National Infertility Awareness Week 2021: RESOLVE In Family Building
Conversations about reproductive challenges have historically been considered intimate matters, typically reserved for settings like your doctor’s office or the privacy of your own home. Discussions about family building were drawn into the public eye with the founding of National Infertility Association (NIA) in 1974, when a group of individuals sat down to talk about the importance of community and support in dealing with infertility. A few short years later, NIA founders broadened their reach by establishing the first National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), an annual event that will be taking place April 18-24, 2021.
Throughout the week-long event, infertility professionals, advocates, and other featured guests will be sharing their stories to spread the word, eliminate the stigmas, and inspire participants. Topics range from statistics and insurance coverage to dealing with depression, as well as issues related to reproductive negligence. An overview of NIAW may help if you are thinking about ways to get involved.
What is RESOLVE? As stated by NIA in its explanation about the theme behind infertility awareness, RESOLVE is about taking action to break down barriers to family building. Participation could include dedication through becoming an NIA advocate or taking part in a research study, but it may also be as simple as signing up for email newsletters to learn more. One way to start is by reviewing some important statistics compiled by NIA:
- Around 12 percent of married women experience challenges with getting pregnant or carrying to term.
- A couple aged 29-33 years old, both with normally functioning reproductive capabilities, only has a 20-25 percent chance of conceiving in a given month.
- Almost two-thirds of couples will be able to conceive without medical support after trying for six months.
Four Key Points to RESOLVE: While the NIAW themes change every year to highlight new topics, trends, and treatment options, the basic messaging behind RESOLVE revolves around these factors:
- Access to Care: There are multiple options available for family building, ranging from fertility treatments to adoption. NIA strives to ensure those who want to pursue their options have access to them.
- Advocating Coverage: Many individuals rely on employer insurance for medical care, but some policies or packages do not include coverage for infertility treatments, specifically IVF.
- Community Support: NIAW is an opportunity for friends and family to participate in the conversation when their loved one experiences struggles with fertility.
- Education and Awareness: Through virtual events – and the archived version posted later – participants can learn more about medical conditions, improving fertility through self-care, and many other topics.
Contact Our Firm with Questions About Medical Malpractice in Reproductive Health
Any medical malpractice case carries multiple implications for the patient, including incurring additional medical costs to correct an error, lost income for the victim’s time off work, and pain and suffering. However, medical negligence in connection with reproductive medicine can be even more devastating. Couples who desperately want a child get their hopes up, only to have them dashed because of a fertility doctor’s error. The emotional consequences are extreme, especially when they impact the fetus. In addition, fertility treatments are often not covered by health insurance, so patients are paying out-of-pocket.
Liability and Examples of Reproductive Medical Negligence: The basic definition of medical negligence in Florida is the failure to provide care in conjunction with what is considered acceptable in the practice of medicine. Negligence is tied to specialty area, so the standard of care in the areas of reproductive and fertility medicine corresponds to how another physician in this field would diagnose, treat, or otherwise address medical issues. Some of the most common types of errors by fertility doctors include:
- Misdiagnosis of an infertility condition;
- Errors in administering in vitro fertilization (IVF);
- Mistakes with intrauterine insemination;
- Negligence in screening egg or sperm donors for medical conditions or defects;
- Implanting the wrong embryo;
- Mishandling eggs or sperm samples
If you or your child suffered harm because of an error by a reproductive medicine physician, it is important to retain skilled legal representation right away. To learn how our team can assist with your claim, please contact the Miami medical malpractice attorneys at the offices of Freidin Brown, P.A. We can set up a free consultation to discuss potential strategies.
Resource:
infertilityawareness.org/
