My name is Noni Martins and I am the founder of Unfertility, a three-dimensional campaign that seeks to break the silence, stigma and shame around unconventional fertility journeys through the voices of Black women, including my own.
I am Zimbabwean-British and my husband is Nigerian-British and we have been trying to conceive for over 5 years and it was close to the 3-year mark that we found out we had male factor infertility & that we would need IVF. We started IVF in Jan’ 2020 and we have had 3 failed embryo transfers so far. After further testing this year, we recently found out that we also have (female) endometrial factor infertility as well.
As well as sharing my own unconventional fertility story, I host other Black women with their own stories, and professionals in the fertility sphere, on my podcast, with the hope of bringing more visibility to these hidden stories.
Representation matters, cultural nuances matter, conversations matter, and safe spaces matter. I run a virtual support group for Black women who are trying to conceive / dealing with infertility / going through IVF / or have experienced loss.
For Black History Month 2020, I wrote the first ever patient blog for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) You can read it here.
And become part of a support group for & by Black women.
Additionally, you will receive a regular newsletter with memos about upcoming Sisterhood Sessions, and culturally aligned fertility content.