[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5447-5448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK

  (Mr. PETERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize April 24 to April 
30 as National Infertility Awareness Week. Infertility is defined as 
the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after 12 months 
of trying to conceive.
  The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American College 
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and 

[[Page 5448]]

the World Health Organization 
recognize infertility as a disease.
  Today, one in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant or 
sustaining a pregnancy. Infertility affects approximately 10 percent of 
the population, but rarely are the necessary medical treatments covered 
by insurance. Alarmingly, this, too, is the case for veterans who have 
served our country and have become infertile as a result of their 
service.
  This issue strikes diverse groups, affecting people from all 
socioeconomic levels and cuts across racial, ethnic, and religious 
lines.
  We must acknowledge the medical and emotional aspects of infertility 
and continue to support efforts to make treatment more accessible to 
help improve the quality of life for people with infertility.
  This week, I ask that we all recognize and raise awareness on the 
issue of infertility as a disease and support the family-building 
efforts of those struggling with this disease of infertility.

                          ____________________