Show Your Support
Women's Health South Africa|July - August 2023
When someone you love is in the throes of fertility struggles, choosing the right words or actions is tough. To help, we gathered advice from professionals and women who've been there.
CASSIE SHORTSLEEVE
Show Your Support

The first and loudest phrase you'll likely hear if you talk to someone who has experienced pregnancy loss or infertility is: It's so isolating. No matter your situation, so much can feel, well, gone. Pregnancy, a baby, but also control, how you thought your life would look and trust in your body. That's why it makes total sense to approach fertility challenges, as well as pregnancy and perinatal loss, through a grief lens, says social worker Dvora Entin, who specialises in perinatal and reproductive mental health.

Yet while we tend to sit with people's pain in other areas of life - attending funerals and honoring those we've lost - too often these specific types of struggles are met with a flood of pat, inappropriate, non-empathetic responses: "You'll get pregnant again!" "At least you have another child." "This happened for a reason." Loss is often invalidated, which compounds feelings of aloneness. "People wind up thinking, I'm not going to tell anybody about this because no one is going to get it," says Entin.

South Africa has a miscarriage rate of 7.3 to 9.6 percent per 1000 women, while the stillbirth rate sits at 9.8 per 1000 women for pregnancies at, or, after 28 weeks, according to findings by scielo.org.za. So, yes, fertility issues are common - and so is not knowing what to say to communicate thoughtfulness and sensitivity to a loved one experiencing them. To lead you through the waters, WH spoke to perinatal mental health professionals and people who have faced loss or infertility.

DO SAY, "I'm Here"

Erin Erenberg, a mom of three and co-founder of The Chamber of Mothers, recalls "something very specific" a friend said to her that meant the world: "Losing a baby is a very lonely kind of loss. I'm here if you want to talk." Erin adds, "Those words rang so true to me."

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2023 من Women's Health South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2023 من Women's Health South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من WOMEN'S HEALTH SOUTH AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
Irreconcilable Differences?
Women's Health South Africa

Irreconcilable Differences?

You’re one-upping your partner on all health fronts and now your relationship has more tension than your new resistance bands. Here’s how to get over the hurdle of mismatched goals.

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2024
Hot And Bothered
Women's Health South Africa

Hot And Bothered

Inflammation is all the rage in health conversations right now and research is establishing it as a major player in all sorts of issues you don't want to deal with. But! You can safeguard yourself from the smokin' internal inferno with these smart strategies.

time-read
3 mins  |
July - August 2024
Self-esteem under the microscope
Women's Health South Africa

Self-esteem under the microscope

The term brings to mind positive-thinking memes with sunset backdrops and swirly lettering. But could I you sum up self-esteem when asked as part of a pub quiz? Didn't think so. And there's more at stake here than winning the points.

time-read
7 mins  |
July - August 2024
the reset
Women's Health South Africa

the reset

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START OVER

time-read
1 min  |
July - August 2024
Mind Over Muscle
Women's Health South Africa

Mind Over Muscle

Could you level up your strength training just by putting your mind to it?

time-read
2 mins  |
July - August 2024
ON BEING THE HEROINE OF YOUR OWN LIFE
Women's Health South Africa

ON BEING THE HEROINE OF YOUR OWN LIFE

Olympian. All-African Games winner. African champion. Record-breaker. Javelin athlete Jo-Ané van Dyk talks mental fortitude and what it takes to live up to your own hype. If there's one thing she can do, it's to throw down. And it's all about to reach peak levels.

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2024
Why Women Are Choosing to Be Child-Free
Women's Health South Africa

Why Women Are Choosing to Be Child-Free

The choice can be liberating, yet stigmas persist. Here, how to cut through the noise with clarity and confidence to make the decision that's right for *you.*

time-read
7 mins  |
July - August 2024
FUEL YOUR SKIN
Women's Health South Africa

FUEL YOUR SKIN

Inside your body, there's a crew of unsung protein heroes that scientists believe are the key to a healthy, glowing complexion. Heads-up: your routine is about to change for the better.

time-read
5 mins  |
July - August 2024
How To Be Decisive
Women's Health South Africa

How To Be Decisive

You could use a Magic 8 ball to help you make a choice. Or, while you're waiting to 'ask again later', let our experts explain the best ways to get unstuck.

time-read
5 mins  |
July - August 2024
Build A Strong Base
Women's Health South Africa

Build A Strong Base

You heard it here: the pelvic floor is the forgotten core - and you're selling yourself short by waiting for a specific life stage to train it. Your four-move workout is here.

time-read
1 min  |
July - August 2024