It may be April Fool’s Day, but infertility ain’t no joke.
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| My favorite meme on the intarwebs right now. |
Let’s tell it like it is, shall we?
- Infertility affects 1 out of every 8 couples in the US. Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that as of data through 2002, infertility affects as many as 1 in 4 ever-married women of reproductive age in most developing countries (source).
- Infertility can cause as much stress, anxiety and grief as having been diagnosed with cancer or the loss of a loved one. It’s not just a disease; it’s a major life crisis (source).
- Only 15 states in the US currently mandate insurance coverage for infertility treatments.
- Infertility is culturally misunderstood largely due to media bashing, sensationalization, and minsinformation. (Click each link to read more about specific examples.)
As a result, there are a myriad of myths out there surrounding infertility and ultimately, we run into these myths throughout our journeys. Sometimes we can just roll our eyes when we hear them: “Just relax!” Other myths can deeply hurt us: “Infertile people should get the hint and stop being so selfish.”
Anyone else feel like they need to clear the air in the room and set some things straight?
As I mentioned last week, RESOLVE’s National Infertility Awareness Week, starting just 23 days from now. They have an excellent Bloggers Unite project this year: Bust a Myth!
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| It’s kind of like Bust a Move, but with less Young MC. |
We know the myths. We hear them all the time. So this year, RESOLVE is asking bloggers to pick a myth from their list or write about their own. Reflect on the myth and then BUST IT in your blog post. Publish your busted myth post between April 24th and 30th, and your blog will be eligible for the Hope Award for Best Blog at RESOLVE’s Night of Hope Awards!
To find out more information on how you can participate, check out the Bust a Myth Bloggers Unite project page here.
I can’t be all doom and gloom for April Fool’s Day. If you’re looking for a laugh about infertility, head on over to Infertile Naomi’s 999 Reasons to Laugh at Infertility. Naomi reminds us of something rather important, no matter where we are in our journeys: “Infertility itself is not very funny but when life hands you lemons, make some fertile lemonade!”
I feel like I should carry my laptop around and show this to all the people I run into on a day to day basis who JUST DON'T GET IT! Well written, and to the point. Thank you for this post!
If you don't already watch "Grey's Anatomy", it might be worth looking in to, just to see what they do with the current infertility story line with the main character, Dr. Grey.
This is my 1st IF awareness week and I'm unbelievably excited for it!
I've slowly been coming out to friends, family and the all powerful Facebook about our struggles and loss. I can't wait to put it out there and bust a myth while am at it to raise awareness and take the shame and stigma away from IF.
Can't wait!
Yes, yes, YES! I am one of those people that wants to bust a friggin' myth already! So funny (not ha ha but ironic funny) because I was thinking about this in the shower this morning and imagining having a VOICE about infertility. I started making myself feel all empowered and started crying in the shower. ::blush:: People need to KNOW this stuff; Not because I'm angry, but because I believe people in the fertile world really do want to be helpfl. They just need more education. Thanks for spreading the word.