by Dr. Silvia Fox | Jul 22, 2015 | Infertility
As a therapist specializing in women’s issues, I have regularly witnessed the struggles that many women and girls have with weight. After all, rare is the woman who has not felt the effects of our society’s obsession with thinness, on the one hand; and with food, on...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | Jul 6, 2015 | Infertility
If there is one piece of mail that every infertile woman dreads getting, it is the pastel-colored invitation with pictures of diapers, baby carriages or pacifiers. For most of those who go through infertility, a baby shower is not a cause for celebration. Instead, it...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 26, 2015 | Pregnancy Loss
“Ten years ago I stood in a temple in the Kamakura district of Tokyo, staring at hundreds upon hundreds of gray Buddha statues. Ranging in size from around 4 to 12 inches, they lined walkways, went up steps, and edged paths. Some were adorned with beads and flowers or...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 26, 2015 | Mother's Day
I know a woman. When I think of her, the first word that comes to mind is Mother. No, she doesn’t have a child. And still. Mother. Before she opens her eyes in the morning, her first thought is of him. Her dream baby. She saw him in her sleep again last night. He was...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 26, 2015 | Coping, Emotional Experience, Infertility, Pregnancy Loss, Resilience, Stories
This morning there was a lot of sadness in my office. My client “Dawn” has just miscarried after conceiving twins with IVF. She could barely drag herself in to see me—she has been literally hiding under the covers for the few days since her miscarriage. Now, in my...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 22, 2015 | Emotional Experience, Resilience
“Anonymous” commented on my post about spring. She mentioned that “as jackets and bulky winter clothes are shed, fertile bellies are much more visible” and she’s right, of course. But what caught my attention was this: “it seems every other woman is pregnant. If I...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 22, 2015 | Coping, Resilience
Spring is here and some of my clients are having a hard time. The references to birth, rebirth, renewal and blooming are all hitting a bit too close to home. It is as if the air is infused with giddiness about the growth of new life, the birth of babies, and the...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 22, 2015 | Infertility, Stories
I am quite familiar with the tundra myself. In my late twenties, I was finishing up my doctorate in clinical psychology and doing a residency at a Chicago hospital, when I first began learning about infertility. The hospital had a large fertility clinic and, as part...
by Dr. Silvia Fox | May 22, 2015 | Infertility, Stories
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Albert Camus This is a blog about surviving a Siberia of the soul. If you are infertile, you know this place well: it’s the social and emotional exile which women experience when...
