START ASKING: For Infertility Awareness Year Round

Yesterday, I had the great fortune of having a blog piece posted on The Huffington Post about #NIAW. It’s called, “National Infertility Awareness Week: Changing the Dialogue". After years of writing posts here on my personal infertility blog, I wanted to try to write something more “fertile public facing” as a subtle clearing of my throat to say, “Ahem… really though fertiles! It’s National Infertility Awareness Week. It’s about making YOU aware. Us infertiles are already more than aware how much it sucks.”

I’ve got to tell you though: Even though I haven’t been writing here often at all (which frustrates me more than you know), a day doesn’t go by when I’m not talking infertility (whether people want to hear it or not). One of the biggest highlights bringing the issue of infertility to the public at large is the recent premiere of HAVEABABY. It’s impossible to overstate how proud I am to be involved in this powerful documentary that is a raw, honest look at the costly and emotional rollercoaster those struggling to conceive go through. Click HERE to see the trailer.

It’s also yet another example of RESOLVE’s out of the box thinking to reach and educate others who don’t understand the plight of infertility. They partnered with the HAVEABABY team to help promote the film… and of course, awareness.

I’d like this post here on my blog though to be more to those who know all too well the sting of being reproductively challenged. This blog, The 2 Week Wait, has been my support group for many years, has seen me through dark times, has given me an outlet for both my sense of humor and sorrow that I felt when failing to have children and it has connected me to so many amazing men, women, couples and family building groups. Even though, again, I don’t post on here often, this blog will never stop meaning the world to me. This is why I come back here this week to aim to raise awareness AND to ask you to “Start Asking” for more.

To any of you who have been touched by infertility: It does not matter where you are in your journey. We need to stop feeling embarrassed or less than for having fertility issues. No one apologizes for having medical issues, why should we? Yes, it’s difficult to out ourselves. (Man, is that an understatement!?!?) And yes, we open ourselves up to stupid advice. ("Why yes, I did try cough syrup to help my cervical mucus. Thanks!") But until we overcome our shame and advocate for ourselves, few others will. That is a painful, ugly truth.

One in eight suffer from infertility. If the one stays silent, the other seven will never know or understand that pain. We must not stay silent. I know it’s so personal. I truly do but until we start asking to be noticed, recognized and acknowledged as a medical issue that employers and insurance need to assist like they do any other disease, we will continued to be ignored.

I’ve said this often on Twitter but the movie MOTHER’S DAY opened today – during National Infertility Awareness Week. Take Your Child to Work Day was yesterday. Is it me or does the public at large still not seem to get it? I don’t think it’s being overly sensitive to recognize what this week is supposed to be about and you’d think the marketing team at Open Road Pictures would have looked into it.

My point is PLEASE – Start Asking for awareness year round. When someone asks you why you don’t have kids, ask them if they’ve ever heard about infertility issues and then educate their fertile and innocently ignorant selves.

Start asking your HR department for coverage. Start asking your relatives for support. Come to Advocacy Day and start asking your lawmakers for help. Start asking your co-workers, friends, family and government for respect. Any opportunity you get, start asking for more.

Yes, it’s National Infertility Awareness Week but we need to start asking for true awareness of this painful, emotional, psychological issue so that this week won’t be needed anymore.

As always, with hope, humor and hugs.

Artificial Insemination In Tamil Nadu

The most happiest moment in everyone’s life is the time when they become parents. Some of them miss this moment because of some issue. Guru Multispeciality Hospital helps you to figure it out. And this hospital provides all infertility treatments including Artificial Insemination Technique.

Artificial insemination (AI) is the least complex fertility technique. AI technique is tried in uncomplicated case. It introduces the sperm into cervix or into the uterus. IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) is the standard AI technique with less expensive and also the risk of multiple birth.. Before Artificial insemination, doctor prescribes both male and female to do the test to identify the count and motility of the male’s sperm and success of female’s ovulation. Intracervical and intrauterine are the types of insemination.

Intracervical Insemination (ICI) :-

In this technique, a needleless syringe is used to inject the raw or unwashed semen into the cervix. ICI is the most common and easiest insemination technique

Intratubal Insemination (ITI) :-

ITI comprise injection of washed sperm into fallopian tube.

Intrauterine Tuboperitoneal Insemination (IUTPI) :- 

Intrauterine tuboperitoneal insemination can be useful for moderate or mild male infertility and unexplained infertility. It includes injection of washed sperm into both fallopian tube and uterus.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) :- 

This technique places the sperm either directly in the cervix or into the uterus using catheter. IUI is the most efficient method of artificial insemination.

Artificial Insemination Treatment is also used for different fertility problems. And this technique is popular for male having low sperm count and sperm that are not strong enough for moving through cervix to fallopian tube. Female with unreceptive cervical mucus (it helps sperm to move through cervix) also prefer this treatment. 

Guru Hospital offers different infertility treatments in effective way with the help of prominent doctors and also provides Artificial Insemination In Tamil Nadu.

                                      

You Are Not Alone… Even When National Infertility Awareness Week is Over.

Every year that I’ve participated in Resolve’s National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), I typically only post once (Here are some past years: 2012, 2013, 2014) and if you scroll down below this post, you’ll see my first post for this year - 2015.

However, I felt compelled to write just one more blog to make the point that while NIAW is just a week, that for too many, it is year round and sometimes, for their entire lives.

