79 couples have completed the survey! 21 more until I reach my goal... please pass the word on to anyone you know!
THANK YOU!
Comments: (0)
For the people of Haiti impacted by this devastating quake. For the mothers and fathers who lost children, and the children who lost parents. For those who were living in poverty before, for whom it seemed things could not get worse- and for whom it will now be unthinkably hard to survive in a world filled with destruction, death, and loss.
I have a patient whose family is in Haiti. She is waiting in anxious desperation to know whether they have survived. My heart aches for this young woman, whose traumatic background seemed to be more than one person could bear when I sat across from her, as her therapist, two days ago... before any of this had even happened. May she not suffer further loss, may those she love be safe.
My hope is that those of us whose hearts ache tonight will find a way- small or big- to contribute to the aid and relief that this country now so desperately needs.
An immediate action that we can all take- send a text to 90999 with the word "Haiti" in it. $10 will go to the Red Cross' relief efforts. Here's more info: http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/disaster_haiti .
Tonight, I feel undeserving of all that I have... of the gifts of love, family, food, and shelter that I so often take for granted.
I have a patient whose family is in Haiti. She is waiting in anxious desperation to know whether they have survived. My heart aches for this young woman, whose traumatic background seemed to be more than one person could bear when I sat across from her, as her therapist, two days ago... before any of this had even happened. May she not suffer further loss, may those she love be safe.
My hope is that those of us whose hearts ache tonight will find a way- small or big- to contribute to the aid and relief that this country now so desperately needs.
An immediate action that we can all take- send a text to 90999 with the word "Haiti" in it. $10 will go to the Red Cross' relief efforts. Here's more info: http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/disaster_haiti .
Tonight, I feel undeserving of all that I have... of the gifts of love, family, food, and shelter that I so often take for granted.
Comments: (0)
(Please see earlier posts if you are looking for information about how to participate in my research study.)
It has been a busy couple of weeks, and I am grateful to be making progress (slowly but surely). Every couple added to my list represents a step forward. I have had the time to read through hundreds of blogs. I have emailed with many engaging women who have been so generous with their time. Within a few weeks, I should be able to take a look at the data.
I continue to be amazed, impressed, and awed by the IF community. I hope that this dissertation will do justice to the experiences of the women and men who have taken part in the study, and even more importantly, I hope that the recommendations I make will have an impact on the way the mental health community approaches the issue of infertility.
So again, my thanks to all of you.
It has been a busy couple of weeks, and I am grateful to be making progress (slowly but surely). Every couple added to my list represents a step forward. I have had the time to read through hundreds of blogs. I have emailed with many engaging women who have been so generous with their time. Within a few weeks, I should be able to take a look at the data.
I continue to be amazed, impressed, and awed by the IF community. I hope that this dissertation will do justice to the experiences of the women and men who have taken part in the study, and even more importantly, I hope that the recommendations I make will have an impact on the way the mental health community approaches the issue of infertility.
So again, my thanks to all of you.
Hello IF bloggers! Thanks for stopping by. If you came here by way of a comment I left for you about my research, you may want to go back a few posts where you can read all about it. As always, feel free to email me at utinfertilityresearch@gmail.com .
When I started my dissertation data collection, I thought I would have little trouble finding participants. I put out a few "feelers" on sites such as IVFConnections.com and TheBump.com, and had lots of women indicate that they would be willing to participate. What I did not anticipate is how challenging it would be to recruit their husbands to take part in the study. Initially, I thought maybe it was an issue of compensation- hence the free movie tickets that I am giving to those couples who complete the survey. However, this does not seem to be the case.
I am curious to hear your thoughts, Blog-world- why do many men seem hesitant to respond to questions about the issue of infertility, while women are so eager to do so? (As a researcher, I have about 1000 hypotheses- but I would rather hear from all of you.)
My goal is 100 couples. It seems like a modest goal, doesn't it? Right now, I am inching towards 50. Halfway there. If you know ANYONE who might be willing to take part, or have ideas of other ways to reach out to the infertile community, please don't hesitate to contact me.
With a sample of 100 couples, I think I have a great shot at publication... and a chance to be "heard" by the medical community, infertility clinics, etc. And the more I connect with people, the more I realize how much our voices need to be heard. How lacking our current resources for mental health and relationship issues related to IF are.
I do believe that together we can make an impact, for those of us who are currently struggling and those who will face this battle down the road. So thank you for the invaluable role you play in this process!
When I started my dissertation data collection, I thought I would have little trouble finding participants. I put out a few "feelers" on sites such as IVFConnections.com and TheBump.com, and had lots of women indicate that they would be willing to participate. What I did not anticipate is how challenging it would be to recruit their husbands to take part in the study. Initially, I thought maybe it was an issue of compensation- hence the free movie tickets that I am giving to those couples who complete the survey. However, this does not seem to be the case.
I am curious to hear your thoughts, Blog-world- why do many men seem hesitant to respond to questions about the issue of infertility, while women are so eager to do so? (As a researcher, I have about 1000 hypotheses- but I would rather hear from all of you.)
My goal is 100 couples. It seems like a modest goal, doesn't it? Right now, I am inching towards 50. Halfway there. If you know ANYONE who might be willing to take part, or have ideas of other ways to reach out to the infertile community, please don't hesitate to contact me.
