IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 322 

Supporting the goals of National Infertility Awareness Week to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and the challenges men and women 

face in building a family, including protecting fertility, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 19, 2007 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York (for herself, Mrs. MYRICK, and Mrs. CAPPS) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals of National Infertility Awareness 

Week to raise awareness about the disease of infertility 

and the challenges men and women face in building 

a family, including protecting fertility, and for other 

purposes. 

Whereas RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association is 

celebrating its 18th annual National Infertility Awareness 

Week during the week of November 4–10, 2007; 

Whereas infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 

1 year of unprotected intercourse or 6 months if the 

woman is over age 35, the inability to carry a pregnancy 

to live birth, or the inability to conceive due to sterilizing 


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•HRES 322 IH 

medical treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or 

surgery; 

Whereas infertility is a disease which affects men and women 

and is a female condition in 35 percent of the cases, a 

male condition in 35 percent of the cases, a combined 

condition of the couple in 20 percent of the cases, and 

unexplained in 10 percent of the cases; 

Whereas infertility is different for each person who faces it, 

and the most important thing a person must do is to be 

informed about the disease; 

Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, the United States has 7.3 million men and 

women with infertility, constituting 12 percent of women 

of reproductive age, or 1 in 8 couples; 

Whereas approximately 140,000 cancer patients diagnosed 

annually during their reproductive years will undergo potentially permanently sterilizing medical treatments; 

Whereas during the last decade, health care providers have 

made great strides in the ability to diagnose and treat infertility as well as preserve fertility; 

Whereas infertility is a medical problem that may be treated; 

Whereas at least 50 percent of those who complete an infertility evaluation will respond to treatment with a successful pregnancy; 

Whereas some infertility problems respond with higher or 

lower success rates; 

Whereas those who do not seek help have a ‘‘spontaneous 

cure rate’’ of about 5 percent after a year of infertility; 

and 


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Whereas it is important that infertility patients have access 

to educational programs across the United States on a 

variety of family-building options, including assisted reproductive technologies, adoption, third-party reproduction, and child-free living: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the House of Representatives— 

3 (A) recognizes that infertility is a disease; 

4 (B) recognizes that knowledge about infer5 tility will help people make educated decisions 

6 about family building whether through medical 

7 intervention, adoption, or deciding not to have 

8 children; 

9 (C) commends RESOLVE: the National 

10 Infertility Association and other national and 

11 community organizations for their efforts to 

12 promote greater public awareness about the dis13 ease of infertility; and 

14 (D) supports the goals of National Infer15 tility Awareness Week to raise awareness 

16 about the disease of infertility and the chal17 lenges men and women face in building a fam18 ily; and 

19 (2) it is the sense of the House of Representa20 tives that the Federal Government has a responsi21 bility— 


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1 (A) to endeavor to raise awareness and im2 prove education about infertility, fertility side 

3 effects, and fertility preservation options; 

4 (B) to encourage research that will im5 prove infertility treatments and outcomes and 

6 fertility preservation technologies; and 

7 (C) to continue to consider ways to im8 prove access to information on infertility and 

9 fertility preservation options. 

Æ 


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