Conceivability : what I learned exploring the frontiers of fertility /
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2018Description: pages cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781501142369
- 1501142364
- 9781501142376
- 1501142372
- 618.1/780092 B 23
- RC889 .K358 2018
- BIO026000 | HEA041000 | HEA045000
Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Coeur d'Alene Library Adult Nonfiction | Coeur d'Alene Library | Book | 618.178 KATKIN (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610021739177 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Part memoir, part guide, this personal and deeply informative account of one woman's gripping journey through the global fertility industry in search of the solution to her own "unexplained infertility" exposes eye-opening information about the medical, financial, legal, scientific, emotional and ethical issues at stake.
Although conception may seem like a simple biological process, this is often hardly the case. While many would like to have children, the road toward conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy can be unexpectedly rocky and winding.
Lawyer Elizabeth Katkin never imagined her quest for children would ultimately involve seven miscarriages, eight fresh IVF cycles, two frozen IVF attempts, five natural pregnancies, four IVF pregnancies, ten doctors, six countries, two potential surrogates, nine years, and roughly $200,000. Despite her three Ivy League degrees and wealth of resources, Katkin found she was woefully undereducated when it came to understanding and confronting her own difficulties having children. Shattered by her inability to get and stay pregnant, Katkin surprised even herself by her determination to keep trying. After being told by four doctors she should give up, but without an explanation as to what exactly was going wrong with her body, Katkin decided to look for answers herself. The global investigation that followed revealed that approaches to the fertility process taken in many foreign countries are vastly different than those in the US and UK.
In Conceivability, Elizabeth Katkin, now a mother of two, shares her fertility journey. Part memoir, part practical guide--with an afterword by founder of New York Fertility Services Dr. Joel Batzofin-- Conceivability sheds light on the often murky and baffling world of conception science, presenting a shocking exposé into the practical and emotional journey toward creating a happy family. Armed with a wealth of knowledge from her years-long fertility struggle, as well as stories from other women and couples, Katkin bravely offers a look inside one of the most difficult, painful, rewarding, and loving journeys a woman can take.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Part memoir, part guide, this personal and deeply informative account of one woman's gripping journey through the global fertility industry in search of the solution to her own "unexplained infertility" exposes eye-opening information about the medical, financial, legal, scientific, emotional and ethical issues at stake. Although conception may seem like a simple biological process, this is often hardly the case. While many would like to have children, the road toward conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy can be unexpectedly rocky and winding. Lawyer Elizabeth Katkin never imagined her quest for children would ultimately involve seven miscarriages, eight fresh IVF cycles, two frozen IVF attempts, five natural pregnancies, four IVF pregnancies, ten doctors, six countries, two potential surrogates, nine years, and roughly $200,000. Despite her three Ivy League degrees and wealth of resources, Katkin found she was woefully undereducated when it came to understanding and confronting her own difficulties having children. Shattered by her inability to get and stay pregnant, Katkin surprised even herself by her determination to keep trying. After being told by four doctors she should give up, but without an explanation as to what exactly was going wrong with her body, Katkin decided to look for answers herself. The global investigation that followed revealed that approaches to the fertility process taken in many foreign countries are vastly different than those in the US and UK. In Conceivability, Elizabeth Katkin, now a mother of two, shares her fertility journey. Part memoir, part practical guide--with a foreword by founder of New York Fertility Services Dr. Joel Batzofin--Conceivability sheds light on the often murky and baffling world of conception science, presenting a shocking expose into the practical and emotional journey toward creating a happy family. Armed with a wealth of knowledge from her years-long fertility struggle, as well as stories from other women and couples, Katkin bravely offers a look inside one of the most difficult, painful, rewarding, and loving journeys a woman can take"--
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Introduction (p. xiii)
