Resources for Infertility and Parental Mental Health
Health Care Practitioners
-
Dr. Laura Nicholas - Fertility, Pregnancy, and Genecology
Dr. Alyssa Trombley - Women’s Health and Stress
Dr. Katie Schiavon - Women’s Health, Fertility, and Digestion
Dr. Kali MacIssac - Fertility Naturopathic Doctor
-
Yasmin Devji R.Ac., DTCM - Fertility and Pregnancy
Yinstill - Reproductive Wellness
-
Ova Women’s Health - Nasim Delfaninejad
Bump Physio - Lacey Forsyth
-
Massage Therapy on 9th - Shalan Davis - Pre and postnatal massage
Acumamas Wellness - prenatal massage
Information and Support
-
Infertility and Fertility Treatment
Fertility Matters Canada - online support groups for infertility
Fertility Clinic Support Groups - Olive Fertility Support Circle
Mindfullness for Fertility - virtual 8 week program for individuals trying to conceive
-
Postpartum Support
Pacific Postpartum Support Society - peer support
Postpartum Support International - online support groups worldwide
Reproductive Mental Health BC - requires a referral from your GP
The Canadian Perinatal Wellness Collective - monthly support calls
-
Third Party Reproduction
Donor Conception Canada - Free support Groups for parents using donor eggs, sperm, or embryos
Surrogacy in Canada - Information and Support
Donor Conception Network - UK based organization available for donor egg, sperm, and embryo recipients worldwide
Donor Conceived Best Practices and Connections Facebook Group - learn from Donor Conceived Adults about parenting a child who is donor conceived
Book Recommendations
Children’s Books (for children conceived after infertility, loss, surrogacy, IVF, or third party reproduction)
Hattie Peck - perfect for donor eggs
Robo-Babies - Covers infertility, surrogacy, adoption, premature babies, and IVF
Wish - perfect for any family that had to wait for their miracle baby
I’ve Loved You Since Forever - also heartwarming for anyone who struggled to conceive
Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You - for anyone who loves their child more than anything
What Makes a Baby - uses all the proper scientific terminology, fantastic book for explaining to young children about how babies are made, whether traditionally or using donor gametes or a surrogate
Happy Together Series (tailored books for donor egg, donor sperm, surrogacy, embryo adoption, single mom, same sex parents, and IVF families)
Make your own book for your child with photos of your journey - perfect way to incorporate telling your child their unique conception story from a young age
Books for Adults (regarding trying to conceive, fertility treatment, parenting, and raising donor-conceived children)
Hilariously Infertile - adds some much needed levity for anyone struggling to conceive or undergoing fertility treatment
Infreakinfertility: How to Survive When Getting Pregnant Gets Hard” - another one to add some humour into an exhausting subject matter, helps women feel validated but also provides lots of laughs
The Trying Game - funny book but with a lot of tangible useful information about the fertility treatment process
It Starts with the Egg - discusses research about the impact of egg quality and gives recommendations on how to boost egg quality and increase the chances of success with fertility treatment
Becoming by Michelle Obama - outlines her experience of pregnancy loss and fertility treatment, can be helpful to hear from famous people who dealt with infertility to help normalize this very common struggle
Three Makes Baby - written by a mental health professional who is also an adoptee and an adopted mom, this book is an excellent resource about parenting non-biological children
Emily Oster’s Expecting Better and Cribsheet - written by an economics professor, she provides an in depth look at the research regarding many topics that trigger anxiety for new parents and expectant parents
Bringing up Bebe - American woman raising a baby in Paris shares her observations about the differences in the way Parisian parents and offers some guidance for new parents who want to learn this style of childrearing