I'm Infertile…Now What?

July marks the beginning of some new adventures for me and I am very excited!

1.  I will be doing a Forum/Discussion/Support Group about coping with infertility in my hometown of Littleton, Colorado. It is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14th from 7:00-8:30PM. It is FREE. There are PRIZES. It will be GREAT!! For more information and to register, click here. Please tell your friends…the more the merrier!

2.  I will be at the Denver Deseret Book store on Saturday, July 17th from 11AM-1PM to talk about infertility and to sign copies of my book. This will be my first Deseret Book engagement and hopefully not my last!! Please join me!! Here is more information: http://deseretbook.com/stores/event/371

3.  I will be speaking at the Families Supporting Adoption National Conference in Layton, UT. My topic will be “Survival of the Fittest: Surviving, Coping With, and Living Beyond Infertility” and I am THRILLED with this opportunity. If you want to join me at this event, go here.

There is more to come, but this is just the beginning…I can’t wait!!

I am a little slow with my beginning of the month updates at www.ldsinfertility.org, yet they are up and ready for you to enjoy!

I have posted “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”, May’s Think & Share. Even though I have stolen 5 days from your time to “think”, the topic is super easy and I am sure you will have no problems “sharing” on this one! The deadline is May 15th and I have confidence in the developing responses…they are always amazing!

I have also shared what is On My Mind this month: “The Dreaded Words…Happy Mother’s Day”. We all need a little bit of strength and some good, tangible helps to get through this hard holiday.

I have taken just a few moments to evaluate the Utah Infertility Awareness Event which took place on April 24th. “Event. Done. Success.” will walk you through the great things we accomplished in the first ever event!

Enjoy looking through the site…

I began concocting the idea of organizing the first ever Utah Infertility Awareness Event only two months ago, and now that I look back on those two months, there have been a multitude of “never knews” that continue to amaze me. Here are a few…

1. I never knew that 2 months would fly by so quickly. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday…and then it is here!

2. I never knew that I could pull a committee together with so many resources and amazing skills. How wonderful it has been to rely on capable and talented people!

3.  I never knew that there would be such a motivated response from fertility specialists and other professionals who support couples who are dealing with infertility. I have been so blessed by involvement from so many sources.

4.  I never knew that we would be able to offer so many resources to each participant as they try to understand their journey to a family. I am excited as companies have shared fabulous literature that we can pass on to our friends on Saturday. You will be amazed at what we have to give!

5.  I never knew that out of this singular event, would I be able to fan a flame of such intense interest from the community that I am considering creating more events, providing more resources, and encouraging more dialogue in new and different ways. We shall see what happens…

I am beyond excited as every last detail is falling into place. With nearly every seat full (we only have a few spots left), with great prizes for the giveaway, with fabulous food planned, and with noteworthy speakers…how could I not be excited? It will be a great event!!

One last thing…I have posted April’s Think & Share responses, which are absolutely amazing! I cannot express how impressed I am with the words of such great women. To check out the responses, click here.

Did you know that RESOLVE (The National Infertility Association) has FREE seminars on infertility? And, you don’t even have to leave the comfort and privacy of your own home.

I knew these seminars existed but was always “scared” of them until just recently. Perhaps the “scared” part was because of the unknown…I didn’t know how they worked and had no clue how I would be part of a discussion over the phone. Well, I went out of my comfort zone and “attended” one not too long ago and found out they are certainly nothing to be scared of. In fact, they are a great resource!! When you dial in, you put yourself on mute by doing a special key code so no one can even hear you breathing! What more could you ask for? Additionally, they have no way of knowing who is on the phone, so, they know someone is on the phone, but they don’t know who it is. Anonymity. Priceless.

RESOLVE works diligently to make sure they present the latest research and provide the best information about infertility. You should see the topics they have available!! This is something to not miss out on. And, if you miss a seminar…you can download it and listen to it at your leisure. Topics range from adoption to mental health, PCOS to endometriosis, as well as nutrition and infertility to exploring a childfree lifestyle.

