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I Should Do What?

Crazy Fertility Advice:
Fact vs. Fiction

By Kelly Burgess

In fact, her experience dealing with what she prefers to call "reproductive difficulties" led her to found the American Fertility Association, which helps to raise awareness regarding infertility issues.

Connie Livingston, a registered nurse and administrator of BirthSource.com, says there's so much crazy advice on the Internet that in their doula training seminars, they hand out lists of Web sites that they know are medically legitimate. "On the Internet, people can say anything at all and make them seem as if they are knowledgeable or a legitimate source when, in fact, it may be just their opinion or something their grandma told them," she says.

While Livingston deals mainly with pregnant women, her questions to ask for those relying on the Internet for health information can apply to women seeking fertility advice as well:

• Is the person/site giving the advice a legitimate health care professional/organization?
• Does the advice contradict any information your own doctor may have given you?
• Is the copyright up to date on the site, reflecting the most recent available research?

The reason it's important to dispel these myths and combat the useless advice is because if couples rely on anecdotes and misinformation, they may not realize they need professional help, Falk says. In addition to helping people realize when they need a professional, Fertility LifeLines can give those undergoing infertility treatments something they may need even more than good advice: a sympathetic and professional ear. Those who prefer the telephone can call 1-866-LETS-TRY and spea frankly and at length with infertility nurses – something that's often difficult to do in the medical office setting.

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