1 in 8 couples in the United States struggle with infertility. 1 in 8 is 15% of the population, and it includes more people in your social network, more of your family, friends and acquaintances than you may ever know. Including Ben and me - we are 1 in 8.
April 23-29, 2017 is National Infertility Awareness Week, and this week I will share what it feels like to live with a diagnosis that gives me a slim chance of ever experiencing the joy of parenting a biological child, what I want to hear from others, what options exist for me and others and why they are more complicated than you may think, and how our insurance and political systems need your advocacy in order to create more supportive systems for people trying to grow their families.
For those who follow along, thank you. Thank you for listening, for empathizing, for supporting, and for advocating. For those who with me, who are also 1 in 8, you are not alone.
I was greatly helped by Resolve.org, a National Support Group for people experiencing infertility. I found them reassuring when I was having a hard time. Knowing I had some control over the resolution made me feel less helpless and more empowered.
I went through this so long ago (1982) that I am not up on any of the current procedures that can be done.