Last week was the first ever Infertility Awareness Week (28 October-2 November) which culminated with the now annual Fertility Show at Olympia. I’ve seen the adverts on the tube for a few years but I have never dared go before. Being infertile is one thing. Walking into a room wearing the badge is another entirely. But it was ok. I survived. I’m here to write the blog.

It got me thinking about awareness. Eight years into my infertility journey with ten failed cycles of IVF under my belt (I know TEN. As Oscar Wilde would say: failing one is a misfortune, failing ten is just carelessness) what do I want people to be aware of?

So here’s my starter for that TEN….

Unexplained Infertility is not an answer. IVF can’t and shouldn’t be the only treatment. The environment, the care and the costs of some of the private clinics I’ve experienced have been appalling, as is the lack of equality of IVF on the NHS.  In fact there is no proper National Health Service for treatment of infertility.

So now that I am wearing the infertility badge publicly for the first time (written a book, been to the show), I want to draw attention to all these things and more.  I figure it’s like infertility treatment itself – I’m in for the pound now as well as the penny.

So this week’s question is….

Infertility. What do you want people to be aware of?

Answers below – please.

PS. See my facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/the-pursuit-of-motherhood for more details about the Fertility Show and my website www.thepursuitofmotherhood.com about the book.