Sperm Tales:
Infertility is a medical problem defined as the failure of a couple to conceive a child
after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse, or the inability to carry a pregnancy to live
birth. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, infertility affects about
6.1 million people in the United States, which is about 10 percent of the reproductive age
population.
Sperm Tales provides the necessary step-by-step information that enables patients to
anticipate and prepare for the various challenges -- medically and otherwise -- that attend the
process of infertility treatment. Sperm Tales is written by veteran infertility expert, Lynn
Collins, whose up-to-date information and compassionate voice, will put couples at ease and
may even make them laugh. At the end of her book she includes a short chapter introducing
"Spanky." Spanky is a sperm who, years ago was given to Collins as plastic toy that now sits on
her desk as her clinic's mascot. Over the course of her 12 years of working in the clinic she
kept a notebook documenting humorous asides uttered from the patients during the various
phases and indignities of treatment. Spanky's presence on the desk, and as "the mascot" of
Sperm Tales, serves as a reminder that at times during the stress of treatment, humor is the
best medicine.
Often people feel vulnerable and embarrassed when embarking infertility treatment.
The goal of Sperm Tales is to disarm the fear and take the reader's hand while navigating the
process. Sperm Tales helps the reader understand that those in the field who accompany them
on the journey have seen and heard it all when it comes to hardship and humor of the process
and that they are there to help.
Why We Need Sperm Tales
"Couples are in this together, and at the same time are coming from very different and very
emotional places. By the time they get to this point they are discouraged, desperate, maybe
ashamed or embarrassed and simply are reaching out." Collins' book offers ballast and clarity
about what to expect -- and does so in a voice that is compassionate and even light-hearted at
time.
The book is especially helpful to those who read it before infertility treatment begins
or those who are in the very early stages of the process. It is the author's hope to help women
and men understand the nature of their bodies and the issues involved with childbearing (or
hoping to) in the later years of woman's infertility.
Further, the book is intended to help women of childbearing age gain a clear
understanding about their fertility and the potential roadblocks they will confront if they wait
too long. While great strides have been made in helping women conceive later in life, the
book helps women of childbearing age to recognize the complication they will face if they
presume too much when it comes to conceiving after the peak years.Sperm Tales is meant for
both for men and for women and includes current and prospective patients; their families and includes
current and prospective patients; their families and support groups; others in medical community.
