This is National Infertility Awareness Week®! This advocacy project was established almost 30 years ago. This week is deliberately recognized a few weeks before Mother’s Day to bring attention to infertility and the people who are affected by it. In 2010, National Infertility Awareness Week® became a federally recognized health observance by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The National Infertility Awareness Week® website shares the need for this project and its goals:
National Infertility Awareness Week®, (NIAW) is not just about awareness for one week, it is much more than that. NIAW is a movement that, since 1989, has set out to reduce stigma and educate the public about reproductive health and issues that make building a family so difficult for so many. It’s also a movement to empower those whose lives are forever changed when they struggle to build a family. This is our time to work together as a community and boldly kick down the barriers that impact millions of people each day.
Please visit them at http://infertilityawareness.org for more information. There you will find news and stories about people who are affected by infertility, opportunities to get involved and ways stay in touch.
You can also show your commitment by taking a pledge. #Flipthescript during National Infertility Awareness Week® and join the movement that will help break down the barriers people with infertility face. Use this pledge as an inspiration and help us change the conversation about infertility.
My husband and I have been seeking to grow our family for more than 10 years and we are not alone. According to the Center for Disease Control 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. This statistic only confirms the need for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and others like it. They provide a wealth of knowledge and support that is invaluable.
I encourage you to fortify yourself as you seek to grow your family. Reach out to others who are walking this road. Find a Support Group and attend its meetings. Gather on a conference call where you can share your story. Pray, cry, and pray some more. Be patient with yourself. Please do not walk alone. You are not alone.
Hope-Filled Thought: There is HOPE!
My Prayer: Thank you Lord for giving me a purpose for what has been the source of my greatest pain. As I give my life’s journey to you freely, you remove the shame and give me joy unspeakable. Continue to empower me to encourage others for their good and your Glory. It is so. Amen.
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