Next week kicks off infertility awareness week. It will be the third year that Yinstill has been a part of this great cause. This year’s national campaign is entitled: “I am 1 in 6” The Infertility Awareness Association of Canada (IAAC) has launched this campaign for this year to really highlight just how many couples struggle with fertility challenges. The goal of the campaign is to empower more people to speak out about their fertility challenges and the experiences they have endured during their journey. The aim is to increase the awareness of these struggles and let other couples who also face fertility challenges know that they are not alone.
In addition to educating the public into the many different challenges to conceiving that couples may face, we can also address the stigma around seeking assistance for these challenges, whether it is assisted reproductive therapies or the various holistic treatments, such as acupuncture, Chinese medicine and naturopathic medicine. With thousands of Canadian couples affected and many thousand more worldwide, infertility is a growing concern that cannot be ignored.
Last weekend, our clinical director, Dr. Spence Pentland, put on an incredible event for the launch of his new book, Being Fertile. The event centered around five women sharing their fertility journeys and the struggles they endured to finally have a family. There was not a dry eye in the audience as the fourth speaker relayed her story of holding her stillborn daughter who had been born at 27 weeks. Following her was the hilarious and talented Mary Jo Dionne performing her reproduction production “Glowing.” This is a witty spin on her journey through multiple IVF cycles and a pregnancy within which she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (skin cancer) that required immediate surgery and weeks of bed rest. It was a great opportunity for women to share their stories and to be heard by many others that may be having a similar experience. The common take away message that each of the five women had was to talk about the journey and to set aside the fear and/or shame that you may be feeling. It was an inspirational event.
I would like to encourage each and everyone of you experiencing difficulty conceiving to share your story, ask for support and if you haven’t already done so, call us at Yinstill to inquire about what Chinese medicine may be able to offer to assist you in your journey. We are committed to helping others to achieve happy, healthy families.
To share your story on the IAAC website for the I am 1 in 6 campaign: Share Your Story
You can also find lots of great resources on the IAAC website or IVF4BC
Please help to get Assisted Reproductive Techniques funded by our government:
Petition to Introduce public funding to cover the costs of IVF in British Columbia
PDF petition click here
IAAC on Facebook
IAAC on Twitter
By: Harris Fisher Dr. TCM