- 1 From Here to Infertility: Frontline Infertility Treatments (p. 1)
- 2 Finding the Yellow Brick Road: Navigating the Fertility Labyrinth (p. 13)
- 3 Go East, Young Lady: The World of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (p. 22)
- 4 You Always Remember Your First: The Ups and Downs of Pregnancy and Loss (p. 34)
- 5 Baby Steps: Minimally Invasive Treatment (p. 45)
- 6 The Big Guns: Moving on to 1VF (p. 51)
- 7 Understanding Modern ART: Key Aspects of Assisted Reproductive Technology (p. 63)
- 8 The Dark Horse: The Silent Faces of Miscarriage (p. 85)
- 9 Down the Rabbit Hole of Third-Party Parenting: Gestational Surrogacy (p. 115)
- 10 When It Takes a Village: Surrogacy and Egg Donation (p. 134)
- 11 Louise's Legacy: The Business of Baby-making (p. 162)
- 12 Pricing the "Priceless": Big Money and the Finance of Fertility (p. 178)
- 13 The Good, the Bad, and the Eggs: The Fundamental Debate About Egg Integrity (p. 198)
- 14 Minding the Gaps: Reflections on the Future of Fertility (p. 215)
- Epilogue (p. 235)
- Afterword (p. 237)
- Acknowledgments (p. 241)
- Notes (p. 247)
- Index (p. 283)
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Lawyer and debut author Katkin shares her trying experiences with fertility treatment in this in-depth memoir of her obstacle-ridden journey to motherhood. "Driven to share" the information she collected, Katkin takes readers on a relentless, 10-year quest to conceive two children; in the process, she spends $200,000, weathers seven miscarriages, and visits six countries and numerous physicians. Katkin interweaves research with her personal struggles; while her writing is replete with technical terms ("most IVF protocols rely on an injection of HCG 36 hours prior to egg collection"), she personalizes her research with anecdotes, such as the birthday she spent flying to Moscow for timely egg retrieval. Katkin perceptively explores the emotional pain of miscarriage and shares her feelings about adoption (which she and her husband considered) and surrogacy (their eventual choice.) Her story reveals the importance of becoming a savvy, educated consumer, questioning fertility protocols, and investigating different options. She also examines the ethical questions surrounding egg and sperm donation, and helps readers unpack confusing and sometimes conflicting laws. Katkin's lawyerly thoroughness has resulted in an invaluable and inspiring text that will be a boon to others navigating the deep and "choppy waters" of fertility treatment. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, MacKenzie Wolf. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.Kirkus Book Review
A chronicle of the great lengths one woman went through to conceive and birth two children.Denver-based lawyer Katkin was sure she wanted children. Like many women, she assumed it was much harder to avoid pregnancy than to become pregnant. However, after her first miscarriage, she began to realize that becoming a mother wasn't as easy as she originally thoughtbut she wasn't going to give up. As the years progressedyears filled with more miscarriages, hormone injections, in vitro fertilizations, and so many doctors' appointments that she lost trackher determination to have children only grew stronger. In her debut memoir, the author shares the various methods she and her husband used to finally have two healthy children in their lives. She thoroughly examines the medical side of her treatments, giving readers an in-depth accounting of hormone shots, the way the female body functions pre/during/and post pregnancy, the role a healthy uterus plays in keeping an embryo viable, and the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese medicine alongside IVF. Katkin discusses the inadequacies found in the United States when it comes to helping women deal with infertility issues and how patients become consumers, "shopping" for the best clinic when there are few standards, lax regulations, and almost no data on success rates to help patients make informed decisions. She shows how other countries around the world have far better information and rates of success than the U.S., which will lead some readers to question if they should look outside the U.S. for help with similar matters. Katkin also incorporates the stories of other couples, giving a wide-angle look at the pros and cons of medical intervention, the use of surrogate mothers, and the extreme measures many will go to in order to have a baby.A well-researched, informative, and positive account of a very long journey to motherhood. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Elizabeth Katkin, a lawyer and mother of two, is a former partner at a large international law firm. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia's Law School and School of International and Public Affairs, she lives with her husband, Richard, and their children in Denver, Colorado. Conceivability is her first book.There are no comments on this title.