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NIAW

April 27, 2015
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As you may have heard, last week was National Infertility Awareness Week. (I meant to post this earlier, but was never able to, but felt it was still important enough to post, even if the week has passed.) Infertility is important. And it seems like it is only recently that that it has started to gain awareness — but thank goodness for that! Infertility impacts 1 in 8 couples — 1 in 8! It is so much more prevalent than we think. Infertility and miscarriage (among other topics) are often not shared, kept private, the grief kept inside, the grief looked down upon or as an uncomfortable taboo topic of conversation. That’s because it is a hard thing. A big thing. A sad thing. And nobody likes to acknowledge that it is real. But it is real. And it is hard. And it affects more than we know. That’s why we need to get the awareness out. That’s why we need to get rid of the stigma. 


I, personally, have not suffered from infertility. Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sex. We conceived Abe at the 1 year mark, so we didn’t quite cross the threshold to infertility. (I have never written about that time yet on this blog.. I plan to do that at some point.) But I remember that pain and the waiting and the tears and the prayers during that year period, and my heart absolutely breaks for those suffering from year to year to year. 

I have many, many dear friends who are struggling. Struggling to get pregnant, struggling to stay pregnant, struggling as they face yet another negative test, struggling to simply make it through another day with no answers. Infertility is unfair. It also does not discriminate. There is no telling who it will affect. It could be you, it could be your sister, it could be your neighbor, your best friend, your cousin, a co-worker. But you wouldn’t know, generally, because they suffer in secret. 

I just want to say a few things to those that suffer the pain of a barren or empty womb…

You are not alone.
You are brave.
You are strong.
You are loved.

And to those that do not, do not feel guilty, but instead, cover your friends in love and prayer. Be mindful of what you say. Do not assume. Be gentle, be kind. Be supportive. Be there for them. You can never go wrong with simply being a friend.

To learn more about infertility go here and here.

To read more from those dealing with infertility, here are a few of my favorite blogs or blog posts:
Be Brave
Barren to Beautiful
The R House
A Sweet Aroma
“It’s Not That We’re Not Happy For You” – Becoming Adorrable
“My Pickle Juice” – Just Two in Love

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Wife to Kyle, and momma to Abe, Eliza and Jonah. I'm a stay-at-home momma by day, and a blogger by naptime. I graduated from BYU with a degree in Human Development, and I love to read more than anything. I love my Savior, and sharing His love for others is my greatest passion.

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