Lesson 4: Alternative Therapies and Treatments
Support Groups

There are two basic types of support groups – Real World groups where individuals and couples meet at an assigned place and time, and Internet groups where individuals and couples can meet others through the use of chat rooms, discussion boards, and newsgroups. Both types of groups serve a similar purpose, to offer understanding, friendship, and support to its members. However, the way that the groups accomplish the above does differ.

Let's start by looking at Real World support groups, and where you can find them. One of the most widely recognized support groups are those offered through RESOLVE. This non-profit organization offers support group meetings, workshops, and other resources to individuals and couples dealing with both primary and secondary infertility.

Support groups usually meet weekly for 6 to 12 sessions, and there are different groups that deal with different topics including:

You can also find resources and information about donation, surrogacy, insurance issues, ART, and they even have online chats with experts.

Now, we will discover the wealth of support groups that can be found on the internet. No matter what type of group you are looking for, someone has created one, and if you just can't quite find what you want, there are several resources that you can use to create one yourself. If you are interested in starting your own internet support group, you can take the Suite University course Creating an Online Support Group for information on what it takes to make and grow a good support group.

One of my favorite places to find support groups is on Yahoo at Yahoo Groups! You can find several different types of groups including those for primary infertility, secondary infertility, IVF, over weight and ttcing, and many others. It all just depends on what your current situation is and what type of support you are looking for.

I always recommend that you join more than one online group, and explore what each one offers. Some women and couples prefer to join, and stay members of, more than one group, as the support received from each one is a little different than the rest. One of the nice things about an online group is that you can, and usually will, meet others dealing with the same things you are, but that live in different states or countries. With the real world groups, you will meet others that live in the same area that you do.

Another great thing about an online group is that it is always open, and you don't have to wait for a certain day to talk to others about what is happening in your life, ask for advice, or just chat. Trying To Conceive, the group that I own on Yahoo Groups, has not only a message board and delivery of the messages by email, but there are also many other things that are only available to members of the group. Some safety measures are in place in the group, as only members can post and read the messages, and to become a member of the group, they have to be approved by me, or by one of the group's moderators which are also approved by me.

Not all groups have such precautions, but because infertility and trying to conceive is such a stressful and touchy subject, offering as much protection to the members seeking support is one thing that everyone should look for in a group, be it online or in the Real World.