. One thing that has remained constant, however, is the stigma and shame women endure when they are faced with unintended childlessness.
Many people mistakenly assume that because reproduction is natural, it must be effortless. Medicalizing procreation involves blood tests, invasive ultrasounds, needles and surgery, nearly all of which is borne by the woman or person with ovaries. Furthermore, the implicit assumption is that it’s a woman’s job to make a baby and when faced with infertility, it is therefore her responsibility to fix the problem.
When you consider the absolute numbers, the odds of reproduction are heavily stacked against women. At birth, the ovaries contain about one million eggs and that supply diminishes throughout life. Most women lose the ability to reproduce about 10 years before menopause. That leaves prospective mothers with about 20 years within which to complete their families the “natural” way.
Education is one of the best ways we can decrease infertility. Many women do not really understand their child-bearing prospects until seeing a health-care professional, and by then it may be too late. Infertility should be considered a