Did you know that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week? Chances are someone you know is either struggling with infertility or has gone through infertility before they were finally able to conceive.

I challenge you to not ignore infertility. Infertility is a disease and should be treated as such. Instead our government and society has chosen to ignore the fact that this is a disease, just like a mental illness, cancer, kidney disease, arthritis and many other medical conditions.

I did not choose infertility, it chose me! Just like I didn’t choose to have problems with my cholesterol by eating greasy, fried foods every day. I didn’t choose to have problems with my blood sugars by consuming too many carbs. I didn’t choose to be over weight by eating too much junk food. And I certainly didn’t choose to have excessive hair growth. Instead, infertility chose me to have these problems, problems that if identified individually, our society would consider to be a disease and all insurance companies would cover treatment.

So, the next time your friend or family members tells you that they are struggling to get pregnant, don’t tell them to give it time, it will happen. Don’t tell them that it will happen when they take a break from trying. Don’t tell them that they can always adopt. Don’t tell them to stand on their head after sex. And most definitely don’t tell them that it’s fun to try until you have looked at your toilet paper for the millionth time, charted your basil body temperature for the last three years, used an ovulation prediction kit for 20 days in a month, endured the horrible side effects of fertility medications that you’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on, or taken a hundred pregnancy tests only to be disappointed every month that your dreams of having a child are slowly going out the window.

Don’t ignore the fact that they are struggling with infertility! Be supportive of what they are going through, as it is an emotional rollercoaster! What we need most is support. And if it’s your child who is struggling with this disease, most definitely do not bug them about having grandchildren for pete sake!

Want to know what else you can do to support infertility? Contact your local representative about supporting the Family Act of 2011 bill to help thousands of people receive the treatment they need that they otherwise would be unable to get!

You can stop ignoring infertility by better understanding the basics of infertility and what your friend or family member may be going through. Resolve.org is a fabulous site dedicated to promoting infertility awareness!

You can read more about our journey here, here, and here.