March 8th is international women’s day. It’s a day to celebrate achievements and take a moment to focus on women’s rights and gender equality. A time to recognise the challenges that women face. Here at Hoopsy, we want to take a moment to celebrate the women that shaped the progress of fertility medicine and those women facing their own fertility battle every single day.
What is international women’s day?
International women’s day is celebrated every year on March 8th. It’s a day dedicated to recognising and honouring women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate the progress made towards gender equality while also acknowledging the struggles and challenges women worldwide face.
How fertility medicine has evolved
There’s no denying that fertility medicine has come by leaps and bounds in recent years. For women trying to conceive, there have been numerous breakthroughs that have helped women overcome the challenges of infertility. Here we talk about just a few of them:
IVF
One of the most significant advancements has been in vitro fertilisation (IVF). A process where a woman’s eggs are harvested and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory setting before being transferred back into the woman’s uterus. IVF has helped countless women and couples conceive children and start families, even when other treatments have failed. Read about our founder Lara’s IVF journey here.
PGT
Another advancement in fertility medicine has been the development of pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT), a technique that allows doctors to test embryos for genetic abnormalities before they are implanted in the uterus.
PGT has helped couples who are carriers of genetic diseases avoid passing those diseases on to their children. It has also helped older women improve their chances of having a healthy pregnancy.
Egg Freezing
Fertility preservation is another area where massive progress has been made in recent years. Women facing medical treatments that can impact their fertility, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, can now freeze their eggs or embryos for future use. Helping many women preserve their fertility and pursue their family planning goals even in the face of other challenges that could have otherwise damaged their chance to carry a baby.
All of these advancements in fertility medicine would not have been possible without the amazing women in the field. We have seen women pushing for changes in policies and regulations that have made these treatments more widely available.
Celebrating your strength this international women’s day
The progress made in fertility medicine is not the only reason why International Women’s Day is a celebration of women’s strength.
We know that battling your own fertility journey is so so hard. The strength we’ve seen from women struggling to conceive is truly incredible. Although all our journeys are different, what they have in common is that they are: emotionally, physically, and financially draining.
Yet, we see so many strong women rise and persevere every step of the way. Even in the face of pain and struggling. It’s amazing.
Fertility is something we don’t talk about enough. It affects around 186 million individuals worldwide. Many of which will battle their infertility silently. Let’s have more conversations about the struggles that come with conceiving a baby. Lets bring infertility out of the shadows and hopefully raise awareness so we all feel that little bit less alone.
Conclusion
Today, many women still face challenges in the world of fertility medicine. Whether its a lack of knowledge and resources or barriers to access and high costs. Despite these challenges we need to celebrate the progress made in recent years. It has been significant, and life changing for many. We hope that women will continue to push for greater access to these life-changing treatments. At Hoopsy we want to facilitate more conversations about infertility and it’s impact on our lives. We want to help women feel more supported, whatever their journey looks like.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
Happy international women’s day to all the strong, compassionate and extraordinary women out there. Yes, I’m talking to you!
