This spring much was written about the latest web phenomenon: women taking a pregnancy test, and filming and posting their pregnancy results on YouTube. Good Morning America also did a segment entitled "'Womb Tube': Should You Broadcast Pregnancy?" And bloggers, such as Marisa Meltzer at Slate chimed in with their opinions.
If you search for something like “pregnancy test results” on the video site, close to 2,000 results come up. The videos cross age and racial barriers, and range from 20-somethings ignoring the age-old advice of waiting three months before you tell anyone you are pregnant (squealing with delight at the plus sign while the husband films the scene) to heartwarming positive IVF surrogacy pregnancy test result videos.
And then there are the videos that are more heartwrenching — the ones of women struggling to conceive and and are sharing their IVF failure. One video from 2009 by mbgodsgift, entitled "Pregnancy Results — IVF, ICSI Journey Video #6" shares the story of a woman overseas with her husband in the military. She did not get pregnant after her procedure, but says thank you for everyone’s prayers and talks about how everyone’s comments kept her “sane.” The comments are extensive and extremely supportive.
So, is YouTube another way to share the infertility experience and gain support — similar to blogging, Facebook and Twitter? Is watching or posting these videos healthy for women coping with infertility? Please share your thoughts!