#StartAsking: Infertility Awareness
Today marks the beginning of "Infertility Awareness Week". It's a week that I both dread and look forward to each April. As a young 24-year-old, many people would think that infertility isn't even part of my vocabulary. However, infertility happens to people of all ages.
The theme this year is to #StartAsking questions that bring awareness to infertility-related issues or bring much needed changes to the community. Some of these questions may be directed at employers for infertility-related insurance coverage. Many insurance programs purchased by employers do not cover infertility treatments such as IVF, IUI, or medications and only a few cover testing. Other questions may be asked of lawmakers and legislators to support and bring awareness to infertility issues. You may ask friends, family and spouses to be involved in fertility issues and offer support when needed. The truth is that some family members may not understand or even know how to best help you during your time of need. You may ask your local media outlets to cover infertility-based issues that people face, rather than leaving it as a taboo subject that isn't talked about in many households. You may ask people to donate to programs that help people suffering from infertility. You may ask about men's infertility issues- because infertility is often seen as being a "woman" issue. My husband and I are one of the many couples who have male factor infertility issues, not female factored.
The question I am asking today is directed toward people who have resolved their fertility issues and started their families to stay involved and speak out about what they faced and what countless others face. As part of both the baby loss and infertile community, I have several friends who have either failed to get pregnant or lost their babies to pregnancy loss or stillbirth. Almost all of the friends I have who suffered from these issues now have one, two or even three children. Enough of them have had successful pregnancies now that you'd think "Oh, anyone can overcome infertility." but that's just not the case. When you're young and dealing with infertility, people often say things like "You're still young!" and "Just stop trying so hard." A big one that hurts me is "It'll happen when it's meant to happen." People don't want to admit that sometimes it just doesn't happen.
When it does happen, the people who previously dealt with infertility or pregnancy loss gradually stop talking about these issues publicly. They have kids now, they're happy and they made it! So should they just stop talking about their infertility issues altogether?
No.
It's important for people who overcome infertility to keep talking about it for several reasons. When you make friends in the infertility or baby loss affected community, then have a baby and stop talking about it, you isolate your friends who do not yet have babies. You should also continue talking about infertility so that you can offer hope to those who are still struggling. You should continue to bring awareness to these issues so that people who are "new" to infertility don't feel alone. There are a thousand reasons why you shouldn't stop talking about infertility, even after making it to the other side.
Please keep sharing your stories, your struggles and speaking out about infertility and child loss. You'd be helping so many people who haven't been able to start their families yet in so many ways.
The theme this year is to #StartAsking questions that bring awareness to infertility-related issues or bring much needed changes to the community. Some of these questions may be directed at employers for infertility-related insurance coverage. Many insurance programs purchased by employers do not cover infertility treatments such as IVF, IUI, or medications and only a few cover testing. Other questions may be asked of lawmakers and legislators to support and bring awareness to infertility issues. You may ask friends, family and spouses to be involved in fertility issues and offer support when needed. The truth is that some family members may not understand or even know how to best help you during your time of need. You may ask your local media outlets to cover infertility-based issues that people face, rather than leaving it as a taboo subject that isn't talked about in many households. You may ask people to donate to programs that help people suffering from infertility. You may ask about men's infertility issues- because infertility is often seen as being a "woman" issue. My husband and I are one of the many couples who have male factor infertility issues, not female factored.
The question I am asking today is directed toward people who have resolved their fertility issues and started their families to stay involved and speak out about what they faced and what countless others face. As part of both the baby loss and infertile community, I have several friends who have either failed to get pregnant or lost their babies to pregnancy loss or stillbirth. Almost all of the friends I have who suffered from these issues now have one, two or even three children. Enough of them have had successful pregnancies now that you'd think "Oh, anyone can overcome infertility." but that's just not the case. When you're young and dealing with infertility, people often say things like "You're still young!" and "Just stop trying so hard." A big one that hurts me is "It'll happen when it's meant to happen." People don't want to admit that sometimes it just doesn't happen.
When it does happen, the people who previously dealt with infertility or pregnancy loss gradually stop talking about these issues publicly. They have kids now, they're happy and they made it! So should they just stop talking about their infertility issues altogether?
No.
It's important for people who overcome infertility to keep talking about it for several reasons. When you make friends in the infertility or baby loss affected community, then have a baby and stop talking about it, you isolate your friends who do not yet have babies. You should also continue talking about infertility so that you can offer hope to those who are still struggling. You should continue to bring awareness to these issues so that people who are "new" to infertility don't feel alone. There are a thousand reasons why you shouldn't stop talking about infertility, even after making it to the other side.
Please keep sharing your stories, your struggles and speaking out about infertility and child loss. You'd be helping so many people who haven't been able to start their families yet in so many ways.
No comments have been added yet.
