Today’s bonus episode guests are Dr. Desiree McCarthy-Keith, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at Shady Grove Fertility; Rev. Dr. Stacey L. Edwards-Dunn, an ordained minister and founder of Fertility for Colored Girls; and Dr. Camille Hammond, co-founder of the Cade Foundation.
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Dr. McCarthy-Keith, Rev. Dr. Edwards-Dunn, Dr. Hammond, and Heather discuss racial disparity within the infertility community:
- Let’s start by briefly introducing each of you to our audience. Tell us who you are and what you do.
- Do you believe Black women and couples struggle with access to fertility treatments and other paths to parenthood more than White women and couples?
- This conversation has been important for a long, long time. But is society finally ready to hear and act upon it?
- Are Black women more at risk for infertility? Why?
- I didn’t come across any Black reproductive endocrinologists during my journey. Is it important for Black patients to see themselves in their doctors? What’s the solution to this problem?
- I’d like to hear more about the racism patients are experiencing in clinics.
- What cultural/societal norms exist that are affecting Black women when it comes to their fertility?
- What do you wish women in the Black community knew about their fertility, and what advice would you give to those who are struggling?
- How can we all in the infertility community play a role in correcting erroneous stereotypes that surround Black women and infertility?
- How can we encourage more Black women to talk about their infertility?
- Is there anything else you’d like to add?