How infertility affects you, how to deal with it, and when to seek help for it.

According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Infertility is the result of a disease of the male or female reproductive system which prevents the conception of a child or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery. A couple will be asked to go for an infertility evaluation if they fail to conceive a child with unprotected intercourse for about 12 months unless medical history, age, or physical findings dictate earlier evaluation and treatment.

Although there is much emphasis on women and infertility, it is important to note that infertility affects both men and women equally. 1 in 8 couples experience infertility, out of which ⅓ of cases are due to female health factors,  ⅓ are due to male health factors, and the remaining ⅓ is due to a combination of factors or is unexplainable.

Infertility is something many people don’t prepare for as there are no tests that are available yet to reveal signs of infertility at an early age. People often feel blindsided when they are referred to fertility specialists after a failed pregnancy or miscarriage. Infertility also tends to be a taboo subject in our society and people going through this often find it hard to talk to others. Many just don’t have an awareness and a general understanding of the effects of this problem. Because of that, the general people don’t know how to support others going through infertility and may say something that can really sting someone with infertility. I have seen that is often a case for people with infertility, struggle in silence and want to keep this suffering to themselves.

It’s really important to find someone who truly understands and better yet have gone through infertility. They can help support and most importantly help you move forward amidst of hardships involved with treatments, its results, emotional triggers, relationship challenges etc.

For people who want to take control and ownership of their fertility, there is this amazing self-paced course on infertility that is targeted towards woman, men, couples and family/friends.