So, a lot of my blogs are going to be companion pieces to the videos I upload, except they are going to be the more raw unfiltered versions. I just posted a video about how those experiencing infertility are being affected by the current pandemic.
I've been seeing 3 different reactions to the decisions made about fertility clinics not being essential services...
1. Understanding - These are the people that understand that the world doesn't revolve around them and their problems and that this virus needs to be taken seriously. As such, these people respect the decisions made by our government and medical professionals and understand that severe precautions need to be taken. I belong in this group. We don't have to like it, but we don't protest it either.
2. Sad/Scared - This is a completely acceptable response because it is sad and yeah...scary too. I'm sure a lot of people (including myself) are sad that our lives have been put on pause and the future remains so uncertain. Some people don't have time on their side and this pandemic could mean officially saying goodbye to the dream of having biological children. Why? Because some women are trying to conceive later in life so their success rates are lower using their own eggs. In order to be eligible for Ontario's funded cycle you need to be under 43 years old. Some women who are aging out of this criteria may not be able to afford a private cycle. These are all very sad and scary possibilities for a lot of people.
3. Angry - I understand anger definitely plays a part in all of this. But there is a difference between being angry at the situation and at the virus, and being angry at the government and the medical professionals. Being angry at the situation is fine, it's absolutely a shitty situation. But being angry at the doctors and nurses when they are just doing their best and following protocol isn't okay. Bitching and complaining and protesting about fertility clinics being closed is not helpful and it's just going to stress you out more. Let's all keep in mind that we are not the only people being affected by medical delays. There are people out there who were waiting for life saving surgeries that have been postponed. Treatments and surgeries that people literally need to survive are being put on the back burner.
Yes, you can argue that delaying fertility treatments can be life threatening as well due to the accompanying mental health issues (trust me...I know) but if we start cherry picking which medical issues are "more important" than others then that is going to cause a heck of a lot more issues, not only ethically but the world also doesn't have the medical resources to be catering to everyone right now. Yes, it sucks and yes it's unfortunate but everyone is just trying to do their best to get through this whole thing.