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Join the movement: National Infertility Awareness Week

Since 1989 RESOLVE has organized National Infertility Awareness Week. One week to help bring infertility support groups to every community, increase and protect access to all family building options and help change the conversation about infertility.

Worried woman - Infertility

The more we talk and share and learn from one another, the better our experience will be.

National Infertility Awareness Week is April 21 – 27, 2013.

One week

One week to show your support, lend an encouraging ear or offer a warm hug to someone that you know is struggling with infertility.

One week to band together, cry and share our stories of loss and longing.

One week to not feel so alone.

One week that should last all year long.

National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) is a movement that began in 1989. The goal of NIAW is to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and encourage the public to understand their reproductive health.

Don’t suffer in silence

Infertility is often ignored by healthcare professionals, the government, insurance companies and the media. It is not seen as “important” as other health issues and conditions, despite the fact that so many people are affected by it worldwide. Current data says that 1 in 6 couples are struggling with infertility and yet so many suffer in silence.

RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association that founded this movement, continues to work with the professional family-building community, corporate partners and the media to:

  1. Ensure that people trying to conceive know the guidelines for seeing a specialist when they are having difficulty conceiving.
  2. Enhance public understanding that infertility is a disease that needs and deserves attention.
  3. Educate legislators about the disease of infertility and how it impacts people in their state.

In 2010 National Infertility Awareness Week became a federally recognized health observance by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Join the movement

National Infertility Awareness Week - Join the Movement

This year, the theme for NIAW is “Join the Movement”. What does joining the movement mean? It can mean something different to each of us.

It can mean getting involved in RESOLVE or other organizations promoting infertility awareness and activism.

It can mean participating in a Walk of Hope event to help raise money for infertility awareness and support.

It can mean being open about your infertility struggles to others so that it is no longer a taboo topic. You might be surprised to find some of your closest friends and family members have been in a similar situation.

It can mean saying thank you to those who have been by your side and making a donation in their names to RESOLVE or another infertility charity.

It can mean something as simple as delivering infertility awareness materials to your local OB/GYN offices to help inform others.

It can mean showing your friends and loved ones affected by infertility that you care about what they are going through — even if you have never had to deal with infertility yourself.

Whether you are vocal about your infertility journey or not, there are plenty of ways you can show support and raise awareness for the struggle that impacts so many of us. If you are looking for ways to honor this week’s National Infertility Awareness Week, click here for more inspiration.

More about infertility

How to find the humor in infertility
How infertility is impacting my child
How I coped with bed rest after IVF

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