9 Comments
User's avatar
Ron Stauffer's avatar

This issue is so strange to hear and read about (millennials struggling with fertility). My wife and I got married at age 20 and had 5 kids in 6 years. We had the literal opposite challenge: too much fertility.

At the rate we were going, we realized we’d have 8 kids in 10 years. We tried barrier methods and gave up, even took NFP (Natural Family Planning) classes from the Roman Catholic church, eventually opting for a permanent option.

I never expected to see couples our own age saying they couldn't get pregnant: we couldn't stop getting pregnant and weren’t even trying. It’s a very strange perspective for us now, standing on the other side of the divide, looking out at our friends across the chasm and wondering how we turned out so different.

Literally, all our challenges and the tears we shed in our journey toward becoming parents were the result of being overwhelmed with pregnancy and childbirth. (Example: My wife tandem-nursed two kids at once in one case.)

It’s especially odd since we were laughed at, ridiculed, criticized, and even ostracized at times for being “young parents” and having “such a large family.”

Strange that it appears the tables have now turned.

Expand full comment
Aly Dee's avatar

Most of the issues are waiting too long to have children, to be fair. Youth allows you to filter out toxins way more than in older age.

Expand full comment
Ron Stauffer's avatar

Sounds like a good argument for having children much sooner then, and not waiting like most people told us we should have. 🤔

Expand full comment
Alan Schmidt's avatar

I know a couple of women who acheived pregnancy with NaPro doctors.

https://naprotechnology.com/

While it's largely a Catholic thing, it is effective for anyone who is willing to try it.

Expand full comment
Aly Dee's avatar

Big fan of NaPro over here!

Expand full comment
Gaby & Co.'s avatar

Written some words on my experience x

Expand full comment
Ugochukwu Paul Nwaeze's avatar

You said this: "We can promote or incentivize earlier childbearing, but this approach has repeatedly failed" Please can you back this up with proof? what information do you have available that has made you come to this conclusion that early childbearing which has been the norm since the beginning of the world till the 20th century has failed?

Asking out of curiosity. I am an African in Africa who is a product of early childbearing. Please help me understand this?

Expand full comment
Nate Hartley's avatar

My wife and I had trouble having our second child. We were advised to use a fertility doctor and pursue IVF or artificial insemination. None of those options felt right. Instead my wife went to a holistic doctor, balanced her hormones and was pregnant with our daughter in two months. Since then we’ve barely been back to traditional doctors. I don’t trust them.

Expand full comment
Ugochukwu Paul Nwaeze's avatar

what is a holistic doctor?

Expand full comment