Thank goodness for Wendyl Nissen and her chooks. After my second miscarriage, the counsellor at Fertility Associates told us to think about what our ideal lives would look like if we were unable to have a second child. The only thing I could think of was: chickens. I would like chickens, maybe five or six … Read more
A new list of prioritised research for infertility topics shines a light on the areas where a real difference can be made. For too long people confronting infertility have been overlooked in those decisions, writes Cindy Farquhar, fertility expert and co-chair of a new international report In this digital age, with everything seeming to happen … Read more
Our current understanding of infertility is limited and leads to unfair stigma, Hannah Gibson writes. Ask most people what they think infertility is, then they will most likely answer ‘it is when you can’t have children.’ It is nearly always contexualised contrary to the idea of ‘fertility’, sitting in opposing categories and corners from one … Read more
Secondary infertility is a hidden pain many families are facing. Gemma Bowker-Wright shares her story. First published 11 June 2018. “Will you have a second?” said the mother at Island Bay Park a few weeks back. She pushed a toddler on the swing while a baby slept in the front-pack on her chest. Her tone was … Read more
Why are New Zealand women eschewing fertility clinics and looking for sperm donors online? And why are Kiwi men donating to strangers they meet on Facebook groups? Amy Nelmes Bissett uncovers a world of hope and risk, in this feature first published on RNZ. The two-bedroom flat in South Auckland’s East Tamaki could rival a … Read more
Defects are ‘currently underdiagnosed and may consequently be left untreated at a staggering rate’, says one of a number of experts calling for more information to be provided to women. A little-known complication of caesarean sections is causing infertility in a small minority of women worldwide. Experts say the evidence is now strong enough that … Read more
Experts have told the Spinoff that there is sufficient evidence about cases in which c-section can lead to infertility that women should be given more information. Catherine Woulfe addresses the key questions. Read Catherine Woulfe’s investigation into the connection between c-section scar defects and fertility here. I’ve had a c-section (or I’m about to) and … Read more
For a select few women, this could be the difference between a baby, and not. I’ll say it again: C-sections can cause infertility. Catherine Woulfe writes. This feature was made possible thanks to reader contributions via the Spinoff Longform Fund. Click here to support our investigative journalism. In October 2014 I had the kind of … Read more
Secondary infertility is a hidden pain many families are facing. Gemma Bowker-Wright shares her story. “Will you have a second?” said the mother at Island Bay Park a few weeks back. She pushed a toddler on the swing while a baby slept in the front-pack on her chest. Her tone was casual, off-hand, the way someone … Read more
The Handmaid’s Tale portrays surrogacy as an act of violent exploitation. Surrogacy researcher Hannah Gibson considers how the show affects our understanding of surrogacy in New Zealand and asks: are women here being exploited? Recently, I sat down with popcorn to watch the second season of The Handmaid’s Tale on Lightbox. Based on the 1985 … Read more
Today, the Sunday before Mother’s Day, is recognised by some as ‘Birth Mother’s Day’. Here a mother writes in celebration of the woman who gave birth to her son. Dear mother of our son, I am sorry that we forget you, that we overlook you in our rush. We prepare lunches, pack bags, get to … Read more
Across the country there was celebration over the news prime minister Jacinda Ardern is pregnant with her first child. Privately, there was pain and heartache as those who wish for the chance to have a baby cope with the news. Alicia Young talks about compassion and empathy for those struggling. Remember that time we hosted … Read more
Our Forever Hopeful Club columnist Kat McKenzie is back with the final installment of her series on the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. Over three installments, Kat has shared her IVF journey – you can read part one here and part two here. It felt good to not be on … Read more
Our Forever Hopeful Club columnist Kat McKenzie is back with the second instalment of her series on the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. Over three instalments, Kat is sharing her IVF journey; you can read part one here. An embryo transfer is one of the easiest steps in the process. … Read more
Eighteen months ago, an anonymous couple posted on Reddit’s New Zealand forum with an unusual request: they wanted sperm, any sperm. Joel McManus tracked them down to ask them why. This article was originally published in Critic Te Arohi, the Otago University magazine. In February of 2016, a post on the Reddit forum r/newzealand entitled … Read more
Last year Leigh-ann Griffiths, mum to three school-aged children, decided to donate some of her eggs. Here she shares her diary of the process – the lessons learned and the big ups and downs of helping strangers become parents. I spent a long time trying to decide whether or not to write about my egg … Read more
Our Forever Hopeful Club columnist Kat McKenzie is back with a new update on the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. Over three instalments, Kat will share her IVF journey. A note from The Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes: For years I used to read anything I could about parenting. … Read more
‘It hurts, and it’s hard, and it’s weird.’ Simon Sweetman writes about the miscarriages he and his wife suffered together, and the love that saw them through on their journey towards parenthood. Content warning: Simon talks about miscarriage in this post. If you have suffered a miscarriage this post may be upsetting for you. If … Read more
Charlotte Fielding wants another child. In this, the first in a four-part series, she writes about why she turned to the dating app Tinder in an attempt to complete her family. What if I had a baby and it didn’t have a dad? I asked my six-year-old son this question, as if it was rhetorical, … Read more
An anonymous mother from New Zealand shares her story of marrying a man who has donated sperm multiple times in Australia – and the ongoing impact of decisions made more than a decade ago. Years before we met, my husband donated sperm. I can’t remember at what stage we were at in our relationship when … Read more
Kat McKenzie writes for The Spinoff Parents about trying to have a family the unconventional way. Here she shares a letter she wrote to her not-yet-conceived baby. Dear Baby, Sometimes it feels like my heart is fracturing and little pieces have broken off and wedged in my throat and burn my eyes, as an aching … Read more
In this, the third post in a special series for The Spinoff Parents, Alicia Young writes about her journey towards motherhood after having IVF and finding out she is pregnant. Read Alicia’s first and second posts in this series. Content warning: Alicia Young talks about her experience of miscarriage in this post. If you have recently suffered … Read more
The second post in a special series for The Spinoff Parents in which Alicia Young writes about her journey to motherhood after having IVF. Read Alicia’s first post in this series here. Shortly after the embryo is implanted deadly quakes rock the country and a degenerate billionaire is elected leader of the free world. Given the … Read more
What is it like to face infertility when you’re ambivalent about becoming a parent? From hoping to conceive ‘accidentally’ to starting IVF, Alicia Young writes about her long journey towards motherhood in a series for The Spinoff Parents. At age 28 you break up with the long-term boyfriend who never proposed to you, and who … Read more
Member of the Forever Hopeful Club, and author of a column on The Spinoff Parents about her journey trying to conceive, Kat McKenzie shares her tips for supporting friends facing infertility. Firstly, let me say that I know that navigating these issues with those you care about can seem like a minefield. It’s terrifying when someone … Read more
What’s it like to want to start a family but not be able to? The second in an occasional series by Kat McKenzie, who writes about the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. Part one: Forever hopeful – my life in the parents-in-waiting club It starts in your gut. It’s … Read more
What’s it like to want to start a family but not be able to? Introducing Kat McKenzie, the author of a new Spinoff Parents column on the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. For years I used to read anything I could about parenting. I was so desperate to have … Read more