Are you a pregnancy test addict? Don’t be embarrassed to say yes. Many of those trying to get pregnant over a long period of time grow addicted to taking pregnancy tests. It’s not so much of a problem if you only take a pregnancy test once your period is late, but for most pregnancy test addicts, testing begins up to four days before they expect their period.

• When to Take a Pregnancy Test

Repeated negative tests don’t seem to sway anyone from doing it again next month. After all, you weren’t pregnant that time. Maybe this time you will be pregnant, and you’ll know three days early. Right?

Well, it’s not that simple. Even if you are pregnant, the chances of getting an early positive result are pretty slim.

I used to be a pregnancy test addict. I got pregnancy tests from the dollar store, so I didn’t feel like I was throwing money away. But month after month of negative results, I finally realized that taking the test earlier wasn’t helping. It was driving me crazy. Because if I got a negative result the day before my period was due, it didn’t mean a thing. I could be pregnant. Or I might not be pregnant.

Plus, the worst thing was that I’d get so hopeful, and then, when the second pink line wouldn’t show up, my heart would just ache from disappointment.

I think I can say I’m a recovered pregnancy test addict now. I try not to keep pregnancy tests in the house, to avoid relapse. If my period is ever actually late, I can go and buy a test.

How about you? Are you addicted to peeing on a stick? Take the poll, and feel free to share your thoughts in the forums or below in the comments.

The holidays can be a time of great joy and celebration. However, for many couples coping with infertility, the holidays bring up feelings that are less than joyful. It can help to connect with those who understand, and so if you feel a little blue, wishing someone understood where you are coming from – I encourage you to check out our infertility message boards.

We’ve got some great topics brewing, and as always, you’re more than welcome to start a new thread.

Here’s a taste of what we’re talking about this week:

• The Holidays with Infertility

  The holidays aren’t easy when you’re coping with infertility. How did your holidays go? Come in and share.

• IUI Virgin

  New forum member is a self-described IUI virgin. She’s looking for info from those who have had IUI treatment, and could share their experiences or tips. Have you done IUI? Then come and offer this member support, plus tips if you’ve got them!

If these topics don’t sound like your kind of thing, come in and see what else we’re talking about. Or, better yet, start a new thread. Ask a question, vent, share your thoughts, or just post an introduction. We’d love to have you!

• Visit our Infertility Forums

PS. Do you know about our email newsletter? Get updates every week on new articles and forum happenings, delivered to your in-box. Click here to check out our Fertility Newsletter.

You may have read in the news about the Vatican’s recent bioethics document, “Dignitas Personae” or “The Dignity of a Person”, which speaks out against IVF and embryo freezing, among other topics.

According to this New York Times article, fertility treatments like IVF and embryo freezing go against the Catholic Church’s belief that every life, even at the embryonic stage, is sacred. Also, according to the article, the Catholic Church believes that babies should only be conceived by natural intercourse – and not via lab techniques.

The article also mentioned that many Catholics are unaware of the church’s ban against IVF. Which got me thinking – how many people consider their religious beliefs before deciding what fertility treatments they’ll use or not? What role does religion play in a couple’s approach to infertility?

I know some find comfort in religion or spirituality when it comes to coping with the pain of infertility. But there is a difference between finding comfort, and taking direction on which treatments to try.

Personally, my religion does play a strong role in which treatments I will try, and how I will use them -- but that has never diminished my options. I might have felt differently if they did.

On the other hand, I’m not the type that finds comfort for my infertility in religion. One only needs to look at Rachel and Sara from the Bible for examples of women who couldn’t get pregnant, and didn’t seem to take comfort in the idea that it was God’s will. In my reading of these stories, they seemed quite angry about their situation.

What are your thoughts? Do you look to your religion for direction on what treatments you’ll try or not? Do you seek comfort in religion when it comes to coping with infertility? If you’re Catholic, how do you feel about the Vatican’s ban on IVF?

Take the poll above, and share your thoughts in the comments below.

What would you do with extra frozen embryos after IVF, if you had any? Would you donate them to another couple? Give them to science? Throw them out?

In a recent study in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility, researchers asked couples what they would most likely choose to do with leftover frozen embryos. The study involved 1,020 fertility patients, culled from nine fertility clinics around the United States of America. The options were to store for a later IVF cycle, thaw and discard, donate to another couple, keep frozen indefinitely, or donate for research. Patients were also asked if they would prefer an alternate option, of either holding a disposal ceremony, or having the embryos placed in the woman’s body at an infertile time, so that they would “naturally” die.

The study found that 54% wanted to keep them for later use, like a sibling for their IVF child. About 21% said they would donate them for research, and 7% or fewer were likely to choose any other choice.

I’m not really surprised about the results, though from the looks of news sites that reported on this new research (for example, this New York Times Article: Parents Torn Over Fate of Frozen Embryos), I wonder if I’m alone in my non-surprise.

Personally, if I had extra embryos, I think I would either keep them for another baby, or I’d donate them to science. If I couldn’t do that, I probably would end up leaving them frozen, just because choosing to have them thawed would be a difficult choice.

One thing I’m almost sure I wouldn’t do is donate them to another couple. I think it’s wonderful that some couples can do that, but for me, I would feel like someone else was raising my child. On the other hand, if the embryos are thrown away, then the potential life just goes to waste.

Obviously, I’m not really sure what I’d choose, and it looks like my indecision is common: there are an estimated 400,000 frozen embryos in clinics across the country.

There is so much more to say about this topic, but I’d like to hear from you. What do you think you’d choose? And would you go about your IVF cycle any differently to avoid extra embryos? (Keeping mind that that fertilizing fewer eggs may lower your chances of having healthy ones to transfer, and that if the cycle failed, you’d have to do it all over again from the start, since you wouldn’t have frozen embryos waiting to be thawed and transferred.)

What are your thoughts on this sensitive but important topic? Share your opinion in the comments below, and be sure to vote in the poll!