Infertility exists on a spectrum and today, I wrote for Romper about how two seemingly opposing ends — the parenting and the childless — can meet in the middle to support each other for National Infertility Awareness Week:
National Infertility Awareness Week — NIAW, for short — is here. While it might seem like this health observance doesn’t affect many people, you’d be surprised. Infertility affects as many as one in eight couples of reproductive age — and me and my husband are one of them. We’re one of the lucky couples that made it through infertility to parenthood. Even though you might have had a child or even multiple children of your own with no issues whatsoever, here’s why National Infertility Awareness Week should matter to moms.
But first, a little history: In 1989, NIAW started as a movement by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. It would be another 21 years before NIAW would become a federally-recognized health observance by the Department of Health and Human Services. Though infertility has certainly received a lot more media attention in recent years thanks to celebrities opening up about their infertility stories, the infertility community still has a long way to go in terms of awareness, education, and support. As a mom after infertility, it’s an issue near and dear to me for obvious reasons, but I truly believe that all moms can do their part this NIAW to support their fellow moms after infertility and all those moms-in-waiting.
Read the rest of my essay, Why National Infertility Awareness Week Should Matter to Moms, at Romper.
Photo credit: Joey Thompson.
