In the latest installment of our special blog series, The Fertility Circle, we asked fertility expert Mindy Berkson of Lotus Blossom Consulting to share her insights into the most important strategies for women on their fertility journey.
Mindy works with men and women around the country, taking into consideration clients’ emotional, physical and financial infertility issues and orchestrating nationwide teams of multidisciplinary unbiased professionals to accomplish a treatment cycle. Most importantly, as a result of her own fertility struggles, Mindy provides an insider’s approach to the often-challenging roadblocks present in conquering infertility.
Mindy Berkson: Three Expert Tips for A Successful Fertility Journey
Tip #1
Know When It’s Time to Seek Out a Reproductive Endocrinologist
Conception is not always immediate especially for women who consciously choose to delay childbearing. Delayed childbearing seems to be the largest culprit of infertility. In fact, by the time a woman reaches 30 years of age, over 90 percent of her eggs have been depleted. If you are older than 33, and have been trying to conceive for longer than six months, it is a good idea to seek an opinion and a diagnostic workup from a Reproductive Endocrinologist.
Tip #2
Set Parameters and Have a Back-Up Plan
Having trouble getting pregnant can be mentally exhausting, and undergoing infertility treatment is stressful and demanding both physically and financially. In my experience, it is essential to set parameters for treatment options, have realistic expectations of a given treatment, and most importantly, have a back-up plan in place in the event that there is a failed cycle. Knowing what your financial reserve will allow can help you set the course of treatment. Speaking with your partner, sharing common goals for the course of treatment, and listening and being sensitive to each other’s thoughts and feelings is also very important and helps to relieve some stress during the process.
Tip #3
Become Your Own Best Advocate
The most important piece of advice from both a personal and a professional standpoint is to become your own best advocate. It is often difficult to know what questions to ask and it can be overwhelming to seek the best resources for an infertility cycle. This often requires an insider’s approach to the industry. Engaging an Infertility Consultant is an important first step to becoming your own best advocate and savvy consumer, especially when treatment involves egg donation and surrogacy. A qualified Infertility Consultant should provide clients with targeted questions specific to their diagnosis, identify resources to suit individual criteria, and secure a team of unbiased multi-disciplinary professionals to increase the chances of successfully accomplishing the client’s family building goals. Ultimately, being your own best advocate will help maximize chances of success and minimize financial expenditure.
Mindy Berkson is an infertility consultant with more than ten years of helping intended parents. She founded her consultancy, Lotus Blossom Consulting, after she had her own experience with infertility and felt a total absence of resources to help her navigate the complicated process or even just help her know the right questions to ask. Now considered an expert in the industry, Mindy has been that resource for thousands of intended parents; gay men, lesbian couples, heterosexual couples and both single men and women. More than 700 babies have been born as a result of Mindy’s resources, knowledge and experience. For more information about Mindy and her work, visit www.LotusBlossomConsulting.com.
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