Midwest Reproductive Center Rallies behind Infertility Awareness Week, Encourages Patient Support

When most people decide to start a family, they assume it will take a few months of trying and then the stick will turn blue. For the 1 in 7 couples that struggle with infertility, reality is far different. Often, they face extensive testing, rounds of fertility treatment and repeated disappointments. Many times, these couples suffer in silence.

Each year, RESOLVE, a national infertility organization, promotes Infertility Awareness Week to raise support and consciousness about this issue. For 2014, Infertility Awareness Week is April 20 to April 26, and Midwest Reproductive Center, PA (MRC) is spreading the word.

Dr. Dan Gehlbach offers tips to well-meaning family and friends

Often, couples and individuals living with infertility find themselves dealing with insensitivity from people who don’t really understand the situation. Infertility is a medical condition. No amount of relaxation or vacationing will change that fact. If you have a friend or relative struggling to conceive, consider these helpful hints about how to support your loved one:

• Don’t minimize the situation by suggesting that your friend enjoy child-free living and the perks of sleeping late, free time or a clean house. Instead, acknowledge her sadness and frustration about not being able to get pregnant.

• Don’t say that this is “fate”. Medical factors such as physical abnormalities, maternal age, low sperm count and hormonal imbalances are some of the common causes of infertility. This situation is not a punishment from Mother Nature.

• Don’t push adoption or other alternatives for parenthood. Each couple has to work through their feelings and make their own decisions about family building.

• Do offer to listen. You may not understand the terms or all the medical ins and outs, but lending a sympathetic ear will let your loved one know that you care about what he or she is going through to conceive a child.

• Do reach out. If your friend is dealing with tests, treatments and failed cycles, she may feel overwhelmed and isolated. Inviting her for coffee or lunch can provide a much-needed distraction.

Increase Your Infertility Know-How

At MRC, we want to help you understand the basics of infertility and how to support the people you love struggling with this condition. For more information about common causes of infertility, or to schedule a consultation appointment, contact our office.