Infertility Awareness
The week of April 16th is considered to be National Infertility Awareness Week…maybe you are thinking, why do we need another awareness week, after all, infertility isn’t common or it’s for “rich people” that don’t want the burden of carrying a child. The above thoughts are why we need an awareness week.
Infertility impacts 1 in 7 American couples. It doesn’t discriminate based upon race or class. While it does affect older couples more than younger ones, no one is immune. Bringing awareness about infertility can help bring about healthcare change: in fact, fifteen states mandate infertility treatment as part of health insurance packages, which means that no matter your income level, if you have insurance in these places, you are able to pursue treatment to build your family.
What is infertility? Its simplest definition is the inability to birth a living baby after a year of unprotected sex (for couples under the age of 35) and for those that are older than 35, it is the inability to attain pregnancy after sixth months of unprotected sex. For about 40% of couples, infertility is related to something with the male reproductive system not working as expected. Another 40% of couples experience infertility because of impairments with the female reproductive system. 10% of couples have no reason for their infertility (resulting in “unexplained”) and the other 10% of couples have an issue with both members of the couple.
Treatment for infertility can be as non-invasive as taking a medication that can stimulate ovulation or can be as invasive as male surgery or in-vitro fertilization (where an embryo is implanted into the woman’s uterus after an egg is extracted and fertilized with sperm).
Being able to build a family should be an option for everyone. Raising awareness about concerns that impact this goal (and possible solutions) puts us closer to family building being a universal right.
For additional information about infertility:
