Infertility: Through a Prism of Race

February is Black History Month, so it's a good time to discuss an important issue with regard to infertility in Black women.  We know infertility affects at least 15% of all women up to the age of 44, but studies suggest Black women may be almost twice as likely to experience infertility as Caucasian women. Yet only about 8% of Black women seek medical help to get pregnant, compared to 15% of Caucasian women.

Thankfully, more celebrities are opening up about their infertility struggles to help start the conversation.  Below are 5 strong Black women in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth

TYRA BANKS - she was one of the first celebrities to open up about her infertility struggles. Her constant reminder that “you are not alone” is refreshing. 

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TIA MOWRY -  "My Extreme Pelvic Pain Turned Out To Be Endometriosis"  - Mowry opened up about her battle with endometriosis and fertility-related struggles in a Women’s Health Magazine article

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REMY MA -  Rapper and wife of Papoose, Remy Ma became pregnant after IVF in July of 2018. She has been very vocal about her struggles with infertility.  To learn more about Remy Ma’s infertility journey, read about her in this Women's Health Magazine article.  ​​

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MICHELLE OBAMA - Michelle Obama: In her book, Becoming Michelle Obama, she opened about miscarriage, IVF and marriage counseling. “I felt lost and alone and felt like I failed. Because I didn’t know how common miscarriages were.” You can watch her full interview on ABC News.

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GABRIELLE UNION -  She opened up about her 8 or 9 miscarriages, writing “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant –I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle.” ​​

Remember, you are not alone.

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