Which fertility forum should I join?

16 Jul Which fertility forum should I join?

A fertility forum can be a useful source of information, and interaction, for couples trying for a baby. Some forums focus on general infertility. Others on general pregnancy. A select few specialise in IVF. So which fertility forum is best? Based on content quality, range of topics and user experience, these are are the top five fertility forums out there.

IVF.ca

We featured IVF.ca in our IVF due date calculator top 10. Here it is again. This Canadian website has a fertility forum that’s hard to beat. It’s well-designed, authoritative and in-depth. Focusing on IVF patients, it has thousands of topics covered. The Waiting Lounge, a chat room for fertility patients between cycles, is a nice touch. So are the specialised sections for donor, surrogacy and adoption discussions. The Expert Panel, including an andrologist and acupuncturist, is great. This is one of the very best fertility forums, carefully updated and monitored. Bookmark now.

Have-A-Baby

Have a Baby is an excellent, US-based website that allows you to post fertility questions, via an open forum, to a highly knowledgeable medical expert, Dr. Geoffrey Sher. It’s not a fully-fledged fertility forum with extensive patient chit-chat. It’s a blog. A good blog. And how often do you get a professional opinion for free? Or a range of other well-written posts on fertility issues that invite, and actually publish, comments? The site has a commercial ambition: chat, read, come to our clinics. But the content is top-notch.

Fertility Friends

Fertility Friends is a well-established, UK-based fertility forum, with a good range of topics and lots of user input. It’s a good place to get a flavour of clinics and patient experiences. Clinic discussion boards mainly cover EU clinics, but fertility clinics further afield also get a look-in. There’s a lot of advice and user guides, which also cover surrogacy and adoption. It’s well worth a look.

Health Unlocked

The Health Unlocked global forum includes a sub-forum from the respected charity Fertility Network UK. It’s a simple, well-designed fertility forum with over 20,000 users, so you’ll find many questions and answers. The majority of questions are short and specific, and most seem to get a fast response. Recommended.

Mumsnet

The infertility talk section of Mumsnet is a good, straightforward fertility forum with many boards and discussions. Being Mumsnet, the forum is well managed and curated. Responses to our test questions were quick and friendly. New, relevant topics are posted daily. It’s a clean interface, with well-laid-out topics, and the advanced search facility is excellent. A solid, no-nonsense fertility forum.

So that’s our round-up of the best fertility forums out there. Now for the pep talk. Not all information exchanged on a fertility forum is accurate. The connections and support a fertility forum offers can sometimes seem invaluable. But tread carefully: some discussions can take your down the wrong path and even turn ugly.

Our honest advice is to use a fertility forum as a general starting point for information and discussion. Then stop. Trust your clinic, and only your clinic, to give you the personalised medical advice and diagnosis you need. Your doctor is your true friend.