Infertility affects all different backgrounds, genders, races and religions. Some races, however, have higher rates of infertility paired with a lower likelihood of seeking treatment. It is important to us as a black-owned fertility practice to help educate and raise awareness on these topics.
Infertility in the Black Community
Black, Indigenous and BIPOC women experience infertility at higher rates than their white counterparts. More specifically, Black women have a greater lifetime incidence of fibroids and are three times more likely than white women to have uterine fibroids.
Despite higher rates of infertility, African American women are less likely to seek treatment. While specific reasons for why vary by each individual, research has shown that there could be a few explanations. The assumption that Black women are hyper-fertile, less willing to share private pregnancy struggles, less trusting of medical providers, or don’t have access to insurance coverage for treatment are just a few.
Finding Support
It’s not uncommon to feel stressed, anxious or overwhelmed while experiencing infertility. Finding support and looking after your mental health can help your mind while preparing for changes and challenges that might lie ahead.
We collaborated with our friend Monique Farook, Founder of the Infertility and Me podcast, to create a list of our favorite Instagram accounts, podcasts, communities and resources created by Black women to help you on your journey!
Support Groups and Communities
Nonprofits & Financial Assistance
Licensed Therapists
Shivonne Odom, Akoma Counseling
Education and Awareness
Kellee Stewart’s Warrior Wednesdays
Eggs Over Easy: Black Women and Infertility Documentary
The Game of Life by Dacìa Lewis
Sources:
“Inequality in Infertility: Black, Indigenous and People of Color.” Progyny, 29 Dec. 2020, https://progyny.com/blog/fertility-family-building/inequality-in-infertility-black-indigenous-and-people-of-color/.
Eltoukhi, Heba M et al. “The health disparities of uterine fibroid tumors for African American women: a public health issue.” American journal of obstetrics and gynecology vol. 210,3 (2014): 194-9. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2013.08.008
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. (2020, December 4). Myths about African Americans and Infertility. https://resolve.org/infertility-101/what-is-infertility/myths-about-african-americans-and-infertility/#:%7E:text=Myth%3A%20Black%20women%20don’t%20have%20fertility%20issues.&text=In%20fact%2C%20some%20studies%20find,of%20conditions%20such%20as%20fibroids.
