Life

There's really no polite way to say it: infertility sucks.  One in six couples struggle with infertility and my husband and I fit in that minority.  Multiple tests over the years haven't provided an answer either, so there's the further frustration of having unexplained infertility.  It's already difficult to deal with and harder when most people think that we should suffer in silence or worse, they offer unsolicited and unqualified "solutions" to a problem they don't have.

Look, I know it's a tough subject and not everyone is as comfortable as I am with discussing it openly, but for such a sensitive topic there are remarkably few established boundaries (see here and here for some great lists of what NOT to say to someone struggling with infertility).  Often just a hug and "I'm sorry you're hurting" bring more comfort than you realize, even if it feels like you aren't doing much.  If you want to do more and live in Alberta, please sign the petition to put IVF and other fertility treatments on the list of insured medical services.

Photo: Vian Esterhuizen