Survey on the Impact of Fertility Problems

               

It’s National Fertility Awareness Week and leading patient charity Fertility Network UK is revealing the true picture of the impact of fertility struggles in its major new survey, as well as highlighting the real people behind fertility struggles with its #HiddenFaces campaign.

Susan Seenan, chief executive of Fertility Network UK said:

Fertility Network UK’s major new national survey paints an incredibly stark, distressing picture of what it is like to experience fertility problems in this country. Around one in six couples, and others, face fertility issues and they are being let down – physically, emotionally, socially and financially.

Sadly, in the UK, the inability to have children without medical help means having to face a series of emotional, social and financial hurdles: these include often having to pay crippling amounts of money for your own medical treatment, not receiving appropriate medical information from your GP, a lack of affordable, accessible counselling and emotional support, a paucity of workplace support and the deterioration of core relationships. Far more needs to be done to help individuals through the far-reaching devastation fertility issues wreak; that is why National Fertility Awareness Week is so important.

Key findings from The Impact of Fertility Problems 2016 from Fertility Network UK with Middlesex University London:

  • 90 per cent of respondents reported feeling depressed; 42% suicidal
  • 54% had to pay for some or all of their treatment; 10% spending more than £30,000 (the average was £11,378)
  • 74% said their GP did not provide sufficient information
  • 70% reported some detrimental effect on their relationship with their partner
  • 75% noted the lack of a supportive workplace policy
  • 75% would have liked to have counselling if it was free; only 44% did receive counselling and, of these, over half had to fund some of it themselves

Fertility Network UK’s #HiddenFaces campaign uncovers the real people behind fertility struggles – shining a spotlight on untold fertility stories and overturning commonly-held fertility myths. Watch our #HiddenFaces videos from women, men and couples: including The Pain of Never, Zero Count and Life Crisis https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRHtFRNTJYS-mJJuvu6V1w

On The Pain of Never:

A beautiful and powerful piece

Brutally honest, thank you for saying it how it is

 A film like this is long overdue

Our #fertilityin5 campaign highlights the unseen, intimate and day-to-day reality of living with fertility issues. 5 words to show how you’re feeling, or the fertility issue you’re facing that day.

Your eggs are not viable

Sorry, there is no heartbeat

Empty, lonely, bitter, heartbroken, failure