Reducing stigma through National Infertility Awareness Week

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Infertility doesn’t discriminate. 

That’s the message the National Infertility Association wants to send.  

The goal of National Infertility Awareness Week is to remove the stigma women, men and couples face when coping with infertility. 

Dr. Matthew Will, a reproductive endocrinologist at Midwest Fertility, says about one in eight couples in Indiana will have trouble conceiving.  

He says the stigma and shame from infertility largely come from seeing pregnancy come easily for some.  

That causes those coping with infertility to ask themselves, “what am I doing wrong?” 

Dr. Will says even women and men who do all the right things can still experience infertility. He says it could be age and lifestyle related, but it could also be genetics 

He says when more women talk about the numbers and statistics, it helps them feel less alone.  

So, they can focus on getting the right treatment. 

“Just like treating high blood pressure or diabetes, fertility treatments are a way to help with infertility and can get people passed their difficulties. Medicine can help, in most circumstances, people to achieve their goals,” said Dr. Will.  

Dr. Will says his practice has about an 80 percent success rate of women getting pregnant.  

He says while there are complications that can affect pregnancy after successful insemination, they have about a 50 percent success rate of live births. 

Dr. Will said there are things men and women can do to boost their fertility, starting with eating healthy. 

Those looking to conceive should quit smoking and also avoid e-cigarettes.  

Women should also pay close attention to their monthly cycles for any irregularities.