Guest Author - Krissi Danielsson

For the next installment in this site of the month series, I want to put the spotlight on an interesting site that’s been around for a while called Shared Journey.

Shared Journey isn’t exclusively a miscarriage site but is rather focused on fertility issues as a whole. It can be hard to make sense of all the science and various conflicting messages with most areas of fertility therapy, miscarriages included. Shared Journey aims to clear up the confusion and provide answers to those on the journey.

Except for the design of the website, which looks a little cluttered with links and Google ads, I think that Shared Journey is a great site. In its main menu, it has categories that include Getting Pregnant, IVF, IUI, Miscarriage, Adoption, Success Stories, and even a directory of fertility specialists. Each main category has further subcategories with more information and explanation of specific concepts, such as how to cope, how to seek diagnosis of fertility issues, means of boosting your odds of pregnancy, and more.

Under Shared Journey’s Miscarriage link, you’ll find a wealth of information including the definition of a chemical pregnancy and threatened miscarriage and other terms that may be thrown around, such as “blighted ovum.” You will also find some in-depth and interesting explanations of lesser known, theorized immunologic causes of miscarriage, such as Embryo Toxic Factor and Natural Killer Cell elevations. It has a good article too containing coping advice for men, a subject often neglected by most miscarriage sources.

As miscarriage and infertility can leave you with a lot of confusion, particularly if science isn’t your forte or your biggest interest, the site also has a link for infertility definitions. There you’ll find a list of potentially unfamiliar terms, and if you click on them, you can read what the term means.

The site’s forums are unique in that you will find two forums that are actually hosted by physicians who are willing to answer some questions. Forums also exist for visitors facing a range of different fertility treatments, miscarriage, or trying to conceive – or who are pregnant following infertility or losses. It also has a forum for those using complementary or alternative treatments and for those who are unfamiliar with all the science and lingo behind conception.

Shared Journey is a great site particularly for anyone who is dealing with fertility issues alongside issues related to pregnancy loss. It’s definitely worth considering for your bookmarks list.