National Infertility Awareness Week: Why We Must Change the Conversation About Infertility
Every year, millions of women in the United States struggle with fertility issues that make it difficult for them to either start or grow their families. For these women and their families, the journey towards becoming pregnant can be emotionally painstaking and arduous. Infertility is one of the most stressful experiences that a person can go through, especially when faced with the regular onslaught of baby-related announcements on social media.
It’s not uncommon for women struggling with infertility to keep their stories silent. In addition to being stressful, infertility often comes with feelings of shame or embarrassment. For many, the entire journey is extraordinarily isolating, which is only magnified by the wall of silence that so many build around themselves. If you’re dealing with infertility, you might feel like you’re the only one. However, it’s estimated that nearly 10% of women in the US are experiencing infertility – there’s a good chance that someone you know is going through the same thing as you and you don’t even realize.
While the idea of sharing your fertility struggles openly can seem scary, it’s exactly what we as a society should be doing. The conversation about infertility will not change with silence, but with open, honest dialogue. By tearing down the walls of silence, women not only empower themselves, but also help to break the notion that these conversations are somehow taboo. With each brick comes a new conversation that educates, supports, and advocates for the entire fertility community.
These conversations are healthy to have and absolutely necessary for us to change how we perceive and discuss infertility. As part of National Infertility Awareness Week, which takes place this year from April 18-24, Chelsea Fertility NYC is teaming up with author, blogger, influencer, and former patient Naomi Davis to help others navigate these conversations. We encourage everyone, whether you be a fertility patient or an ally, to end the taboo of fertility conversations by taking part in these conversations.
Through her writings, Davis has helped to peel back the curtain that shrouds infertility by sharing her own experiences with in vitro fertilization (IVF), pregnancy, and motherhood. She understands firsthand what women struggling with fertility issues go through and how liberating sharing your story can be. Together, we will work to bring that same empowering experience to countless women. Together, we will deconstruct the toxic narratives about infertility that currently exist and transmute them into something more powerful – hope.
Naomi is using her platform throughout National Infertility Awareness Week to uplift other women who have struggled with fertility and share their stories. If you’d like to share your story with Naomi and her readers, please send your stories to [email protected] (with “NIAW” in the subject) or leave your story in the comments section here.
As we encourage everyone to engage in open discourse about infertility, Chelsea Fertility NYC is also offering a giveaway opportunity. Just like Naomi, we want to be able to give someone else the opportunity to have their dream become a reality. We are offering a giveaway for an all-expenses-paid IVF treatment cycle, which includes medical and surgical treatment as well as fertility medications. We invite you to nominate yourself or someone you know (with permission) using the form here.
While helping someone else come closer to achieving their fertility dreams, you’ll be joining us in raising awareness about infertility. Let’s raise our voices and show how powerful National Infertility Awareness Week 2021 can really be. To learn more, contact Chelsea Fertility NYC today.
