FACTS ABOUT FERTILITY
One in five couples will experience difficulty to conceive
The cause of fertility issues are about 40% due to female, 40% the male, 10% both and 10% unexplained
Most women in their 20s-30s do not realise how early and how quickly their fertility can decline.
The average age for a first child for women in NZ currently is 30 and getting older.
At 30 a woman has a 22% chance each month of conceiving with unprotected intercourse.
By 40 years old this chance is reduced to just 6%.
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, overweight, recreational drugs and alcohol all effect fertility
Radio announcer Jay-Jay Feeney likens her and husband Dom Harvey’s experience with fertility treatment to a rollercoaster ride with massive highs followed by dark lows.
“If you are doing any sort of fertility treatment it totally takes over your life – it consumes it,” she said.
Feeney, who is an ambassador for Fertility New Zealand, will be talking about her book Misconception at Benny’s Books in New Plymouth tonight.
“We needed to share our story because we couldn’t find anything. It’s actually been awesome because we have had so much positive feedback about it,” the Edge breakfast host said. “People have been so thankful that there has been a story for them to connect with and that just happens to be ours.”
The couple have been through five rounds of IVF treatment in a so-far unsuccessful eight-year battle to conceive.
The fertility ordeal had strengthened the couple’s relationship at a time when many fell apart, Feeney said.
And while Harvey wished they did not have this story to share and had a baby instead, he recognised their story had touched so many people’s lives.
“Dom feels that his full purpose in life is to procreate and be a dad, and so he feels ripped off that it might not happen for him,” Feeney said.
“But even though it is a shitty situation it’s not the worst thing that can happen in life. I’m fairly realistic about that.”
The broadcaster had a simple message to couples going through fertility treatment. “Don’t compare yourself to other people and if the worst comes to the worst and you can’t have a baby, it is not the end of the world.”
Feeney, who was educated in New Plymouth and started her radio career here, will be talking about her book Misconception at Benny’s Books in New Plymouth at 6.30pm today.
This article was published in the Taranaki Daily News with a different photo on Saturday, September 21, 2013