Hopefully, by now, we all know never to ask anyone if or when they’re having kids. (As the joke goes, the only time it’s OK to ask someone if they’re having a baby is if you can see the baby making its way out of the womb.)
But if you already know your friend is struggling to conceive, there’s more you can do to support them than just maintaining a dignified silence.
Here what you should know about anyone in your life who’s experiencing infertility.
1. There are more of us than you think
In Canada, one in six couples struggles with infertility, so keep that in mind if you intend to ask someone about their plan for kids. Not many people want to advertise the fact that they?re trying (and failing) to have a baby. What might be a flippant question to you can be deeply painful to someone else. 2. The physical effects are hard
The hormones! The injections and blood draws and bruises! The horse-pill-sized omega-3 tablets with horrible fish burps! Your infertile friends are sad, but they?re also bloated, uncomfortable and constantly getting ultrasound wands jammed up their vaginas first thing in the morning, month after month after month. And hoping to then go through pregnancy.
3. The emotional effects are harder
When my husband and I had been trying for a full year, I realized this meant we?d spent an entire six months in the two-week wait. If you?re fertile, the two-week wait is difficult; if you?re not, it?s excruciating. You spend the whole time ...