National Infertility Survival Day

National Infertility Survival Day is the Sunday before Mother's Day since 2004 in order to cope up the depression felt by couples who do not have children but desire to.

Each year, on the Sunday before Mother's Day, National Infertility Survivors Day remembers those struggling with infertility.

This day is intentionally placed before Mother's Day to finally bring those battling infertility to the fore. Many people keep their struggles private. However, others choose to go public with the problem and share it with family and friends. The day encourages individuals and couples dealing with infertility to share, bond, stick together and celebrate important victories and small daily endeavors.

As celebrations that include parenthood mount, those struggling with infertility find it a particularly difficult time. While their grief is not intended to negate their hope of going on or any memories of parenthood, only those who have faced the pain of infertility truly understand the loss usually accompanies it.

What is National Infertility Survival Day?

Infertility is bewildering and devastating. Couples often feel isolated as they struggle again and again to have a successful pregnancy. National Infertility Survival Day acknowledges the mental challenges of infertility and raises awareness about the condition.

It's not just the condition of women. Infertility affects both men and women. Many people feel it is an uncomfortable subject, so they keep it as a wardrobe problem for years. Secondary infertility - the inability to have more children after having one or two children - can be especially confusing and distressing.

Unfortunately, our well-intentioned efforts to comfort friends or family through this problem sometimes only create more pain. Emotional support is a learnable skill. Couples dealing with infertility receive a lot of tactless advice, like "Just stop trying and it will happen." In the context of secondary infertility, hearing that at least you have your children offers no tangible consolation.

Infertility Support is growing in the U.S. As more and more people realize how common this problem is, we'll be better off helping these couples. National Infertility Survival Day is a great opportunity to share everything including the pain and burden with our friends and family struggling to have children.

History of National Infertility Survival Day

National Infertility Survival Day was created by Beverly Barna Author of the book “Infertility Sucks! Keeping It All Together When Sperm and Eggs Don't Exist” in 2004. She coincided with the day she conceived after struggling with infertility and to comfort struggling parents with a special day that she founded this day. Furthermore, she owns a website through which she raises awareness about Infertility issues.

I hope National Infertility Survival Day lifts their spirits and gives them the motivation to celebrate themselves and what they have. This is not to negate the real despair they may face. Instead, it's the right time to stop and smell, and also to ease the pent-up emotions that can occur before, on, and around Mother's Day. And it's also a vehicle through which those close to them can support meaning, creativity and fun,” says Barna.

Interesting Facts about National Infertility Survival Day

• According to one statistic, the rate of infertility in the United States has decreased significantly in recent years.
• According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of infertile women between the ages of 15 and 44 fell from 8.5% to 6% in 2010.
• Even in the case of the oldest women, the proportion fell to 27 from 44 percent in 2006-2010. It was 44% in 1982.
• In contrast, the percentage of women having trouble getting pregnant has increased dramatically. This percentage has increased from 8.4% to 11% in the past three decades. This is thought to be due to giving birth at an older age.
• About 47% of women aged 40-44 are experiencing pregnancy complications.
• This rate is constantly increasing due to the increasing proportion of childless women over the age of 40 who intend to have children. Although several infertility treatments have been implemented, they cannot cope with the increasing rates of infertility in elderly women.
• Surprisingly, one study found that 40% of childless women did not intend to have children.

How to celebrate National Infertility Survival Day

If you know someone struggling with infertility, be sensitive to their needs on this day, around Mother's Day and Father's Day. Refrain from asking couples when they are about to have children. It is a private experience. And at times, the process can be personally, emotionally, and physically painful. It can be difficult to share the experience with both family and close friends.

However, if a friend or family member shares their experience, let sit down and listen them. Sometimes, sharing their fears or being able to vent their sadness and grief with a friendly face helps.

Use #InfertilitySurvivalDay to post on social media.