With a sample of 100 couples, I think I have a great shot at publication... and a chance to be "heard" by the medical community, infertility clinics, etc. And the more I connect with people, the more I realize how much our voices need to be heard. How lacking our current resources for mental health and relationship issues related to IF are.
I do believe that together we can make an impact, for those of us who are currently struggling and those who will face this battle down the road. So thank you for the invaluable role you play in this process!
So anyone who has found their way to this page has most likely been recently contacted by me through their blog. Please see previous posts for more info about my research and how you can be a part of it.
Over the past week, I have been finding every IF blog I can... and it's a long process because I want to stop and read about the women I am contacting.
All I can say is... wow. Your stories are amazing, inspiring, overwhelming, and most of all moving. You are reminding me of why I undertook this research in the first place, and the goals I have set for myself. I want to take the pain of my own IF/RPL experiences and use them to help those who stand in those shoes and fight that unthinkably hard battle. And each of you (and your husbands) who take the time to complete my survey will help me do so. You will be an integral part of this effort. And one day, there will be better, more caring support services for infertile couples. My career will be dedicated to making this happen to whatever extent I possibly can.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Over the past week, I have been finding every IF blog I can... and it's a long process because I want to stop and read about the women I am contacting.
All I can say is... wow. Your stories are amazing, inspiring, overwhelming, and most of all moving. You are reminding me of why I undertook this research in the first place, and the goals I have set for myself. I want to take the pain of my own IF/RPL experiences and use them to help those who stand in those shoes and fight that unthinkably hard battle. And each of you (and your husbands) who take the time to complete my survey will help me do so. You will be an integral part of this effort. And one day, there will be better, more caring support services for infertile couples. My career will be dedicated to making this happen to whatever extent I possibly can.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Thanks for stopping by!
Please read the post below for more info, and email me at UTInfertilityResearch@gmail.com to participate!
Please read the post below for more info, and email me at UTInfertilityResearch@gmail.com to participate!
Comments: (1)
Hello!
If you have come across this page, it is most likely because you received an invitation from me to participate in my dissertation research. So thanks for checking me out- I hope this will answer some questions about who I am and why I am doing this work!
If you read through this blog, you can follow my story. I used this space to chronicle the experiences and memories of a painful journey of infertility and loss. I survived countless Clomid cycles, a septum resection, three fresh IVFs, a FET, an early miscarriage, a heterotopic pregnancy, a loss of twins at 20 weeks due to an incompetent cervix, the placement of a transabdominal cerclage, and lots of bedrest before finally giving birth to my wonderful children, Isabelle and Julien.
I also became an example of that cliche - people who get pregnant spontaneously after struggling for years with IF- and 22 months after the birth of my twins had a singleton, Alec. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would get pregnant without the use of doctors, needles, and artificial hormones. Such is the craziness of the world of infertility, I suppose.
So here I am on the other side, and I find myself equally committed to the "cause". I have devoted my dissertation research to understanding the impact of an IF diagnosis and the treatment process on marriage. In a nutshell, I think the kinds of support that mental health professionals have offered infertile couples has been woefully limited, and I want to change that. My hope is that this study will provide much-needed information that will shape psychological interventions for infertile couples.
I can't do this without your help. I am seeking couples who will give just a little of their time- 20 or so minutes- to complete an online survey. It's not painful. You might even find it kind of interesting. But I can tell you with certainty that it will help fill a gap in our understanding of the needs of people like you and me. And, as a token of my gratitude for your time, I will send each couple who completes the surveys a voucher for free movie tickets.
If you're interested, please contact me at UTInfertilityResearch@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you!
Warmly,
Elisabeth B. Morray, MA
Doctoral Candidate
The University of Texas at Austin
If you have come across this page, it is most likely because you received an invitation from me to participate in my dissertation research. So thanks for checking me out- I hope this will answer some questions about who I am and why I am doing this work!
If you read through this blog, you can follow my story. I used this space to chronicle the experiences and memories of a painful journey of infertility and loss. I survived countless Clomid cycles, a septum resection, three fresh IVFs, a FET, an early miscarriage, a heterotopic pregnancy, a loss of twins at 20 weeks due to an incompetent cervix, the placement of a transabdominal cerclage, and lots of bedrest before finally giving birth to my wonderful children, Isabelle and Julien.
I also became an example of that cliche - people who get pregnant spontaneously after struggling for years with IF- and 22 months after the birth of my twins had a singleton, Alec. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would get pregnant without the use of doctors, needles, and artificial hormones. Such is the craziness of the world of infertility, I suppose.
So here I am on the other side, and I find myself equally committed to the "cause". I have devoted my dissertation research to understanding the impact of an IF diagnosis and the treatment process on marriage. In a nutshell, I think the kinds of support that mental health professionals have offered infertile couples has been woefully limited, and I want to change that. My hope is that this study will provide much-needed information that will shape psychological interventions for infertile couples.
I can't do this without your help. I am seeking couples who will give just a little of their time- 20 or so minutes- to complete an online survey. It's not painful. You might even find it kind of interesting. But I can tell you with certainty that it will help fill a gap in our understanding of the needs of people like you and me. And, as a token of my gratitude for your time, I will send each couple who completes the surveys a voucher for free movie tickets.
If you're interested, please contact me at UTInfertilityResearch@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you!
Warmly,
Elisabeth B. Morray, MA
Doctoral Candidate
The University of Texas at Austin