Studies show that one in six couples in South Africa are battling with infertility problems. Yet information and awareness on this subject are not as readily available as they should be.

National Infertility Awareness Week South Africa (NIAW SA) is an initiative run by IFAASA (Infertility Awareness Association of South Africa) in association with House of Fertility.

Many other countries have already started shining light on the subject and have infertility weeks of their own, but this is a first for South Africa.

Our aim for this inaugural event is for infertility to once again be in the spotlight and to continue to break down the stigma attached to the disease, through educating the public,” read the NAIW SA website.

Talking about the male infertility crises Dr Biko, a reproductive medicine specialist at Femcare Fertility said studies have shown that over the last 40 years there has been a significant decline of 52 per cent in male sperm numbers in Western countries.

Over the past few years IFAASA has not only been educating the public but also supporting those who are on their own fertility journeys.

As someone who has been struggling with infertility for a few years, Natasha Pretorius said that she herself has experienced the lack of information about the subject. She added that NIAW puts the spotlight on the struggles that these couples face and provides valuable information for those starting their fertility journey.

Starting on Monday, 20 July until 26 July, these organisations have partnered with various fertility specialists in the country to host webinars regarding the issues around the disease.

From Monday to Sunday they will focus on topics like in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI), male infertility, female infertility, egg and sperm donation, surrogacy and adoption, and finally the loss of a baby.

You can join in on the webinars by registering on www.niaw.co.za or check out the IFAASA Facebook page for links to the YouTube videos.