Anna McDonagh

Personal wellbeing and fertility experience contributor

Anna McDonagh contributes The Emotional Roller Coaster Of Infertility And Miscarriage to Live With Purpose. Her chapter includes a personal account of painful menstrual symptoms, a later diagnosis of endometriosis and a working life in children's dentistry. Running and an active lifestyle also form part of that history.

Anna's accompanying biography describes her interest in holistic wellness coaching and the relationship between emotional and physical wellbeing. Her writing considers how uncertainty, disappointment and a sense of isolation can affect someone facing fertility concerns.

The chapter combines her own account with other people's stories and a discussion of self-care. These narratives explain the personal motivations behind her interest in support, listening and making room for the emotional experience of a difficult period.

Anna's contribution is a personal and wellbeing perspective. It does not establish that the alternative practices described cause conception, prevent miscarriage or replace appropriate fertility and medical care. The chapter's value as biography lies in the experiences and concerns that led her to write it.