Through, Not Around
Stories of Infertility and Pregnancy Loss
– Article by Ariel Ng Bourbonnais – December 1, 2018
Anyone going through infertility treatments, or who has experienced pregnancy loss, will tell you that it is a lonely experience, often filled with extreme emotions and feelings of failure and shame.
I know when I was diagnosed with low AMH at 33, and went through unsuccessful fertility treatments (with a miscarriage before and after treatment), I was left only with my broken pride and no baby to show for the amount of work I put into trying.
Something had to change which is why Caroline Starr, Allison McDonald Ace, and myself started a group called The 16 Percent: www.the16percent.ca.
The 16 Percent is a movement dedicated to sharing personal stories of infertility and pregnancy loss to make people feel less alone when they are going through their own experience of loss or infertility. 1 in 6 of those trying to conceive in Canada will have trouble along the way. That is a large number of people who go through this heartbreak and we wanted to help remove the stigma around the topic.
Along with regularly sharing interviews online through our website, Instagram, and Facebook pages, we’ve also co-edited and authored a collection of essays called Through, Not Around, which is available to pre-order now.
Through, Not Around shares personal stories of infertility and pregnancy loss, but also of hope and great resilience in the face of adversity. Not every story has a happy baby ending, but each author presents their version of coming to terms with their situation in an honest and candid way. We are so excited to have this book in our hands in February 2019.
The best part is that our contributors, all 22 of us, are donating our proceeds of the book to the Pregnancy & Infant Loss (PAIL) Network to help families dealing with pregnancy and infant loss.
We believe it’s important for people to know they aren’t alone, that there are others who will come before and after them, and sharing stories about these important life events really does help promote healing and acceptance, in time.
Through, Not Around is available for pre-order on Amazon.
All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Network.
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About the Author – Ariel Ng Bourbonnais
Ariel Ng Bourbonnais is a writer, editor, and co-founder of The 16 Percent. She is an infertility awareness advocate, dog mom, and proud Torontonian.
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*Kat McNichol, Editor-in-Chief of Dreamers Creative Writing, is a contributor to Through, Not Around.
