National Infertility Awareness Week 2017

Hey everyone – Listen Up! It’s National Infertility Awareness Week this week! I’ve got my megaphone ready to spread the news and raise awareness! Infertility is a disease that takes away one’s right to build a family. It affects 1 in 8 couples so you very likely know someone who has struggled through this challenging process. It’s often a taboo subject and one that many people prefer to keep private, as it’s a very personal issue. This has lead to a stigma that it’s something to be ashamed of. However, it’s SO common and the more people that speak up the more help and support we can get and give each other.

I don’t know if you’ve checked out my Instagram feed this week but I’ve been sharing some factoids about infertility because I feel like sharing facts helps normalize it and shrink the stigma. If you haven’t, I’ll share some here again. Like I mentioned above, 1 in 8 couples of child bearing age have trouble conceiving. That’s 12% or around 7.4 million women (and their partners)! Talk about not being alone! Approximately 85-90% of these women seek some form of medical treatment with around 3% turning to advanced reproductive technologies such as IVF. Procedures like this have become increasingly popular in infertility cases (a 65% increase in use since 2003) as medical advances have given it the best odds at conception. While it gives a couple the best chance it still only around a 40% chance of working. But when you consider that for the average woman in her 20’s there is only a 25% chance of her conceiving naturally in any given cycle, the 40% odds look promising! Keep watching my feed this week for a few more facts that I’ve got to share.

Since not everyone battles infertility and because it’s hard to understand something when you haven’t experienced it, I’ve complied a list in the vein of this year’s theme: “Listen Up!” It’s a list of things that those of us going through it wish we could shout from the rooftops so others could understand better:

Infertility does not discriminate: it affects all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, religions, etc.
The process is not black and white – it’s living in constant gray. There is no simple answer. Ever.
Relaxing doesn’t work. Period.
Adopting is not the right answer for everyone struggling to build a family.
Any and all levels of infertility are taxing mentally and emotionally.
Infertility is incredibly expensive and often there is no support from insurance for treatments.
Trust us, we have already consulted Dr. Google on anything you could possibly suggest to try.
Fertility treatments are not the first stop on the infertility train – we’ve jumped several hurdles before relenting.
Fertility treatments are not easy. It’s not the easy way out in any way what so ever.
Infertility is not just a woman’s issue. Men struggle with it physically and emotionally too.
Patience is key and pressure of any kind makes things extra difficult.
The worst question to ask anyone of childbearing age is when they are having kids. It may seem harmless but for anyone struggling with infertility it’s a dagger to the heart.
Anyone struggling with infertility has to go through the process at their own pace on the path that they choose. The best anyone on the outside can offer is support, no judgment and a good distraction as often as possible.

So there you have it, my “Listen Up!” list. This isn’t all-encompassing so feel free to add your feelings and experiences below! Let’s get everyone to Listen Up!