Here is how it works…

RESOLVE hosts these tele-seminars every Thursday at 9:00PM EASTERN TIME. They are open to whomever would like to listen and to be a part of learning about infertility. All you need to do is go here, look at the calendar of topics, and click on one. Then click on “Sign Me Up”. Once you put in the information requested, you will receive an email with additional information. On the night of the seminar, all you need to do is pick up your phone and listen. It is a great way to learn!

Let me tempt you with some upcoming topics:

April 15th–Strengthening Your Marriage During Infertility
April 22nd–Infertility From a Guy’s Perspective
May 1st–Finding Emotional Support During Your Journey
May 13th–Talking About Your Infertility

Please try it…I know you will find it to be a wonderful and extremely helpful resource!!

Along with a phenomenal committee, I am coordinating a Utah Infertility Awareness Event. And, I must say, it promises to be amazing. How do I know?

We have 4 Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologists who will be speaking.

It is FREE. And, I am pretty sure no one can beat FREE, right? We do have limited seating available, however, so we have registration which will open April 1st. First come…first served. Let’s max out our capacity!!

We have great Giveaways. Here is a “sneak peak”…FREE New Patient Consultations, books about infertility, gift certificates, and much more.

Anyone is invited…fertile…infertile…men…women.

This is a first time event for Utah and will be a great opportunity to learn, share, network…all great things for raising awareness about infertility.

For more information, go to www.utahinfertilityawareness.com.

I was searching on the American Fertility Association’s (the AFA) website this morning and found a great resource! They have produced several small videos about varying aspects of infertility…infertility basics, male infertility, endometriosis, selecting a fertility clinic, etc. So, I am passing it on to you…check it out! It is always nice to find another resource as we try to understand infertility…

The AFA Community Education Modules

I have felt like March has been a whirlwind with so many great events happening…March truly has come in like a lion. With the launch of my book, I hosted my Book Release Party last Friday and Barnes and Noble invited me for my first official Book Signing last Saturday. Both events were a great success with many people coming to celebrate the book.  Thank you everyone! Additionally, we can celebrate that Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com both have copies of the book available for purchase…YIPPEE!!

My committee to plan a Kickoff Event for National Infertility Awareness Week met this past week. An amazing group of women as well as excited and cooperative professionals are making for a great event for April 24th! We will be having doctors and therapists speaking on subjects ranging from coping with infertility emotionally and socially to enhancing natural fertility. I cannot tell you how excited I am for this event. It will be the first time this is done in Utah. EVER. So, if you are in Utah, mark your calendars. And, if you are interested in more information as details become available, email me at kerstin.daynes@ldsinfertility.org.

With all this happening, I have overlooked the March Think & Share. The topic is a great one, but I have been so busy that I haven’t been so good at publicizing it. Today is the deadline and I am still looking for entries. I invite all who are out there that would like to participate to read the topic here and to share their feelings. Long or short entries are wonderful.

Thank you for being a part of a great cause. I am energized by the response I receive every day from people wanting to talk about infertility and to help the world to become more aware of its affects. Thank you!!

Today, I came across a blog post about journaling. The author of the blog talked about making cute, attractive, with a touch of personality journals and then writing in them. The best part…she includes some great ideas of how to make journaling fun and exciting. It is always a good idea to spice up our journal writing and to make it interesting to us now and intriguing for anyone else who might read it now or later. So, I was inspired to add “Take Up Journaling” as an Emotional/Mental way of coping with infertility on ldsinfertility.org. I have included the blog post that did the inspiring as well as an excerpt from my book…so, check it out here.

This year, National Infertility Awareness Week (hosted by the National Infertility Association, resolve.org) is April 24-May 1. I have decided to host a Kickoff Event on April 24th in Salt Lake City, UT. It will be an opportunity for couples dealing with infertility as well as those who are supporting friends and family dealing with infertility to come and learn more about this disease that affects 7.3 million Americans. The event will include educational sessions on various topics led by Reproductive Endocrinologists and Therapists.

I am looking for volunteers to serve on my committee. If you are interested, please email me at kerstin.daynes@ldsinfertility.org.

The results from February’s Think & Share have been posted. Thanks to all who participated. I am always amazed by your insights and the perspective you offer. If you would like to read what others have been thinking about “Life in Other Realms”, click here.