Dear Readers,

I am absolutely thrilled to be writing my first letter to you. conceive magazine has been a longtime dream of mine: a publication that helps support women, their husbands, and their families as they travel the road to parenthood.

During my journey from fertility to infertility to adoption, I realized I couldn’t find a single, comprehensive resource to support me along the way. Every year in this country, approximately 4 million babies are born. And each year about 1.2 million women seek advanced technology solutions for help conceiving. All these women and their partners those still trying on their own and those consulting experts for help need a place to go for information and emotional support. You and I are not alone.

Becoming a mother is the greatest gift in the world, yet we talk so little about how truly difficult it can be for some of us to conceive. As I learned more about the physiology of pregnancy, I realized how complex the process is, and how little I knew about maximizing my chances and what alternatives were available.

conceive magazine will provide information on all aspects of preparing for pregnancy and researching alternatives. We’ll tell you how to get your body ready to conceive naturally, and we’ll explain the more sophisticated reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and donor egg/sperm. We’ll also help you explore opportunities for adoption, and even help you to contemplate that taboo subject, the decision to live without children.

I realize that many of us feel ashamed if we don’t get pregnant on our first try, and our shame only increases each month and year that conception doesn’t occur. I spent hundreds of hours seeking information and three years in counseling to deal with my own frustrations. Now women can look to conceive magazine for support not only from professionals, but also from other women and their families who have been through similar journeys. We haven’t talked much about fertility in the past. We are talking now!

I am thankful and proud of my four-year fertility journey. When it ended, I began a new, wonderful life as the mother of a beautiful daughter. I hope conceive magazine will help women talk more about conceiving a child and teach them about the technology and alternatives that are available when conception does not occur. I want conceive magazine to be a place where women can provide emotional support to each other and be proud of their choices, regardless of the path they choose.