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Infertility Awareness Doesn’t End Here
51 Plays27 days ago
What happens after National Infertility Awareness Week ends?
In this mini moment, Katy Encalade reflects on what it really means to carry this work forward, beyond a single week, a hashtag, or a moment.
After nearly two decades in the surrogacy and egg donation space, Katy shares what most people don’t see: the everyday conversations, decisions, and support that shape how families are built.
This isn’t just about awareness, it’s about responsibility, guidance, and doing this work the ethical way.
If you’re navigating infertility, or considering surrogacy or egg donation, this is a reminder that your journey doesn’t end here.
And neither does the support.
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Transcript
More Than Infertility Awareness Week
00:00:00
Speaker
This week has been National Infertility Awareness Week, and the theme this year has been more than, more than a diagnosis, more than a single chapter of your life, more than what your body can or cannot do. On this final day of the week, I want to say something clearly. Infertility awareness doesn't end when this week does. But as this week comes to a close, there's a bigger question. What does it look like to carry this forward? Because after nearly two decades in this space, I can tell you, it doesn't end when the awareness week does.
Daily Manifestations of Infertility Awareness
00:00:31
Speaker
This is something people carry with them long after the post-stop and the conversations quiet down. In this work, awareness isn't seasonal. It shows up in the everyday moments people don't always see. It shows up in the everyday moments of this work. In the phone calls when someone has just received difficult news. In the emails that come late at night when questions won't quiet down.
More Than Matching: Building Families with Care
00:00:55
Speaker
In long conversations about options, expectations, and what comes next. And so sometimes it's simply sitting with someone while they process what this journey is asking of them. We've always believed that this work has to be more than matching because building a family is deeply personal. It requires guidance.
00:01:14
Speaker
It requires honesty. And it requires responsibility because how families are built matter just as much as the fact
Life Plans and Connections Through Infertility
00:01:22
Speaker
that they are. And sometimes it just requires someone steady walking alongside you. Building families isn't a campaign, it's a commitment. And infertility awareness isn't something we talk about for just one week in April. It's something we carry with us all year long.
00:01:40
Speaker
For so many people, this journey doesn't just change your
Purpose Found in the Infertility Journey
00:01:44
Speaker
plans. It changes how you show up in the world. You become more aware, more connected to other people's stories. And for many people, what starts as just the hardest chapters of their lives becomes something they carry forward with purpose. That might look like advocating. It might look like sharing your story. It might look like helping another family as a surrogate or an egg
Beyond the Struggle: Ongoing Commitment to Family Building
00:02:07
Speaker
donor. There are many ways to stay connected to this work and to be part of what helps someone else move forward. If you're navigating infertility right now, if you're considering egg donation or surrogacy, or simply trying to understand what your options are, please hear this. You are more than infertility. And this story doesn't end here because building families, protecting people, and doing it the right way is bigger than a week. It's something we can carry forward.
00:02:37
Speaker
Thank you.