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The American Fertility Association Blog
The New Kid on The Block…
October 17, 2007 - Wednesday
Posted by Pamela
So...I left ASRM early to go meet with Trojan...to hear an update on their Evolve Campaign. According to the information that Trojan distributed to us...there are 750,000 unintended teenage pregnancies...40% of which end in abortion...and 19 million sexually transmitted infections (which is one of the biggest causes of infertility in the country). Yet....among single sexually active Americans between the ages of 18 and 54..they only use condoms in about 25% of their sexual encounters.
It was so interesting for me coming from the meeting at The American Society of Reproductive Meeting...where a video of me was used in a montage of clips during opening ceremonies...and as the song goes..."everyone knows my name”...to walking into a group where no one had ever heard of us...and yet everyone knew each other. It was a very unfamiliar feeling for me.
Oh yes...The AFA is the new kid on the block when it come to the sex and reproductive health community!
And we have a campaign to talk about...."Let’s Talk About Sex”..
And I found myself sitting with representatives from organizations like National Planned Parenthood...and The Guttmacher Institute...and with some folks that have clearly made an impact in this part of the reproductive health community...but that I did not know.
Yes...we are late coming into this conversation...but our message is an important one...and it is one where very little emphasis is given...yet when we met with parents of children...it was a message that parents felt really comfortable giving to their kids...and it was a message that they felt was really important...that STI’s can render you infertile...and the use of condoms can protect you in protecting your fertility...and unplanned pregnancy..so that when you are ready to have a child...you will be able to time it...and be healthy.
And so I sat around the table...the new kid on the block...and you know me...eventually our messages will be heard...because all of the messages are important...and you never know which message is going to be the message that ‘cracks the code’ on whether a condom is used or not.
Until Later,
Pamela
Categories
Fertility •
Fertility Preservation •
Infertility •
Sexual Health
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