Infertility Resources
Infertility
Infertility is generally defined as the inability to become pregnant after trying for a certain period of time. For most people, infertility is diagnosed after trying to conceive for 12 months without pregnancy if under the age of 35, or after 6 months if age 35 or older. Infertility can affect women, men, or both partners and is more common than many people realize.
Infertility may be related to many factors including ovulation problems, hormonal conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS/PMOS), endometriosis, fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, age, medical conditions, sperm health, lifestyle factors, stress, or unexplained causes. Pregnancy loss can also be part of the infertility journey for some individuals and families.
Seeking care early can help identify concerns, provide education, and connect individuals and families with appropriate support and treatment options. Infertility can affect emotional wellbeing, relationships, and mental health, and no one should feel alone during this journey.
Lucinda’s House is committed to creating supportive spaces for honest conversations, education, advocacy, and community support surrounding infertility and reproductive health.
When to Seek Care
You should consider speaking with a healthcare provider if:
- You are under age 35 and have been trying to conceive for 12 months without pregnancy
- You are age 35 or older and have been trying to conceive for 6 months without pregnancy
- You have irregular or absent menstrual cycles
- You have a history of miscarriage or pregnancy loss
- You have known reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS/PMOS, or prior pelvic infections
- You experience severe pelvic pain or painful menstrual cycles
- You have concerns about ovulation or hormonal health
- Your partner has concerns related to fertility or sperm health
Leukocyte United
The Broken Brown Egg
The Broken Brown Egg, Inc. exists to inform, empower, and advocate for individuals and couples experiencing infertility and reproductive health issues, with an emphasis on the Black experience of them.
Possible Causes of Infertility
Infertility can affect anyone. There are many factors that may contribute to difficulty becoming pregnant. If you have concerns about your fertility or reproductive health, speak with your primary care provider, midwife, or women's health provider.
Some possible causes of infertility include:
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Scarring from previous surgeries
- Thyroid disorders
Books
Hold Onto Hope: Stories of Black Women’s Fertility, Faith, and Fight to Become Mothers by Stacey Edwards-Dunn a unique collection of stories of infertility in the Black community. It shows Black women they are not alone among their peers in their yearning to have a baby. It is joyful and sorrowful, but always gives hope. It shows the many roads to parenthood in a variety of ways. More than other first person fertility memoirs, the strong presence of one’s faith in God permeates the stories.
Our Future Fertility: A Black Woman's Journey Through IVF by Adrienne R Smith
An endeavor to create a starting point, a reference of resources, to aid black women and to help them navigate the splines in the convoluted world of ART/IVF and infertility. Exploring ones own infertility and seeking care support and treatment will most certainly be the single most important and trying decisions of a lifetime, especially if you look in the mirror and the woman staring back at you is a black.
Websites
What Black Women Need to Know Before Seeking Fertility Treatment You’re not alone. By Jacquelynn Kerubo. Self magazine
Infertility and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Women
Fact sheet from the Committee on Women in Psychology
Resilient Sisterhood Project - Black Women and Infertility
After My Isolating Fertility Experience, I Started A Nonprofit For Black People
STACEY EDWARDS-DUNN, DMIN. Refinery 29
Sugaberry 5 Books For Colored Girls in Need of a Hopeful Fertility Journey
For Black women, the isolation of infertility is compounded by barriers to treatment
By Usha Lee McFarling. STAT.
Research Articles
Black women often cope with infertility alone. University of Michigan
Infertility knowledge and treatment beliefs among African American women in an urban community. Wiltshire A, Brayboy LM, Phillips K, Matthews R, Yan F, McCarthy-Keith D. Infertility knowledge and treatment beliefs among African American women in an urban community. Contracept Reprod Med. 2019 Sep 24;4:16. doi: 10.1186/s40834-019-0097-x. PMID: 31572616; PMCID: PMC6757383.
Racial Differences in Self-Reported Infertility and Risk Factors for Infertility in a Cohort of Black and White Women: The CARDIA Women’s Study Wellons MF, Lewis CE, Schwartz SM, Gunderson EP, Schreiner PJ, Sternfeld B, Richman J, Sites CK, Siscovick DS. Racial differences in self-reported infertility and risk factors for infertility in a cohort of black and white women: the CARDIA Women's Study. Fertil Steril. 2008 Nov;90(5):1640-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.09.056. Epub 2008 Mar 5. PMID: 18321499; PMCID: PMC2592196.
