“Fertility fog.” It's a term that describes the lack of knowledge that women in cultures and nations all over the world have about their own fertility, and it's more widespread and prevalent than you might think. A 2011 study in Fertility and Sterility, for example, surveyed 3,345 childless women in Canada between the ages of 20 and 50. Despite initially assessing their own fertility knowledge as high, the researchers found that only half of them could answer at least 6 out of 16 questions correctly. This comes as no surprise to those of us in the space. In my everyday conversations with Cofertility members, I'm consistently struck by how many women share that in the early days of their journey, they felt uncertain or misinformed about their own reproductive health. Hearing their stories deeply reinforces the importance of Cofertility’s mission: to empower women with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions about their fertility. Cofertility began with the realization that the traditional process of finding an egg donor was transactional, sterile, and impersonal, reducing donors to anonymized numbers on a spreadsheet. In response, we created a meaningful, human-first, no cash-compensation egg donation matching platform that prioritizes support, transparency, and ethics for all parties involved. We're proud of the strides we've made in promoting a more equitable and compassionate approach to egg donation, and thrilled that along the way, we’ve been able to offer women more optionality, more autonomy over their family planning timeline, and greater accessibility to egg freezing so they can invest in their own reproductive future through our egg sharing programs. We are SO proud to partner with Evvy to celebrate Equal Research Day, a vital reminder that women were not required to be included in U.S. clinical research until 1993. This historic oversight has contributed to the significant gaps in our understanding of the female body and modern medicine. Today, we focus on the work that needs to be done to close these gaps. By pushing for more inclusive research and sharing stories that bridge the gender health gap, we’re working towards a future where women’s health is fully understood and prioritized. #fertility #infertility #womenshealth #reproductivehealth #equalresearchday
It’s #EqualResearchDay! 💥 Evvy created #EqualResearchDay on June 10 because women weren’t required in U.S. clinical research until June 10th, 1993 (Think Equal Pay Day but for the gender health gap!) To this day, there are countless holes ⚫ in our scientific and medical understanding of the female body — and that directly impacts us as patients. If you’ve ever experienced delays in diagnoses, failed treatments, mystery symptoms with no answers, or medical gaslighting — #EqualResearchDay is for you. This year, we brought together 46 innovative companies and compiled 100 Effed Facts about the Gender Health Gap across 12 health areas: ⚫ Autoimmune Disease ⚫ Brain + Mental Health ⚫ Cancer ⚫ Endometriosis ⚫ Fertility ⚫ Heart Health ⚫ Hormonal Health ⚫ Maternal Health ⚫ Medical Gaslighting ⚫ Menopause ⚫ Menstrual & Sexual Health ⚫ Vaginal & Urinary Health Earlier this week, we launched a limited-edition coffee table book featuring all 100 Effed Facts to benefit Women's Health Access Matters (you can order a copy at EqualResearchDay.com before they sell out... !) But we decided these facts are too important not to share widely — so we are posting a public version here on LinkedIn. 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣: 💥 Share this post (and add your story about why equal research matters to you)! 💥 Learn more and shop the limited edition coffee table book to benefit WHAM at EqualResearchDay.com The female body shouldn’t be a medical mystery — together, let’s close the gender health gap for good. #equalresearchday2024 #evvy #genderhealthgap #closethegenderhealthgap ——— 2024 Equal Research Day Collaborative: Evvy Aavia adyn Allara AOA Dx Bloomer Tech Caraway Clue Cofertility Conceive Diem DotLab Doveras Elektra Health Elix Frame Gabbi Gaia Gameto Health In Her HUE HerMD Hey Jane The Honey Pot Company Iron Health Julie Products Inc. Live UTI Free Looni Love Wellness Midi Health Millie Neura Health Origin Oova Poppy Seed Health Paloma Health Rescripted Rosy Wellness Ruth Health (YC S21) Seven Starling Stripes Sunfish Teal Health Thirty Madison TMRW Vella Bioscience Veracity WellTheory
Thank you for the incredible work you do every single day to close the gender health gap! Grateful for you as a partner and friend! 💙
Would love to get my hands on a copy of this book for my team. When will it be available to order in the UK please?
I can attest that "fertility fog" also applies to the opposite gender 🙈
Such an important reminder
Love this!
Sr. Project, Partnerships & Account Manager | Customer Advocate | Care Economy
2moIt is astonishing how much I thought I knew about my fertility until I tried to conceive and realized I was lost.