Declare Infertility Awareness Week

Senate Resolution No. 380 BY: Senator SALAZAR MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 21-27, 2019, as Infertility Awareness Week in the State of New York WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in recognizing official weeks established to increase awareness of serious issues that affect the lives of all New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 21-27, 2019, as Infertility Awareness Week in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observation of National Infertility Awareness Week; and WHEREAS, According to the CDC, 15% of couples in America experience infertility; infertility does not discriminate based on race, religion, sexuality or economic status; and WHEREAS, In the past, infertility was commonly considered to be solely a female problem; it is now recognized that a couple's infertility is just as likely to stem from problems in the male partner; and WHEREAS, After couples with infertility undergo testing, about 40% of the cases are found to stem from female factors and another 40% from male factors; in 10% of couples, infertility factors are found in both the man and woman; and WHEREAS, About 6% of married women aged 15-44 years in the United States are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying; about 12% of women aged 15-44 years in the United States have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term; and WHEREAS, Infertility may be caused by a myriad of factors including genetic abnormalities, aging, acute and chronic diseases, treatments for certain conditions, behavioral factors, and exposure to environmental, occupational, and infectious agents; and WHEREAS, Infertility can be treated with medicine, surgery, intrauterine insemination, or assisted reproductive technology; doctors recommend specific treatments for infertility on the basis of the factors contributing to the infertility; the duration of the infertility; the age of the woman; and the couple's treatment preference after counseling about success rates, risks, and benefits of each treatment option; and WHEREAS, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) includes all fertility treatments in which both eggs and embryos are handled outside of the body; in general, ART procedures involve removing mature eggs from a woman's ovaries using a needle, combining the eggs with sperm in the laboratory, and returning the embryos to the woman's body or donating them to another woman; the main type of ART is in vitro fertilization (IVF); and WHEREAS, Infertility is much more than just a medical condition; for many people, hearing about a possible infertility diagnosis is overwhelming; infertility can deplete your finances, affect your personal relationships and have an impact on you or your partner's emotional health; and WHEREAS, Since the desire to have one's own biological children can be strong and compelling, the effects of infertility for individuals or couples who are unable to conceive can be devastating; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 21-27, 2019, as Infertility Awareness Week in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.