April 22-28 is this year’s National Infertility Awareness Week and, here at American Adoptions, we will always do our part to spread awareness about this struggle that affects 1 in 8 — or 15 percent — of all couples in the United States. We join RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association in bringing to light this important topic and are honored to have helped thousands of people struggling with infertility finally become the parents they want to be.
This year’s National Infertility Awareness Week theme is “#FliptheScript” and we encourage you and your loved ones to share your story and learn more about the current state of infertility in the U.S. — from available family-building options to laws across the country that regulate them.
To start, here are five important things you should know about infertility:
- 1 in 8 couples (or 12 percent of married women) have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy.
- 4 million women (11.9 percent) have received infertility services in their lifetime.
- About 1/3 of infertility cases are attributed to a female partner, 1/3 is attributed to a male partner, and the final 1/3 is either a combination of problems in both partners or is unexplained.
- A couple aged 29–33 with a normal functioning reproductive system has only a 20 to 25 percent chance of conceiving in any given month.
- Only 60 percent of couples will conceive without medical assistance after six months of trying.
At American Adoptions, we take infertility struggles seriously. Each hopeful family that approaches us about adoption receives personal counseling to ensure that adoption is the right family-building path to overcome their infertility. We recognize how important it is that each adoptive parent properly grieve their infertility before starting their family-building process, which is why you’ll receive this service at our adoption agency and at our sister surrogacy agency, American Surrogacy.
Often, infertility is a long journey that can last years — and that’s totally normal. Whenever you are ready to move forward from your infertility, our specialists stand ready to guide you through the adoption process, providing the emotional support you need every step along the way.
But, what if you’re still struggling with infertility, or you know someone who is? This is what National Infertility Awareness Week is for — to help you understand you’re not alone and there is help out here for you.
If this is the case for you, here are five tips for facing — and moving forward from — your infertility struggles:
- Always keep your relationship honest and open with your partner, if applicable.
- Speak with an infertility or grief counselor.
- Explore all of your family-building options, including assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy and adoption.
- Find an infertility support group to share your story and learn from others.
- Reach out to friends and family for support.
You can read personal stories from people facing infertility here. You can also share your story in the comments below and share this post to help spread awareness about infertility today.
