For most readers, finding their niche is as easy as filling out a subscription form. It seems every group—the many aspiring brides,the growing number of organic gardeners, and even the comparatively small lot of yacht owners—has a magazine devoted to answering its questions, be they about Vera Wang, composting, or teak maintenance. So it's surprising that it took this long to target two readerships that are expanding every month: those who want to get pregnant and those who have—often after many natural and medically assisted attempts—after age 35.
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Katy Kelly recently published a funny children's book about a third-grade girl who lives on Capitol Hill.
Tina Stowe, a 37-year-old human resources administrator in London, Ontario, was a willing spender with nothing to buy. "I would look at Parents and Fit Pregnancy and think, 'When can I pick up those magazines?' "
Then, one day in Wal-Mart, she found Conceive, a new magazine billed as the "first fertility magazine." Stowe, who has been dealing with infertility for much of her 10-year marriage to David Stowe, recently got pregnant after seven rounds of artificial insemination only to miscarry months later. The magazine was "amazing," she says. A piece on motherhood after miscarriage "really touched me," she says. "It's nice to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
Conceive, was founded by two banking colleagues, Kim Hahn and Rob Clarkson, both of whom had firsthand experience with infertility. (After two years of trying, Clarkson and his wife had a daughter, while Hahn and her husband adopted theirs). The magazine covers a wide ground, the just published second issue includes the practical (a how-to guide on giving yourself or someone you love an injection of fertility drugs), the emotional, and the medical (reversing vasectomies and tubal ligations). It also considers the alternative, including retreats that aim to boost fertility with such low-tech treatments as diet change, stress reduction, acupuncture, and herbs. (Not so far-fetched; a Harvard study published in 2000 by the medical journal Fertility and Sterility found that out of 185 women who had been trying to get pregnant for at least one year, some 55 percent of those who went to a mind and body program conceived within the following year while only 20 percent of the control group had the same good fortune).
For those who have already conceived but are over 35, there is Plum. Sponsored by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the magazine issue is free, sent by the box load to obstetrician's offices all over the United States. Much of Plum's advice is one-size-fits-all forpregnant women (don't drink, smoke, or eat deli meats/ do save for college), but other stories are tailored to the audience. There is an in-depth look at diagnostic tests and genetic counseling, a frank discussion by six women walking in the same comfortable shoes, and a realistic assessment of the pros and cons. It's easier to handle sleep deprivation and maintain stamina when you are a 20-something, but the older mom finds that wisdom comes along with crow's-feet. Having outgrown the angst of the 20s, many couples find themselves more in sync with their partner.
Plum has made a good first impression among expectant women on the far side of 35, says Elizabeth Lapeyre, a 34-year-old OB-GYN at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Memorial Campus in New Orleans. "This magazine offers a reassurance that's geared to them," she says. "It allows them to say, 'Hey, I should be able to relax and enjoy being pregnant.' "
Both magazines realize that there is comfort in knowing that you are not only not alone but one of many. When George Couch of Watertown, N.Y., began his OB-GYN practice 35 years ago in Watertown, "infertility represented maybe 5 to 7 percent of the population," he says. "Today, 20 percent of couples are afflicted with the problem."
The fact that many of them will become devoted readers is good news for advertisers. After all, Ford Motors can show their wares anywhere, but it's this select 20 percent that will respond to a product whose ad reads, "I wish my pants didn't fit."
Katy Kelly recently published a funny children's book about a third-grade girl who lives on Capitol Hill.
