The BlogivfInfertilityWomen

25 Ways You Can Raise Awareness

One in 8 couples struggle to have children and build their families due to the disease of infertility. This statistic represents a colleague, a friend in your book club, a couple at your Thanksgiving dinner table.
By 

President/CEO, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

President/CEO, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

One in 8 couples struggle to have children and build their families due to the disease of infertility. This statistic represents a colleague, a friend in your book club, a couple at your Thanksgiving dinner table. Having infertility can feel embarrassing and isolating, but you can help your friends feel less misunderstood and alone by resolving to know more about infertility this week, April 20-26, during National Infertility Awareness Week.

  1. Be part of the infertility movement! Any way you can raise awareness will help increase public understanding about the disease of infertility.

Increase your knowledge:

  • Learn more about infertility. Knowledge is power.

  • Sign up for RESOLVE's quarterly newsletter to receive important information on the disease of infertility from noted professionals in the field and from women and men just like you.

    • Be social and share:

  • Share information on social media.

  • Begin a blog about your infertility journey.

  • Share your infertility story. RESOLVE wants to recognize the 25th Anniversary of National Infertility Awareness Week and share 25 inspirational stories from people who raised awareness about infertility.

  • Let people know that infertility is a disease by using the phrase, "the disease of infertility" whenever you write or talk about infertility.

  • Share RESOLVE's list of "25 Things To Say (and Not To Say)" to someone with infertility.

  • Help people understand more about their reproductive health.

  • Spread the word about personal assessment tools.

  • Share information about all the family building options.

  • Honor someone diagnosed with infertility.

    • Get political:

  • Become a Grassroots Advocate. Every year RESOLVE fights anti-family bills in more and more states. We need you to help build our state advocacy infrastructure so that we are prepared to fight back in all 50 states at any time.

  • Share these top current federal legislative issues.

  • Share information about legislation in your state.

  • Share your state's fertility score.

  • Advocate to your state's Members of Congress in person at RESOLVE's Advocacy Day on May 7th in Washington, D.C.

    • Get involved in person:

  • Volunteer to represent and support the infertility community.

  • Participate in an event.

  • Hold an event. Right in your community is the perfect place to start raising awareness. No effort is too small. The infertility community is building a strong grassroots movement all over the country. Take a moment to think about what being part of this movement means to you.

  • Start a RESOLVE support group.

    • Support RESOLVE:
  • Become a RESOLVE sponsor to promote RESOLVE's efforts to provide support, education, advocacy, and research.
  • Become a RESOLVE professional member to reach those looking for local services from trusted professionals.
  • Get your employer involved in workplace giving.
  • Share RESOLVE's list of "25 Reasons to Support the Infertility Movement" to explain why charitable giving matters.

    • What is infertility?
    Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system. One third (30 percent) of infertility can be attributed to male factors, and about one third (30 percent) can be attributed to female factors. In about 20 percent of cases infertility is unexplained, and the remaining 10 percent of infertility is caused by a combination of problems in both partners.

    Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after 12 months of trying to conceive. If you are over the age of 35, the time of trying to conceive is reduced to 6 months. It is important to see a specialist, or a reproductive endocrinologist, or in some cases your OB/GYN or urologist for a complete fertility work-up and diagnosis.

    Join the movement! Learn more about National Infertility Awareness Week.

    Related

    ivfInfertilityWomennational infertility awareness weekAdoption
    |
    Submit a tip

    Popular in the Community

    Close

    What's Hot