NIAW

Today marks the start of National Infertility Awareness Week.

Infertility is defined as a medically recognized disease that affects men and women equally. It is defined as the inability to conceive or retain a pregnancy during a one-year period.

Did you know:

• 1 in 6 couples are affected by infertility
• 35% of infertility problems can be traced to the woman, 35% traced to the man and 20% traced to both.
• Ten percent of infertility is unexplained
• 6.1 million couples are affected by infertility in the US, worldwide 50-80 million
• Infertility affects approximately 10 - 15 % of the population
• The fastest growing group of people affected by infertility are women under 25

Statistics found here and here.

You probably know someone who struggles with infertility, even if you don't know that they do. 

And the chances are even greater that you didn't know that April 22 - 28 was National Infertility Awareness Week.  Until we struggled with fertility, I didn't know anyone else.  And then slowly, my blinders were removed and I realized a lot more people struggle with it than I could have ever imagined.  I am so thankful for organizations like Resolve.org and friends who are willing to talk about infertility, so that I didn't feel so alone.  We need to get past the social faux pas of not being perfect and open up about infertility so that others know they aren't alone.  And NIAW is a great start. 

However, if it weren't for infertility, I wouldn't have had this moment:  The first time I held Gabriel.  And I would not change one thing.