She adds that pharmacists can do their part by counselling clients in a sensitive, non-judgmental way. We assume our young people are getting a wealth of information on family planning issues, but that's not necessarily the case. Many young adults still need lots of guidance, especially about STDs and controlling reproduction. Pharmacists can help bridge this knowledge gap. Pharmacists can also help make consumers aware of new contraceptive products appearing in drugstores.
Infertility affects about one in six couples of child-bearing age.
It is estimated that about 250,000 Canadians are afflicted with some form of infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive a child after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. In many cases, physicians can't explain why infertility occurs. Heather Woodhouse is one pharmacist who has made the effort to learn more about this emotional issue. As fertility clinics expand across the country, I think it's inevitable that more questions will be directed our way. Because I'm widely known to counsel about infertility, I'm getting a lot of people asking questions that clinics don't answer.