Fertility Resources
We have compiled a list of books, websites, apps, podcasts and more to offer additional support for your fertility journey. These resources should not substitute for medical treatment or professional counseling.
Helpful Apps
Documentaries/Movies
Anonymous Father’s Day – Explores the stories of women and men who are the children of sperm donors.
Donor Unknown – Donor Unknown follows the story of JoEllen Marsh, 20, as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150.
Don’t Talk About The Baby – The first documentary to explore the cultural stigmas surrounding pregnancy loss and infertility.
Father Mother Donor Child – A documentary about third-party reproduction and what it means for these children, donors and parents.
One More Shot – A film that follows a couple on their journey with fertility treatment, exposing the relational impact infertility has on a couple and a family in a raw and honest way.
Private Life – An author (Kathryn Hahn) is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband (Paul Giamatti) on edge. (available on Netflix)
Sperm Donors Anonymous – A cautionary and inspiring tale about the effects of anonymous sperm donation on donor-conceived children, their families and on the sperm donors themselves.
Podcasts
Websites
CDs
CCRM’s Relaxation and Guided Imagery for Medicated Cycles and General Relaxation for Stress Reduction (available on the CCRM patient portal).
Health Journeys Guided Meditations Help with Fertility by Bellaruth Naparstek
Imagery and Meditations to Support a Medicated Cycle by Jennifer Bloom
Visualizing Pregnancy by Kathy Freston
Infertility and A.R.T. / Coping With Infertility Books
If at first you don’t conceive: A Complete Guide to Infertility from one of the Nation’s Leading Clinics by William Schoolcraft (2010).
Conquering Infertility: Dr. Alice Domar’s Mind/Body Guide to Enhancing Fertility and Coping with Infertility by Alice Domar (2004).
Healing Mind, Healthy Woman: Using the Mind-Body Connection to Manage Stress and Take Control of Your Life by Alice Domar (1997).
Infertility and PTSD: The Uncharted Storm by Joanna Flemons (2018).
It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF by Rebecca Fett (2014).
Managing the Stress of Infertility: How to Balance Your Emotions, Get the Support You Need, and Deal with Painful Social Situations When You’re Trying to Get Pregnant by Carol Fulwiler-Jones (2013).
Preparing for IVF: Approach Your IVF with Confidence and Courage by Lisa Newton (2018).
Surviving Infertility: A Compassionate Guide Through the Emotional Crisis of Infertility by Linda Salzer (1986).
Your Fertility. Your Family. The Many Roads to Conception. by William Schoolcraft, M.D., HCLD and the Staff at CCRM Fertility (2019).
The Trying Game: Get Through Fertility Treatment and Get Pregnant Without Losing Your Mind by Amy Klein (2020).
The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood by Belle Boggs (2016).
The Couples Guide to Fertility, Third Edition by Gary Berger, Mark Fuerst, and Marc Goldstein (2001).
The Infertility Survival Handbook: Everything You Never Thought You’d Need to Know by Elizabeth Swire-Falker (2004).
The Infertility Workbook: A Mind-Body Program to Enhance Fertility, Reduce Stress, and Maintain Emotional Balance by Barbara Blitzer (2011).
Unsung Lullabies by Janet Jaffe, Martha Diamond, and David Diamond (2005).
What He Can Expect When She’s Not Expecting (How to Support Your Wife and Your Marriage) by Marc Sedaka (2011).
What to Do When You Can’t Get Pregnant: The Complete Guide to All the Technologies for Couples Facing Fertility Problems by Daniel Potter and Jennifer Hanin (2005).
Male Infertility Books
How to Make Love to a Plastic Cup by Greg Wolfe (2010).
Overcoming Male Infertility: Understanding its Causes and Treatments by Leslie Schover and Anthony J. Thomas (2008).
Secondary Infertility Books
In Due Time: A Journey Through Infertility, Loss and Embracing the Unknown by Jen Noonan (2015).
Making Meant to Be: One Woman’s Journey With Secondary Infertility by Tracy McKay (2012).
More Love to Give. A story of Secondary Infertility, IVF, and the Desperate Quest For Another Child by Helen Davies (2017).
Wanting Another Child: Coping With Secondary Infertility by Harriet Fishman Simons (2007).
Third Party Reproduction Books
(Egg Donation, Sperm Donation, Gestational Surrogacy)
Finding Our Families: A First-of-Its-Kind Book for Donor-Conceived People and Their Families by Wendy Kramer (2013).
Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation; Second Edition by Ellen Glazer and Evelina Sterling (2013).
