Journey Through Infertility: Laughter is best medicine
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May 14, 2009

By SHERYL DEVORE Contributor
Kathleen Puls Andrade and her husband, Pep, tried for years to have children, using techniques such as in vitro fertilization and making copious visits to specialists. As anyone involved in a similar situation knows, the process can be difficult and often disheartening.

"One of the ways for Pep and me to keep sane is to make jokes about the experience," says Puls Andrade. For example, trying to find ways for the oh-so-serious doctor to laugh during an examination.

Kathleen Puls Andrade finds the humor in her struggles with infertility with a one-woman show at Laugh Out Loud Theatre in Schaumburg.

Thinking she could help others on the same journey, the actor, improviser, comedienne, voice-over and longtime member of the Chicago Comedy Company wrote "Journey to the Center of the Uterus: Adventures Infertility!" She performs the one-woman show at Laugh Out Loud Theater in Schaumburg at 2 p.m. every Sunday in May.

"This show works on two levels," says writing coach and director Andy Eninger. "It's an education both for those who are going through infertility issues, as well as for those who aren't. And, the show turns real-life experiences into a work of art."

During the performance, Puls Andrade incorporates multi-media, singing and taped conversations with men and women from ages 30 to 85 who have dealt with infertility issues. "The stories of real people are fascinating," she says. So, too are Puls Andrade's stories, as well as amusing and even enlightening.

Puls Andrade recalls once seeing a doctor who had performed several procedures on her. "I waved and the doctor looked at me as if to say, 'Who are you?'" Puls Andrade saw the humor in the situation and later began making jokes about just what part of her body besides her face the physician might have recognized.

Friends and family are full of dubious advice and good fodder for comedy. "Once you stop trying, you'll get pregnant," they'll advise. And consider the co-worker who knows someone who went through the exact same thing you are going through, but then adds, "It never worked."

Writing and performing the show has been cathartic for Puls Andrade, who talks with the audience after each show. Says one audience member named Stacey, "It's so nice to laugh at a subject that has caused me so much pain. A friend of mine told me I would get pregnant if I got a dog...so I did. Still no baby but I love my dog!"

For Puls Andrade, comedy gets to the heart and the soul of life's trials. She believes no matter how painful a situation is, seeing the humor in it can help. She hopes her show will help the audience realize that "dealing with infertility issues is not a shameful thing. It just is what it is."