Thursday, August 19, 2010

Me...or the progesterone?

Maybe I'm losing it...or maybe it's the progesterone...It's 10dpo and I have been on progesterone supplements for 10 days...so you understand that I am probably clinically crazy ritht now.

Anyone who has been on progesterone supplements, knows that...well...it blows. There is nothing fun about causing your body to feel pregnant when in fact, it very well may not be pregnant. It is the ultimate of mind games and it causes me to laugh.

Yep - actually laughing out loud. Why? Because it sucks, it is hard, it is ridiculous and I am out of tears, so I laugh. I laugh at how completely shitty IF is. I laugh about how taboo it is. I laugh at how sucky the entire situation is.

Pace and I were watching TV last night and a commercial came on trying to raise awareness and money for military children that have autism. The statistics stated that 1 in 88 children in the military are born with autism. Now...I don't have children with autism, I don't have a family member with autism, I do have a dear friend with a son with autism, but I have no real personal experience with autism. However, I think that I am able to be empathetic. I am not scared to talk about autism, not afraid to learn about it, to educate myself or even to try to understand the struggles that both the child and the parents deal with every day.

Unfortunatley this same empathy is not as easily given to those struggling with IF.

After seeing this commercial, I looked at Pace and said "1 in 88 children have an organization and a commercial raising money for their cause and a 1 in 8 community (infertility) has nothing." Really just doesn't make sense to me.

When was the last time you saw anything (outside of Resolve and a few bloggers in our IF community) trying to raise money, raise awareness and get the word out about our diseases? Where is the fundraising for research to try and figure out early diagnostics of IF (PCOS, DOR, autoimmune issues, endometriosis and so many more) which will enable early treatment and possibly salvage the fertility of thousands of people?

I'm sad that in my community of "In real life friends" I have very few that understand, very few that want to talk about our infertility, very few that educate themselves on our particular cause of infertility and even fewer that care to try to empathise. It is incredibly lonely, very isolating and that is why I am so grateful for each of you. Most of you that I have never met, most of you I never will, but I will always feel this wonderful bond to each and every one of you. The Sisterhood of Infertility. I think it is stronger than any Greek sisterhood in college!

7 comments:

Elana Kahn said...

You're so right. We really need people fundraising and pulling for more infertility research.

Kakunaa said...

Blame it on the progesterone, completely. Goodness knows I did! I still am!

And you make a very good point. Let's start an ad campaign...with some money we will somehow find...right. ugh, I wish we could. I wish some of the amazing videos a few women have created could be run on national tv.

~stinkb0mb~ said...

Infertility will never be a "major issue" to be discussed by people freely and awareness to be raised for it because people don't see it as "life altering". Autism affects the diagnosed their entire lives, people view infertility as only affecting someone while they're trying for a baby and if you're unlucky enough to not manage becoming a parent, people expect you to "just get over it" and move on with your life.

While there will always be the push by infertiles to raise awareness on infertility, it will never be as an important issue as we want it to be purely because people don't see it as a "major" "life defining" [which it IS] "life threatening" issue. They also don't see it as a "disease".

It does suck, I agree totally but if this year has taught me anything, it's not to worry about the stuff I can't change and to focus on the stuff I can. I now choose to educate those ignorant people closest to me, rather than a wider group who really don't care!

Big hugs re the progesterone!

xxx

Jill said...

The sad fact is that most people don't care. I am very open about my issues and most people completely ignore it.

Most people think that if you can't have kids "oh well". They'll tell you to just adopt or don't have kids. The people that think this can have as many kids as they want and don't get what it is like to have to fight for it. Unfortunately, I don't think the majority of people will ever care.

Kate said...

You make so many good points about IF awareness and research. Hang in on the progesterone. It's awful stuff.

Kir said...

PROGESTERONE is evil...but necessary. :)

you're so right, unless our world starts to look at IF as a disease like Cancer or MS, or whatever it will always be a taboo and something that is choice (having children) instead of a right.
I know we can get there, look at how diabetes is a bona fide disease now...something people take seriously because it leads to other problems, or stems from other things...instead of just calling it a "no sugar disease" .....

that day will come, if we decide not to remain quiet.
in the meantime , we have each other and what a wonderful community and village that is. :)

Valerie said...

You're so right! When is it our turn...? Maybe we should all speak up.