Helping the stork: The Choices and Challenges of Donor Insemination by Carol Frost Versollone and Heidi Moss (1997).
Mixed Blessings: Building a Family With and Without Donor Help by Donor Conception Network (2017).
Mommies, Daddies, Donors, Surrogates; Answering Tough Questions and Building Strong Families by Diane Ehrensaft (2005).
Relative Strangers: Family Life, Genes, and Donor Conception by Petra Nordqvist and C. Smart (2014).
Successful Surrogacy: An Intended Parent’s Guide to a Rewarding Relationship With Their Surrogate Mother by Susan Fuller (2015).
Who am I?: Experiences of Donor Conception by Alexina McWhinnie (2006).
Books for Explaining A.R.T. & Third Party Reproduction to Children
Age 0-5 Years
I’m Very Ferris Takes a Bubble Bath by Tess Kossow (2020).
I’m Very Ferris by Tess Kossow (2019).
The Pea That Was Me: A Two Dad’s Egg Donation and Surrogacy Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2015).
The Pea That Was Me: An IVF Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2016).
The Pea That was Me: An Egg Donation Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2012).
The Pea That Was Me: An Embryo Donation Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2014).
The Pea That Was Me: A Single Mom’s Sperm Donation Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2014).
The Pea That Was Me: A Sperm Donation Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2013).
The Pea That Was Me: A Two Mom’s Sperm Donation Story by Kim Kluger-Bell (2013).
The Very Kind Koala: A Surrogacy Story for Children by Kim Kluger-Bell (2015).
The Very Special Ducklings: A Very simple story about egg donation by Cirisan, Wava (2005).
You Were Meant to Be by Sherry Keen (2012) – explains egg and sperm donation.
Gaston by Kelly Dipucchio (2014).
The Itsy Bitsy Gift of life by Carmen Jover (2009).
Hope and Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Egg Donation by Irene Celcer (2007).
Hope and Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Embryo Donation by Irene Celcer (2007).
Hope and Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Sperm Donation by Irene Celcer (2007).
Hope and Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Surrogacy by Irene Celcer (2007).
Mommy, Was Your Tummy Big? by Carolina Nadel (2006).
The Center for Family Building “Life Book” by Lisa Schuman
Ages 5 and Up
Building My Family: A Story of Egg Donation and Surrogacy by Carrie Eichberg (2017).
Extra! by Kaleigh MacDonald (2018).
Harry the Helper: a family that uses a gestational carrier for another baby by Linda Stamm (2016)
It’s Not the Stork! A Book About Girls, Boys, Families and Friends by Harris (2006).
It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families by Harris Robie (2002).
Scarlett’s Story: A Tale About Embryo Donation by Linda Stamm and Joan Clipp (2017).
Phoebe’s Family: A Story About Egg Donation by Linda Stamm (2010) – for heterosexual couples.
Recipes of How Babies are Made by Rosemary Jover Martinez (2007) – all forms of assisted reproduction for middle school aged children.
The Pea That Was Me…and Me…and Me!: How All Kinds of Babies are Made by Kim Kluger-Bell (2018).
Where Did I Really Come From? by Narelle Wickham (2008) – a guide to puberty which includes assisted reproduction.
Pregnancy Decision Making / Multifetal Reduction Books
Precious Pregnancies, Heavy Hearts: A Comprehensive Guide for Families Facing Painful Choices About Their Pregnancy and All Who Share Their Pain by Caroline Smarr (2006).
The Prenatal Bombshell: Help and Hope When Continuing or Ending a Precious Pregnancy After an Abnormal Diagnosis by Stephanie Azri and Sherokee Ilse (2015).
Miscarriage and Loss of Child Books
A Guide For Fathers: When a Baby Dies by Tim Nelson (2004).
Empty Arms: Coping With Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death: Revised Edition by Sherokee Ilse (2015).
Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby by Deborah Davis (2016).
I Never Held You: Miscarriage, Grief, Healing, and Recovery by Ellen DuBois and Linda Backman (2006).
It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Divine (2017).
Not Broken: An Approachable Guide to Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss by Lora Shahine, MD (2017).
Unspeakable Losses: Healing from Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss and Abortion by Kimberly Kluger-Bell (2000).
Parenting After 40 Books
Hot flashes, Warm bottles: First time mothers over 40. by Nancy London (2001)
Pregnancy after Infertility and/or Loss Books
Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom: Tools for Reducing Stress, Anxiety, and Mood Swings During Your Pregnancy by Alice Domar and Sheila Curry Oakes (2016).
Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss by Ann Douglas and John Sussman (2000).