I used to joke that my two week wait felt terminal. The reality is though that for some, it is. @Ms_Infertile posted something that I thought was so true and the public at large doesn’t get when it comes to infertility and that is you can try your best, do everything you can and use every resource and still have empty arms at the end of it.

Throughout my infertility journey, I’ve made friends with a countless amount of people and all of them have had either different conclusions or none whatsoever. Some have had children through insemination, IVF, donor eggs, surrogacy and adoption. Others however have gone on to get divorces or opt to stop treatment altogether. Neither is right or wrong – it’s what was best for them but my point is that infertility isn’t just something we talk about in a week. It’s something that can change people’s lives forever.

I’m proud of this week, that it exists and reminds the fertile public at large we’re here but frankly, it pisses me off that after this week is over, too many don’t know the reality or the scope of infertility.

As many of you know, in the past few years, I’ve been a very vocal infertility advocate. In the past couple of months, albeit in the overwhelming minority, I’ve gotten some questions (and a bit of grief) about why I continue to be an advocate when I’ve had a child (through my third IVF) and I’m currently expecting my second from what I can only describe as a Hail Mary long shot miracle. I have four responses to that:

1.   I still care. Period and end of story.

2.   There are many who survive breast cancer or other life changing diseases but just because they are seen as a success story doesn’t mean that they can no longer be an advocate for the cause. Why? See number one.

3.   I have been diagnosed with infertility. I am definitely one of the privileged who has gone on to have children but this diagnosis affected my life tremendously and again, please refer to number one.

4.   I saved this one for last because frankly, it’s the biggest most personal important reason to me and keeps me an active advocate.

When I was deep in the trenches, I was intensely private about my struggle to conceive. I was profoundly embarrassed, depressed and ashamed. Very, very few knew what was going on and what we were going through. I can honestly admit now that I was actually terrified of people finding out. It, along with never having children, was my biggest fear.

Right now, at this moment, someone is exactly in that place. Hell, I talk to people all day long who have confided in me their infertility issues and shared with me that their family or close friends don't have any idea that they are dying to have children but are unable to.

I have the luxury (yes, the luxury) to be at a place in my life to give those people who can't yet be open about infertility a voice. They are the ones who can’t tell Dolce and Gabbana what they said about IVF Babies was very offensive (Read HERE). They are the ones who can’t write a post for Huffington Post telling people they are being insensitive when they ask others why they haven't had kids yet (Read HERE). They are the ones who can’t advise the younger generation to know their fertility health to possibly try and avoid what they are currently going through (Read HERE) and they certainly would never go on television to disclose they have a child through IVF (Watch HERE).

Whether you like me or hate me, whether you think I should go away or keep on keeping on, I can never shake the person that infertility made me. I’m not saying at all that I do everything perfectly or you have to agree with all of my actions. What I’m saying though is I know how I was and I know how there are still so many, too many people scared as I was to admit that this is something they are dealing with. I promise you with every fiber of my being, whenever I do anything on this subject, they are always, completely in my heart and on my mind.

When NIAW is over, the infertility journey for one in eight is not. So again, I say to those of you who are the one in eight -- not only are you not alone, but there are others like me who aim to give you a voice if you feel you simply can’t have one.

Here are just a few of my fellow advocates/bloggers of those very people:

• @remagineit - Please see his blog HERE.
• @radkitten - Please see her blog HERE.
• @FurrowedFox - Please see her blog HERE.
• @JustineFroelker - Please see her post on HP HERE.
• @gsmwc02  - Please see his blog HERE.
• @jenrutner  - Please see her blog HERE.
• @ChancesOur - Please see her blog HERE.

And again, you can learn more about infertility by visiting these links:

• http://www.resolve.org/about-infertility/what-is-infertility/  (Basic understanding of the disease of infertility.)
• http://www.resolve.org/national-infertility-awareness-week/about.html (About NIAW)

Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Madurai

Assisted Reproductive Technologies or ART :

Assisted reproductive technology is a for helping the couples to conceive. For this procedure couples an either use their own eggs or sperms or they can use donor eggs or sperms. In this technique fertilization is either occurred in the uterus or in the laboratory.

Guru Hospital is one of the famous hospital which provides Infertility Solution in Madurai.

What are the Techniques in Assisted Reproductive Technologies ?

• Sperm retrieval
• Sperm Washing
• Intrauterine Insemination / Artificial Insemination
• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Sperm Retrieval :

This is a procedure done when a man has no sperm in the ejaculate due to vasectomy, blockage or lack of vas deference. On this procedure the sperm is retrieved from the testes or from the epididymis. After the sperm retrieval, intrauterine insemination (IUI) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is done for fertilization.

Sperm Washing : 

This procedure is done when the sperm has less mobility. In this the sperm is washed from seminal fluid to improve mobility and thus helps the sperm to move towards the egg. This technique can be also used for testing the ability of the sperm to escape to the cervical mucus.

Intrauterine Insemination / Artificial Insemination :

This is the most safest and less complex infertility treatment. It doesn't have the risk of multiple births and is less expensive. It is mainly used in uncomplicated infertility cases. In this procedure the collected sperm is either placed into the uterus or into the cervix.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection / ICSI :

This technique is mainly used while there is male infertility. This is used as a combination with the invitro fertilization (IVF). Here a single sperm is injected to the egg which is obtained through the IVF procedure. This is best for women with age younger than 37. And the rate of success is high.