Woo-WHO

I'm a horrible blogger! Does anyone even still read this blog? I wouldn't be surprised if the few friends and family I had following along have now completely abandoned it due to my absence.

As a sign of good faith that I will no longer neglect BeingVonD, I would like to share some good news with you (and no, I'm not pregnant. Would I do that to you?):

Not that I'm all that impressed by or interested in the World Health Organization, but they recently did something that could eventually (hopefully) be very important in the infertile world - they defined infertility as a disease.

My favorite quote from this press release, which pretty much sums up why this news is so important to people dealing with infertility: "For too long those suffering from infertility have had their condition slighted or even ignored. Insurance companies don't pay to treat it, governments don't put adequate resources to study it and consequently patients suffer. We hope that this international recognition that infertility is, in fact, a disease will allow it to be treated like other diseases." - Dr. William Gibbons, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Honestly I'm amazed that it took this long to classify infertility as a disease, when OF COURSE there are physical problems that can prevent women from getting pregnant (and men from impregnating women). Endometriosis, PCOS, hormonal imbalances, blocked fallopian tubes, varicocele... Contrary to popular opinion, it has nothing to do with relaxing.

Now we just need more insurance companies, and the employers who provide insurance benefits to their employees, to see the light too. I can't tell you how incredibly frustrating it is to have something wrong with you but not be able to have it treated because it's deemed "elective," not medically necessary. (But the same insurance company will pay for an abortion if one had the opposite "problem." How is that not elective?) And I'm not talking about treatments that are remotely controversial, or even very expensive. Many of the problems that cause infertility can be treated surgically or with medication. But most insurance companies refuse to cover anything related to infertility. Hopefully that will begin to change soon.

Anyway, kudos to the WHO for doing something positive and relevant to my life! It may never benefit me personally, but endometriosis is hereditary and I may have a daughter one day.