I am a woman. I have all the biological requirements to have a child. Yet, I do not have the instincts or rational desire to do so. Does that make me less of a woman to not want to have a child either by using my body, my eggs, or my money to adopt?

My parents are the only people who, when I said I didn't want to have kids, responded with, "Sounds like a good idea." They married because I was on the way and … Read More

You and me and baby makes three, or four in the case of the celeb super-star family headed up by Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. But it's not enough for Ben, whom In Touch Weekly reports (via celebitchy.com) is suffering from "estrogen overload." And what an estrogen overload it is: not only does his household include a bombshell of a wife and adorable daughters Violet (3) and Seraphina (7 months), but also an on-again-off-again live-in mother-in-law. A lesser man might settle for a cat, but not Ben: desperate for a son to call his … Read More

You ever been smacked in the face with the perfect solution to a nearly intractable problem? And when the smacking recedes, the red mark on your face is one of disappointment in yourself? And the handprint on that red mark has the word "duh" written in hieroglyphics?
Science has just goon-handed the lot of us across the kisser with this tasty little treat: male fertility can be increased by up to 26% by ejaculating daily (rather 26% of sperm damage can be decreased by b-ing an l on the nightly tip). Per LittleAbout.com, motility (whose lack is … Read More

Part four of a four-part series on male infertility. Click here to read parts one, two and three.

For me and Amy, however, there was always more hope, always another chance to get pregnant. The next peak in the Fertility Himalayas, ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), was a technique developed in 1992 for severe cases of male infertility in which healthy looking single sperms are literally inserted into healthy seeming eggs. The goal is multiple fertilizations. The fertilized eggs can then be frozen and preserved, or returned to the womb to (hopefully) develop.

ICSI took place in a private hospital. … Read More

Part three of a four-part series on male infertility. Click here to read parts one, two and four. 

Amy had been referred to a Beverly Hills fertility doctor, who was so reassuring that I took him to calling him Dr. Mellow. His office had a wall of photos of smiling babies, as if to say, "This will be you."  

We sat in his waiting room holding hands. We believed. We didn't know we had just taken our seats inside the Hope Factory.

Once inside, the possibility of getting pregnant never ended. If one technique failed, you tried another, and … Read More

From the time we enter adolescence, we're told how not to get pregnant. When we get a bit older, we're told what not to do if we are pregnant. But what should couples be doing if they aren't yet pregnant, but want to be?

For starters, take cough medicine.

So says Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect Before You're Expecting (and the entire series of What to Expect books). During an appearance on the CBS Early Show this week, Murkoff explained that there are a variety of unorthodox ways that couples can make baby-making easier. The Pros And … Read More

Let's first make something clear. We don't think everyone should procreate. In some cases, we really wish they wouldn't. In fact, if we had our druthers, we might actually sit down with a few of them and ask: "Are you really sure you want to do this, Mrs. Hitler?"

That being said, we also aren't in favor of arbitrarily picking and choosing who should be allowed to receive fertility treatments. The New Way To Have It All: First Baby, Then Love

For example, if you're a 27-year-old woman who's been trying for over three years to get knocked up, … Read More

Just when we thought it was fine for a woman to marry at any age she damn-well pleased, some guy in Texas has come along to correct us.

And sadly, the guy is not just any guy, but a sociologist who teaches at a legitimate university (University of Texas-Austin) and publishes books that are considered academic (the latest is titled Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers).

His name is Mark Regnerus. And in a new piece for the Washington Post, he says that — while he sees no issue with the fact that men are marrying … Read More

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt discusses her new book, In Her Own Sweet Time, which attempts to reconcile modern love with modern life.

Read The New Way To Have It All: First Baby, Then Love for more about the way modern women are approaching love, family and career.

In 1983, legendary Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown released a book called Having It All, in which she outlined tips for women hoping to find success in the workplace, at home and in bed. The past 25 years have left women's plates increasingly—some might argue, precariously—overloaded, as they try to maintain healthy portions of career, love and family. In her upcoming new book, In Her Own Sweet Time: Unexpected Adventures In Finding Love, Commitment, And Motherhood, New York City journalist Rachel Lehmann-Haupt explores the expanding buffet of choices that exist for women hoping to "have it all" today. … Read More