The theme of this year’s National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW) is #flipthescript.

“Anyone can be challenged when trying to have a family, no matter what race, religion, sexuality or economic status you are. Infertility doesn’t discriminate.

Because you’ll never know how badly you want something until you are told that it may not be possible.

Together, we can change how others view infertility. It begins with being part of a national movement, National Infertility Awareness Week®. This week unites millions of Americans who want to remove the stigmas and barriers that stand in the way of building families.

NIAW is April 22 – 28, 2018. Take the pledge to #flipthescript.”

So, how can you get involved in NIAW?

Each year, NIAW presents opportunities for those interested to get involved in the fertility community. Of course, it is up to every person to determine his or her comfort level before participating, and there are many ways you can take part:

• Join a fertility support group or online forum
• Attend an NIAW event in your area, or organize one
• Share your fertility journey with family members and friends, or even on social media, to help spread awareness
• Donate to fertility community causes, local or national
• Start a blog or a journal dedicated to your fertility journey
• Post about NIAW on social media using the hashtags #flipthescript and #NIAW

Why is NIAW important?
For some, the conversations surrounding infertility/fertility are changing. There is less stigma surrounding diagnoses and treatments, including areas like third-party reproduction (egg donation and gestational surrogacy). However, these changes may not be felt by everyone.

For the most part, insensitivity about fertility talking points stems from ignorance – if you’ve never had to know about in vitro fertilization (IVF) or donor egg use, then how would you know what it’s like? Fertility patients often have the task of educating their family members and friends about the treatment process, and these conversations, combined with events like NIAW, can go a long way toward de-mystifying fertility care.