Before we got married, Max and I attended a marriage preparation course which made us think about questions like "How will you bring up your kids?" (Max's answer to that was "with milk and cookies"). When we were newly weds, people asked how many kids we were planning to have.
It was never a question of what we would do if we couldn't have kids, it was always about what we would do with our kids. In my own family, 75% of my parents' kids were accidents. As in 3 out of the 4 of us were unplanned. So the topic of infertility was never even thought of.
Which is why I really wondered why our first attempt at child production wasn't successful. Nor the second. Nor the third. Nor the many times we tried in our first two years of marriage. People began asking if we intended to have kids at all.
I remember sitting at the gynae's clinic and his very words as he pointed to 4 black spots on the print out of my ultrascan, "You see these black spots? Those are your eggs. They're stuck in your fallopian tubes. Which means that they're not going down the tubes. Which means they can't get fertilized."
It came as a bit of a shock. He didn't say it but my first thoughts were, "Infertile, me?" It seemed like a dirty word. Turns out, thankfully, that our problem was quite easily addressed with ovulation tablets and good timing. And well, some friendly advice from friends that came with a wink and a smile ("Just shooooooooooooooot!").
We know of friends who have gone through IVF, friends who've gone the TCM route, friends who have complained of too much um, action in the bedroom, friends who have tried all kinds of strange things like putting elephant figurines on their bedstands, and friends who have simply given up.
It's not something we think about, but infertility is common. Approximately 1 in 10 couples face the challenges of infertility, with Asia having one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Having babies later affects a woman's child-bearing capabilities, which do not help at all in the struggle of conception.
Because infertility is considered a taboo topic, couples are very likely to be embarrassed to ask questions, or seek advice. Which is a crying shame because modern fertility treatments are effective.
But because of the stigma that accompanies infertility, only 56% of infertile couples seek treatment, and 22% receive medical care against infertility. So about HALF of couples with infertility issues remain untreated. About 8 of 10 couples seeking medical care do not start or continue to the end of the treatment. Emotional distress is sited as the main reason by couples who discontinue treatment.
25-31 August 2013 marks Fertility Awareness Week, an awareness campaign to share knowledge about fertility and recognising the issues of fertility. It is endorsed by the College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (COGS), The Obstetrical & Gynecological Society of Singapore (OGSS), Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE), Health Promotion Board (HPB), and 3 hospitals - KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the National University Hospital, and Singapore General Hospital, working in conjunction with Merck Serono.
Fertility Awareness Week aims to break the taboo of discussing infertility. Through web congresses, it will provide information on the various treatment options available, encouraging couples to discuss their fertility problems with each other, and their doctors. Local fertility experts will be sharing their expertise on topics such as What is Infertility? Barriers to Infertility, and Treatment Options and Access.
More information on infertility:
What increases a person's risk of infertility? According to the the Office on Women's Health, US Department of Science and Human Services, age, use of drugs, smoking, excess alcohol use, stress, poor diet and being overly underweight or underweight play an important part.
KK Women's and Children's Hospital has more information on infertility and the various methods to treat it here. Did you know, that infertility can be attributed to either the man or the woman? More information about male infertility can be found here, and a TCM approach to infertility in women can be found here.
If you suspect that you and/or your partner are suffering from fertility problems, check this page out for more information, and hopefully some answers. If you know of someone who would benefit from this, please, do pass on the information. If you're worried you might appear rude or inappropriate, that's justifiable. But also think of how someone else might find something useful in there, and if that is enough to get over your own fear barrier.
PS Oh, and the reason for my eggs not getting released? The gynae attributed it to stress. And it's probably more than a happy coincidence that both our kids were made out of Singapore. Can't think of a better reason to book that holiday!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Merck Serono, which supports Asia Fertility Week. I am being compensated to write this post. All opinions are my own.
Another disclaimer: Yeah I also have a pair of small elephant figurines in my bedroom. They're pink. And made of jade, I think.
It was never a question of what we would do if we couldn't have kids, it was always about what we would do with our kids. In my own family, 75% of my parents' kids were accidents. As in 3 out of the 4 of us were unplanned. So the topic of infertility was never even thought of.
Which is why I really wondered why our first attempt at child production wasn't successful. Nor the second. Nor the third. Nor the many times we tried in our first two years of marriage. People began asking if we intended to have kids at all.
I remember sitting at the gynae's clinic and his very words as he pointed to 4 black spots on the print out of my ultrascan, "You see these black spots? Those are your eggs. They're stuck in your fallopian tubes. Which means that they're not going down the tubes. Which means they can't get fertilized."
It came as a bit of a shock. He didn't say it but my first thoughts were, "Infertile, me?" It seemed like a dirty word. Turns out, thankfully, that our problem was quite easily addressed with ovulation tablets and good timing. And well, some friendly advice from friends that came with a wink and a smile ("Just shooooooooooooooot!").
We know of friends who have gone through IVF, friends who've gone the TCM route, friends who have complained of too much um, action in the bedroom, friends who have tried all kinds of strange things like putting elephant figurines on their bedstands, and friends who have simply given up.
It's not something we think about, but infertility is common. Approximately 1 in 10 couples face the challenges of infertility, with Asia having one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Having babies later affects a woman's child-bearing capabilities, which do not help at all in the struggle of conception.
Because infertility is considered a taboo topic, couples are very likely to be embarrassed to ask questions, or seek advice. Which is a crying shame because modern fertility treatments are effective.
But because of the stigma that accompanies infertility, only 56% of infertile couples seek treatment, and 22% receive medical care against infertility. So about HALF of couples with infertility issues remain untreated. About 8 of 10 couples seeking medical care do not start or continue to the end of the treatment. Emotional distress is sited as the main reason by couples who discontinue treatment.
25-31 August 2013 marks Fertility Awareness Week, an awareness campaign to share knowledge about fertility and recognising the issues of fertility. It is endorsed by the College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (COGS), The Obstetrical & Gynecological Society of Singapore (OGSS), Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE), Health Promotion Board (HPB), and 3 hospitals - KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the National University Hospital, and Singapore General Hospital, working in conjunction with Merck Serono.
Fertility Awareness Week aims to break the taboo of discussing infertility. Through web congresses, it will provide information on the various treatment options available, encouraging couples to discuss their fertility problems with each other, and their doctors. Local fertility experts will be sharing their expertise on topics such as What is Infertility? Barriers to Infertility, and Treatment Options and Access.
More information on infertility:
What increases a person's risk of infertility? According to the the Office on Women's Health, US Department of Science and Human Services, age, use of drugs, smoking, excess alcohol use, stress, poor diet and being overly underweight or underweight play an important part.
KK Women's and Children's Hospital has more information on infertility and the various methods to treat it here. Did you know, that infertility can be attributed to either the man or the woman? More information about male infertility can be found here, and a TCM approach to infertility in women can be found here.
If you suspect that you and/or your partner are suffering from fertility problems, check this page out for more information, and hopefully some answers. If you know of someone who would benefit from this, please, do pass on the information. If you're worried you might appear rude or inappropriate, that's justifiable. But also think of how someone else might find something useful in there, and if that is enough to get over your own fear barrier.
PS Oh, and the reason for my eggs not getting released? The gynae attributed it to stress. And it's probably more than a happy coincidence that both our kids were made out of Singapore. Can't think of a better reason to book that holiday!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Merck Serono, which supports Asia Fertility Week. I am being compensated to write this post. All opinions are my own.
Another disclaimer: Yeah I also have a pair of small elephant figurines in my bedroom. They're pink. And made of jade, I think.
