Shining a Light on Infertility

This week, April 22 – 28 is National Infertility Awareness Week and Resolve, The National Infertility Association has chosen ‘Don’t Ignore Infertility’ as this year’s theme.

For those of us who don’t suffer from infertility it can be an easy issue to ignore. It’s not something that permeates our everyday lives. The woman you saw at the grocery store isn’t wearing a sign about her struggles. The couple at the park didn’t introduce themselves with the disclaimer about their hardships and your bank teller doesn’t hand you a receipt with a note slipped underneath declaring the rough time she’s going through. There’d be a bit more grace in this world if we all came with warning labels and handle with care signs.

But most of us probably know someone who has struggled or is currently struggling with infertility, whether we’re aware of it or not. And as MLJ’s Adoption Education Coordinator, Judy Miller points out infertility, “is not just a woman’s problem. It’s seen as a woman’s issue, but if affects men as well.” It’s an issue that affects so, so many. Resolve’s goal this year is to help us stop ignoring the issue. Stop ignoring the pain that’s associated with this disease and start paying attention.

One of the best ways to bring infertility to the forefront is to become better educated. Take the time to learn about infertility; whether it’s for yourself to gain support, or to help you support a friend or loved one as they go through this journey. Judy teaches From Infertility to Adoption at MLJ Adoptions. In this class we examine loss and grief related to fertility and how infertility impacts parenting. If you are considering adoption and have dealt with infertility this is a class you will not want to miss.

There is no right or wrong way to deal with infertility and there is no right or wrong way to support someone who is dealing with it. Judy notes, “Grief ebbs and flows. You can still experience joy in parenting, you can still experience joy and grieve. That’s normal.” But you can educate yourself so that you’re better able to navigate these tricky waters.