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FROM PATIENTTO PARENTA roadmap to fertility in JapanBY ALY LAWSONFew things can make a woman feel more vulnerablethan medical stirrups. Add the fear ofinfertility when trying to conceive, and it can feellike the loneliest place in the world.Infertility is typically defined as the inabilityto conceive after a year of intercourse withoutbirth control, or the inability to carry a pregnancyto live birth. The statistics vary by country, ageand other factors. But the crux is that there is noneed to suffer alone.“Don’t take it personally,” says Christine Jamplis,an American dealing with fertility issuesin Japan. “It’s not a race.” That’s good advice,seeing as navigating the processes and availableoptions can sometimes make you feel likeyou’re stuck in gridlock.It helps to know what can be done. So ifyou’ve “tried” for a while with no luck, and iftemperature-taking and ovulation kits aren’tproducing a big fat positive pregnancy stick,these are the basic steps.First, a semen analysis for your partner andan HSG (hysterosalpingogram) for you, to checkthat travel of a fertilized egg would be unimpeded.Also, a blood draw at a certain point in yourcycle will show if you’re ovulating and sendingeggs down the fertilization highway. If not, yourdoctor can prescribe Clomifene (or similar) forovulation stimulation.If that doesn’t work, the next steps are shotsof hMG (human menopausal gonadotropin) andother pregnancy-supporting hormones. If necessary,forms of IVF (in vitro fertilization) are alsoan option. While it can be daunting, just rememberthat you always have options and hope.“If you suspect something is wrong, go gethelp,” says Windsor Redick, a military servicemember who’s dealt with infertility and now has ahealthy child. “I kind of kept the infertility strugglebottled up socially while we were going throughit.” When she found herself getting emotional asyet another friend announced a pregnancy onFacebook—or even when women walked by withmultiple toddlers in tow—having an email friendto whom she could vent made all the difference.“She was there for me and would just listen. It wasexactly what I needed,” she says.The brightest side of Japanese fertility treatmentis its relative affordability. And while notavailable to everyone, many expats and militaryservice members can access a medical translator.They’re more than interpreters—they’rekind, hardworking professionals who go theextra mile, advising you on everything from thekinds of sushi that are safe to eat during pregnancyto giving directions to maternity shops.For her part, Jamplis commutes to Yokohama’sFukuda Women’s Clinic. While the trains arerush-hour mad at any hour, she says the environmentof the small but well-known establishmentis like being in someone’s home. There’s onlythe doctor and nurse—and if patients aren’t inthe first wave when the doors open, they won’tget a seat in the assembly line of a waiting room.As long as you have a chance at fertility, thekey is to never abandon parenthood, and to tryto not focus on the money—or that lonely senseof exposure when your legs are spread beforevirtual strangers, a curtain separating you fromthe medical staff, your translator a timid parrot atyour side. But by the time you’re done, you feelyou definitely deserve to be a parent.ENGLISH-SPEAKING OB/GYNHOSPITALS & CLINICS• Seibo Hospital, Shinjukuwww.seibokai.or.jp/hospital/english.html• Sanno Hospital, Akasakawww.sannoclc.or.jp/english/index.php• Fukuda Women’s Clinic, Yokohamawww.fukuda-wclinic.comSAMPLE PRICE LIST*• Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG)treatment: ¥3,500 (minimum) per shot, approx. oneshot per day for 1-2 weeks• In vitro fertilization (IVF): ¥300,000 (first try);¥250,000 each time thereafter*Excluding consultation feeSource: www.fukuda-wclinic.com/costs.htmlPhoto: 123RFK1か2 34 56 7 810LINGOISTSALON SELECTIONSLast time we used the verb suffix “-te kudasai”in school. With a bit of embellishment,it can serve you just as well at the salon, orbiyo-in—not to be confused with the byo-in,or hospital!JP Katto wo onegai shimasu.EN I’d like a haircut/trim.JP Angelina Jolie mitai ni shite kudasai.EN Please make my hair like Angelina Jolie’s.JP Sukoshi kitte kudasai.EN Please cut just a little bit.JP Takusan kitte kudasai.EN Please cut a lot.JP Mo ii desu. / Daijobu desu.EN That’s good enough. / This is okay.Lesson by Alpha Japanese Language Institute.Learn hiragana and katakana free online atwww.alpha.ac.jp/mob/ebooks/hirakata/ANDown1. Cute2. Easy3. To favor5. Hair salon7. Cram school8. To thin outSolution:BACA B CRANSWERS AT meturl.com/kanacrossAC2OSAcross1. Body4. Boil5. Beautiful skin6. To immigrate9. Go10. A lotS07