covers third-party procedures, such as sperm and egg donation and surrogacy.Vital Information few resources reveal-information that can help you zero in on the most effective, economical approach for you.Insider Secrets about choosing a specialist, potential legal issues with third-party procedures, and alternative treatments that might work.Money-Saving Information to help you compare the cost of different treatments, decipher state laws on insurance coverage, and more.Time-Saving Tips to avoid delays in diagnosing and treating problems while your biological clock is ticking.The Scoop on the newest fertility drugs, microsurgical techniques, and assisted reproductive technologies.

Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph.D., is a medical sociologist and an award-winning medical writer. Her articles have appeared in such publications as American Health, Ms., Newsweek, Redbook, Self, and Vogue. She is the author of In Pursuit of Pregnancy and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Overcoming Infertility. She has also written a book on women and substance abuse to be published in 2006. Dr. Liebmann-Smith is a consultant at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and is on the board of the National Council on Women’s Health. She was a member of the board of directors of RESOLVE, INC. and co-president of RESOLVE, NYC.

Jacqueline Nardi Egan is a medical journalist and editor. She specializes in writing educational programs for physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and consumers. She has been the editor of several specialty medical publications and a contributor to national consumer magazines. She is co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Overcoming Infertility.

John J. Stangel, M.D., a board certified specialist in Reproductive Medicine, is the Westchester County Medical Director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut, and has a private practice in Rye, New York. Dr. Stangel has also been the Medical Director of the Westchester Affiliate of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center; the Clinical Director of Reproductive Medicine at Montefiore Medical

Center; and the Medical Director of IVF America.
Dr. Stangel is a charter member of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists (SART) and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons. He is the editor and contributing author of the textbook Infertility Surgery, has published numerous scientific papers and articles, and has contributed to many textbooks. Dr. Stangel is the author of Fertility and Conception and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Overcoming Infertility.

Introduction.

I. Preparing for Pregnancy.

1. A Healthy Start.

The preconception checkup.

Healthy choices.

Age and fertility.

Age and problem pregnancies.

Preserving your fertility.

Pursuing pregnancy after cancer treatment.

The road to pregnancy.

Just the facts.

2. Conception and Misconceptions.

Reproduction 101.

The journey toward conception.

When everything goes right.

Misconceptions.

Just the facts.

II. Pursuing Pregnancy.

3. Try, Try Again.

Realistic expectations.

Ovulation: a woman’s key to conception.

Sperm: the key to male fertility.

When everything seems to be going wrong.

Just the facts.

4. What Conceivably Can Go Wrong?

Coming to terms.

Whose problem is it, anyway?

What’s the problem?

Structural abnormalities in women.

Structural abnormalities in men.

Unexplained infertility.

Just the facts.

III Doctors and Diagnoses.

5. Choosing the Right Doctor.

Putting off the consultation.

Looking for Dr. Right.

Making the most of your consultation.

Taking charge of your fertility treatment.

The doctor-patient relationship.

Switching doctors.

Just the facts.

6. Getting to the Root of the Problem.

The infertility work-up.

Narrowing the possibilities.

Specialized tests for women.

Specialized tests for men.

Genetic testing.

Diagnostic decisions.

Getting ready for treatment.

Just the facts.

IV. Traditional Treatments.

7. Fertility Drugs and Other Nonsurgical Treatments.

Indications for fertility drugs.

Back to basics.

Ovulatory disorders and fertility drugs.

A guide to fertility drugs.

Fertility drugs for men.

Artificial insemination.

Just the facts.

8. Surgical Solutions.

Surgical innovations.

Surgical solutions for women.

Surgical solutions for men.

To have or not to have surgery.

Just the facts.

V. The Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

9. The Current and Future State of the ARTs.

Who do the ARTs help?

What’s involved?

The ARTs from A to Z.

Promising new techniques.

Cryopreservation today and tomorrow.

Embryonic stem cell research.

Cloning.

Just the facts.

10. Considering the ARTs.

Emotional considerations.

Medical considerations.

Other considerations.

Choosing an ART program.

Making sense of ART success.

Factors influencing success.

Other important decisions to make.

Just the facts.

VI. Alternative Solutions.

11. Is Third-Party Reproduction Right for You?

Third-party reproduction options.

Considering third-party reproduction.

To tell or not to tell.

The adoption option.

Just the facts.

12. Pursuing Third-Party Reproduction.

Sperm donation.

Egg donation.

Embryo donation (and sperm/egg donation).

Traditional surrogacy.

Gestational carriers.

A summary of the options.

Finding a program or agency.

Screening and other guidelines.

Important questions to ask.1

Just the facts.

13. Complementary and Alternative Solutions.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

CAM and infertility.

Should you go the alternative route?

Just the facts.

VII. The Social, Emotional, and Financial Sides.

14. The Infertile Couple.

...And doctor makes three.

Sex on schedule.

Fertility fights: whose fault is it, anyway?

How men and women cope with infertility.

Talking it over...and over.

Fertility rights.

Long-term effects.

Just the facts.

15. Living and Working in the Fertile World.

Coming out.

The fertile earth.

Job interference.

Working through your problems.

Just the facts.

16. Surviving and Resolving Infertility.

A multitude of losses.

Regaining control.

Mourning your losses.

Survival strategies.

Deciding that enough is enough.

Childless by chance...or choice.

Just the facts.

17. Money Matters.

The costs of treatment.

The insurance debate.

What’s covered, what’s not.

Cost-cutting strategies.

State mandates.

A few final thoughts.

Just the facts.

A. Glossary.

B. Recommended Reading List.

C. Resource Guide.

D. Sample Genetic Testing Flow Sheet.

E. State-by-State Infertility Insurance Coverage.

Index.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.