National Infertility Awareness Week

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. With 1 in 8 couples experiencing infertility issues (1 in 5 individuals), there may be more friends than you are aware of that are quietly struggling, and keep it to themselves out of privacy, stigma, embarrassment, or any number of reasons. It can get lonely, thinking you are the only one. You are not alone!

As we've been trying for over 5 years to have children without success, my advice would be:

To couples that are trying to get pregnant - If you have been trying to have kids without success for months, see a fertility specialist as soon as possible; don't wait. And, if you are beginning to try, it's not a bad idea for both you and your partner to get bloodwork and a check-up right off the bat to make sure everything is working right and you both are healthy. You don't have to wait until you been trying for months with no success to ask for help. By getting things tested at the beginning, you can be aware of any potential health issues and start working on them right away, so you're not going through the months of pointless trying, just to have your hopes dashed. Be your own advocate. And, if you do end up getting diagnosed with infertility issues, remember, you are more than your diagnosis. Your feelings, emotions, and experiences are valid.

To everyone - Reach out to friends and those around you with kindness; you never know what they may be going through and how a smile, a kind word, or a listening ear may help them.
I'm here if anyone needs someone to talk to or vent to; this journey is not easy, but it can be a little less lonely and a little easier when we have each other's backs.










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Double Life of Infertility - Podcast Guest Speaker

I had the amazing opportunity to be on a podcast with two of my lovely friends and work colleagues, and share openly about infertility; some of its ups and downs, ways to reduce stigma, how we can support others, and some resources to help you or a loved one cope. <3 Thank you Tami West , and Gracey Lichtenstein, for providing a safe, caring space to discuss such an essential topic! The Double Life of Infertility Podcast Episode
Read more

Can I Opt Out of Playing?

Image
The club no one wants to be a part of, yet 1 in 5 individuals (1 in 8 couples) experience: infertility. I'll share more of the ups and downs of our most recent IVF journey (five years and counting) when I have the time and energy to type it all out. In the meantime, this humorously sums up the infertility journey pretty well.    
Read more

Tiny Houses Explained

  (Written for  https://tinyurl.com/articles/tiny-house.html ) What Is A Tiny House? When someone says, “tiny house”, you may think of several things. If you have never heard of tiny houses before, you may think of a teeny cottage with no room to breathe or move around in. If you have heard of tiny houses before, then you may think of something similar to a mobile home or RV. However, tiny houses are so much more than that. The average size of a home for those living the American dream is 2,600 square feet, whereas the typical tiny house ranges from 100 to 400 square feet.  Your tiny home can be as mobile or stationary as you would like, depending on if you choose for it to have trailer wheels or, have it parked on a plot of land and built on a foundation. One thing all tiny homes have in common though is the ability to maximize every single inch of space. Why you may ask, would anyone want to live in such a small home, when they are used to such space and luxury that a ...
Read more