Tag: infertility

Amid the Wait

This personal essay, appearing in JAMA’s regular “A Piece of My Mind” feature, details a health care provider Cia Merin Bishop’s experience of going through unsuccessful infertility treatment while practicing medicine and caring for patients in a pediatric intensive care unit. The essay poignantly portrays the emotional experience of undergoing infertility treatment. It also speaks to what it is like to be both physician and patient and the coping, support, and resilience she marshalls in order to continue to function at work while dealing with the physical and emotional impact of her own medical treatment. The author points out that this experience is not uncommon, citing studies that suggest about a quarter of female physicians experience infertility and 31% of female oncologists reported infertility requiring counseling or treatment. As she says, “I write this piece in solidarity with other women physicians. I write this piece as an anthem of our strength. And I write this piece to acknowledge the suffering within us, as we tend to the suffering around us.”

The dual focus of this moving and readable essay would make it equally useful for discussions of infertility and reproductive health as well as physician stress and resilience. It could also be a useful in a course or unit on narrative medicine as an example of how physician’s writing their own stories helps to humanize medicine.

Y Si Ya No Puedo, ¿Qué Hago?: Un Relato De Infertilidad

This story (10 minute read) describes the reality of being infertile when a woman yearns to have children. Patricia Cruz Pineda is a rare case (currently one in a million) who cannot have children naturally or using IVF. She and her husband divorced because his frustrated desire to be a father led to him start drinking heavily. She will never have children, and focuses on advice for women in her situation: focus on family, friends, and the community, and avoid events like children’s parties and baby showers for a while. Most useful for a community group focused on women’s health issues. Written in Peninsular dialect and very directive, which might draw mixed reactions from Latinx/Latin American readers.

Call me Francisca

Francisca had always had difficulty getting pregnant. That is why she was exhilarated when she found out the news that she was having a baby. However, after some tests, Francisca was informed that she was HIV positive. Her doctors gave her antivirals and frequent checkups to keep her viral load low, but they did not inform her about much else. She felt guilt-ridden. When the time came for her birth, she had a C-section performed by a different doctor. After her son was born, a nurse informed her that her sterilization went well. Francisca later sued the hospital for a violation of rights.

This narrative is available in a Spanish transcription and as an English translation. It originates from Chile in 2002. As a patient, Francisca’s trust and rights were violated. Accessible to upper intermediate Spanish readers; transcription helps with audio. Useful for discussion of reproductive rights, women’s health.

The ART of infertility

This is the link to a website for a national arts organization based in Michigan and Wisconsin. The organization curate art exhibits that portray living with infertility, designes curricula and writing worksins, plans outreach events, and advocates for infertility rights. They dsribe their missions as follows: “Through art, we break the silence around reproductive grief and push back against common misconceptions. We invite you to join us in our fight to make infertility visible.”

The site includes galleries of exhibitions, including photos with artist statements and a blog that features personal narratives about the experiences of infertility.