Although technological advances have allowed more and more people suffering from infertility to conceive, the conversation about fertility hasn't moved much. On June 29, Integral Fertility became an environment open to the voices and experiences of people who have approached fertility from the most diverse areas. As a clinic, our purpose is to make assisted reproduction a more humane process, to find ways to raise awareness and end social infertility. We know that words have the power to transform entire landscapes and, therefore, we wanted to begin to open the path to information and support through this [fertile] conversation. In these pages, you will find an account of the most interesting ideas that were expressed in the forum. María Altschuler, CEO of Integral Fertility, opened the conversation by pointing out the absence of spaces and moments to talk about those women, men and couples who have decided not to have children, who are undergoing fertility treatment in silence or who cannot freeze eggs without fear that society will judge them by their decisions. The conversationalists who questioned her—who work in fields ranging from psychology, gynecology and law, to communication, comedy and literature—demonstrated that, although fertility involves us all, it still does so in whispering.The experience experienced by Marina Armendares, psychologist and Coach, during her In Vitro procedure, she reminded us that one of the main consequences of social infertility is that those undergoing fertility treatment do not find space to be vulnerable and to share both ideas and questions. His professional experience has allowed him to have a comprehensive understanding of the human being and he recognizes that -within psychological therapy- issues that have to do with fertility are a constant. “The reason they come to therapy is because there are no other spaces to talk about this,” says Marina. From the laws, Melissa Ayala, who is responsible for ensuring the exercise of women's reproductive rights, knows that there is still a long way to go before women who decide not to be mothers, those who are young mothers, those who interrupt an unwanted pregnancy and those who - pursuing their professional dreams - decide to freeze their eggs stop being judged and can reproduce freely, without the need to To hide. For Cynthia Dickter, social infertility is a topic that has challenged her in her professional practice as a gynecologist and in her personal life. “I was the gynecologist who couldn't have children [...] I wanted to tell about my happy ending, but I had a lot of losses, a lot of difficulties,” says Cynthia. He reminds us, through his experience, that no one has to go through this process in solitude and silence, that it is worth asking for help. Thus, his medical approach advocates information, to let women who pass by his clinic know that there are always options. From acting and comedy, but even more relevant, from masculinity, Diego Alfaro took a stand against the violent idea that “being a man” is synonymous with “being fertile”. He noted that, among men, ignorance abounds about what fertility means. In the male imagination, it still seems like a definite fact that if there is someone who is infertile in a relationship, that “someone” is a woman. Diego knows that in order to end social infertility, to dismantle the myths that patriarchy builds and to ensure that a spermatobioscopy is performed as naturally as a cholesterol test, we must start talking and, above all, listening. Isabel Zapata, author of In Vitro, took up Diego's words to narrate his experience: “My gynecologist immediately assumed that I was the one with the problem. When we arrive at the clinic, the doctors assume that we are the ones who are infertile.” In addition, he shared the shame he felt when talking about it. I thought that this was not a topic that should be shared, that what you experience in private should be kept private. He recognizes that the result of that silence was loneliness, isolation and suffering. “Finding stories of people who tried and succeeded is difficult. Finding stories of those who didn't succeed is impossible,” she says. From a communication perspective, Gina Jaramillo recognizes that the media owe an immense debt to the subject. He thinks that, since we have conversations as fundamental as menstruation, we have learned to shut up and hide what our body is going through. Perhaps if the movies, television programs and series we consume spoke of fertility as a topic that should interest us all, we would be closer to ending social infertility. This conversation reminds us that, although there is still a long way to go, opening spaces for dialogue is the first step in combating social infertility. Because, as our speakers demonstrate, fertility is an issue that is present in all areas of life, in all bodies, in all stories. We appreciate the courage of each of them to share experiences that remind us that we are not alone.
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