Infertility can seriously screw with friendships and family relationships.

In honor of July being Fibroid Awareness Month, we asked one of our experts and board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, Dr. Shaun Williams, some basic FAQs about fibroids; what they are, how common are they, how to know if you have one, treatment options, and whether or not they cause infertility. Check out responses to these questions and more below.

People faced with infertility currently in treatment have had the hardest decisions to make over the last several months, hinging on factors out of their control. Many fertility practices reduced scheduling to only Telehealth consults, others were closed entirely, and almost all had to delay and postpone fertility treatment cycles due to COVID-19. Those decisions posed limitations that were hard for many patients to accept, and sparked conversations on many levels about whether fertility treatment is considered an “essential service.”

Meet Lisa Rosenthal, Patient Advocate, who has over thirty years of experience in the fertility field. She has worked at Illume Fertility for over 12 years. Throughout her career, Lisa has written thousands of blogs on the topic of infertility. She has helped countless patients with her openness about her own experiences, by advocating every year for reproductive rights, and by starting Fertile Yoga & Ladies Night In. Over the past few years, Lisa has been nominated for several WEGO health awards. Below, we offer a closer look into Lisa's career, which has led her to receive many nominations again this year.

No Baby, Yet Despite infertility affecting 1 in 8 couples, it is still so often insidious. Most of us don’t see it coming. Even when we do have an idea ahead of time (because of medical problems, history, age, or other reasons), we’re still floored by the amount of time, energy, and resources that trying to conceive takes once fertility treatment is involved.

June is Men’s Health Month, but how much do you know about the reproductive aspects of your health, or your partners? If you're like most people, you might know the basics, but this is a perfect opportunity to take a deeper dive and understand what is fact, and what is fiction. For example, do you know about 40% of all couples affected by infertility is attributed to “male factor,” a term that simply means there is a glitch or problem with one of the two cells needed for conception – the sperm?

What Will Infertility Advocacy Do For YOU? On a personal level, for everyone reading this, whether it’s infertility or any other topic, one basic thing an advocacy effort can accomplish is to help pass laws. It’s simple, but it doesn’t sound personal or individual, does it? It sounds legislative because, for fertility treatment and advocacy, that’s where legal and lasting change can occur. Davina Fankhauser, Co-Founder of Fertility Within Reach, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to help people find a way to build their families, says it best, “Being your own best advocate was the first tagline for Fertility Within Reach. Moving from “victim” to “empowered advocate” is good for the body, mind, and soul. It’s contagious in that you will apply using your voice to other areas in your life. You will improve your life and the lives of others.”