National Infertility Awareness Week: Know The Facts And Raise Awareness About Infertility

In most cases, a woman won't be concerned with fertility until they decide to have a baby. Then when she finally decides to start getting pregnant, she gets surprised with infertility issues that often involve ovulation kits, fertility monitors and apprehension.

Thanks to the many celebrities, who opened up about infertility, many women and men are choosing to discuss the matter openly. This week, women and men who experienced infertility have joined forces to spread awareness about this disease and how it can tremendously affect the life of a person.

National Infertility Awareness Week helps raise awareness & serves as a reminder that you are not alone. #1in8 #NIAW pic.twitter.com/LoiBk3oth7

— CCRM Minneapolis (@CCRM_MN) April 25, 2016

National Research Findings

Chicago Tribune conducted a national survey composed of 1,208 women aged 25 to 45 to gauge knowledge on fertility and family planning. The results are as follows:

More than half of the women (51 percent) said they would like to have children but only 48 percent have the proper knowledge about fertility rate after age 35. After the age of 35, there are high chances of miscarriage and ovarian reserve declines. Most of them (89 percent) agreed that doctors should discuss infertility issues during a consultation. While 79 percent of them said that this vital information should be included in school sex education.

More than half (52 percent) of the women aged over 35 admitted they would have made different life choices if they had been informed about infertility earlier in life. This prompted to raise more awareness and encourage women to openly ask about infertility.

Basic Fertility Facts

Refinery29 supports the celebration of National Infertility Awareness Week and dedicated a full week of open discussion about conceiving and dealing with infertility. It is important to learn basic facts about the disease. Check out information provided by Refinery29, Chicago Tribune and Romper:

1. Around 7.3 million Americans are affected by infertility. One in eight couples suffers from infertility or difficulty of getting pregnant.

2. There's no turning back the clock. Beyond the age of 35, fertility potential declines faster. A 30-year-old woman has a 20 percent chance of getting pregnant in a given cycle. Infertility is defined when a woman over 35 fails to get pregnant after six months of trying or fails to carry a pregnancy to live birth. For women under 35, infertility is attempting to conceive for a year without success. Seek professional help if you experience infertility based on the definition above.

3. The blame is equally distributed to both male and female. Infertility affects women and men equally.

4. The common causes of infertility in women are Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and other ovulation disorders. It can also be declining of ovarian reserve or blockage of the fallopian tube. For men, the main causes are hormonal imbalance, low sperm count, poor sperm movement and abnormal sperm shape.

5. Irregular periods may signal difficulty conceiving in the future. Start asking about your reproductive history when your reach your 20s. Ask your mom about your family history. Individuals can have their fertility potential assessed through check-up, blood tests, ultrasound and semen analysis.

There are many groups, which openly discuss this issue. This is the perfect time to discuss and raise awareness about infertitliy. Check out the video about infertility below: