Creating My Fertility Plan

Taking control of the situation.

Many people are caught off guard when they realize they're having difficulty conceiving. They may find themselves overwhelmed as they attempt to sort through a sea of information about fertility issues and possible medical testing and treatment options.

How can you deal with this? Some people draw up a personal plan with their partner and healthcare provider to guide them through the process. It helps put things into perspective as you move forward and make difficult decisions. Putting your goals and concerns on paper can help you focus on what's important to you and your partner as you make difficult decisions. The plan isn't etched in stone. It's a work in progress. You can revise it anytime, particularly as your situation changes.

My Fertility Planning Guide is a template created to help you start developing your plan.

Developing a plan.

Developing My Fertility Plan begins with learning about fertility and by collaborating with your healthcare provider about which tests and treatments options might be appropriate for you. Once you have the facts, you and your partner can then start answering such personal questions as:

• How much time and money are we willing to commit to this?
• What are the emotional issues that we may encounter?
• What treatments are we willing or not willing to do for personal or religious reasons?
• When should we consider other options for starting a family?

These are tough questions for anyone to wrestle with, but they may help you make some concrete decisions towards taking control of your situation.

• My Fertility Planning Guide (135 KB)