A New Book on Infertility Finds Joy Amid Sorrow

Andrea Vij reviews Infertile but Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Can’t Conceive by Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead.

Infertile but Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Can't Conceive

By Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead

Published by Sophia Institute Press

When you read a book about infertility, you expect to find a fair amount of information on the topic, along with some helpful advice and maybe a story or two about people who have struggled with the problem and want to share what they’ve learned. In her new book from Sophia Institute Press, Infertile but Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Can’t Conceive, author Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead provides all of this and more.

Described by the author as “equal parts memoir, resource guide, and how-to handbook,” Infertile but Fruitful covers a lot of ground while centering primarily on Snead’s personal story. She and her husband married young, wanted kids, and assumed they would be able to have them as soon as they were ready. When that didn’t happen, their journey into the complicated world of infertility began.

Details That Hit Home

In an early chapter Snead recounts the first among many ironies that couples dealing with infertility often confront: the switch from an effort to avoid pregnancy to an increasingly desperate effort to make it happen. Throughout the book, details like this will hit home for different readers in different ways.

For example, imagine wanting a baby and trying for two years without success while your outrageously fertile friends are having kids right and left. Or watching Mother’s Days come and go without a child of your own, trying to stay hopeful as the word “barren” haunts you day and night. The pain of infertility can lurk in these sharp little details, and Leigh Snead gets it. She has carried the cross of infertility, and anyone who has experienced it firsthand, regardless of the particulars, will find kinship in the pages of her book.

Speaks to a Wide Audience

That said, Infertile but Fruitful speaks to a wide audience, including those who know, love, or minister to couples facing infertility, or who simply want to know more about the growing problem of infertility and the treatments available. Geared toward a Catholic worldview, Infertile but Fruitful explains with clarity and compassion the Church’s position on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). It also offers an honest critique of the powerful medical industry that has sprung up in recent years to address infertility, all too often with solutions that do not align with a Catholic understanding of procreation.

Throughout the book, Snead takes care to remind readers that infertility is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Some couples seek medical treatment; others do not. Snead and her husband sought treatment before choosing to adopt — three times, no less, including a set of twins. And while adoption proves a wonderful option for many couples, Infertile but Fruitful takes into account the many factors that come into play when a couple has trouble conceiving and the many choices available to them. A particular strength of the book comes at the end of each chapter with a list of “Lessons Along the Way” that readers can apply to their own situations as they see fit.

The Most Christian Thing Ever

In a growing body of literature on the topic of infertility, what really sets Infertile but Fruitful apart is its authentic Christian perspective. Like other books, it offers helpful information and practical advice, but Snead also encourages her readers — by both word and example — to do the most Christian thing ever: to endure suffering with grace and allow God to transform what seems unbearable into something good. Snead believes this can happen because she has lived it, and she wants her readers to know it is possible for them, too.

A Universal Message

While Infertile but Fruitful handles the topic of infertility with expertise, its message goes beyond infertility, pointing us toward universal lessons that any reader can recognize. For this and other reasons, the book deserves a wide readership. Leigh Snead gives readers, whether impacted by infertility or not, a chance to look more deeply at the heartbreak we all face when God’s plans don’t match our own, reminding us that with His help, we can live a life of fruitfulness and joy no matter what crosses we may bear.

Ask for Infertile But Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Can’t Conceive by Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Sophia Institute Press or Amazon.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2026 Andrea Vij
Images: (top) detail from cover