Infertility Awareness

1. Summary of events during National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW),
Romania, 2012 – 2015
This being a summary, we would prefer to supply only several basic
information, links to the topics dedicated to those events on Asociatia SOS
Infertilitatea forum (that could be translated into English with Google translate) and
photos. If you are particularly interested in an event, do not hesitate to ask for details
on organizing and developing it by sending an email to contact@infertilitate.com - we
will be happy to write back.
1. Asociatia SOS Infertilitatea developed the first awareness campaign in
2012, on the occasion of Fertility Europe spring meeting from Bucharest.
Details and more photos can be found here (please use Google translate):
http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=284&start=20
The presence of Fertility Europe in Bucharest was exploited by the Romanian
mass media, there were many press articles, including an interview with Clare Lewis-
Jones by an important Romanian daily newspaper. Details and more photos can be
found here: http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=294
As well, we took advantage of the presence of Fertility Europe and organized
political advocacy at the Health Commission within the Parliament of Romania on the
subject of legislative framework and granting financial support to the couples engaged
in ART procedures. Details and more photos on the meeting with the Parliament
In an interview by gandul, President of Fertility Europe Clare Lewis-Jones speaks on the
problems the hypofertile couples face and how worrisome that phenomenon is at global level
Clare Lewis-Jones (on the right) during a meeting at the Parliament of Romania

2. members can be found here: http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?
f=11&t=293
The same year, we launched the “Infertility exists. And it hurts!” - touring
exhibition addressed at the broad public. During NIAW 2012, we placed that exhibition
in the most central and most travelled underground passageway / commercial gallery
in Bucharest, thus that the audience was thousands of persons every day. Details and
more photos can be found here: http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?
f=14&t=288
The same year, we developed local actions in two cities of Romanian: a
physicians’ event in Timisoara and a patients’ event in Iasi (photos on those events
are in the first link from that section). As well, we had intense online communication,
on our own website and social networks.
Financial costs: The costs of the campaign in 2012 were minimum (local
transport, several business entertainment elements, phone subscription), the events
being organized and coordinated by volunteers, free of charge. The entire exhibition
was made with zero financial costs (the concept was created and offered to the
Association by one of its active members, who mobilized her friends: one friend
acquired the high resolution photos from a database that he was able to access,
another volunteer friend made the graphical elements, and another friend, who

3. worked in an advertisement agency, provided the printing of the 6 roll-up banners free
of charge). So, there were no significant costs.
Note: If anybody is interested, we can offer free of charge to the Fertility
Europe colleagues the graphical elements of that exhibition in a vectorial (editable)
format, as well as the English translation of the texts; all you have to do is to ask a
graphic designer to add the translation (and eventually) the adaptation into your
language, as well as to print the 6 roll-up banners.
The colleagues in Croatia did this in 2012 and used our leaflets translated into
Croatian during their awareness campaign.
The advantage of such an exhibition is that it was created to be used at any
time, on a practically unlimited period; we have been using it constantly since 2012,
not just during NIAW but also on the occasion of numerous other events organized by
the association.

4. 2. National Infertility Awareness Week 2013
The nucleus of NIAW 2013 was the letter campaign sent to the minister of
health, a call for continuing the IVF Program. Details and more photos can be found
here: http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=456&start=40#p36069
Hundreds of letters were sent by Romanian patients that lived in Romania or
abroad. As well, Asociatia SOS Infertilitatea officially submitted to the Ministry of
Health a collective memo signed by all stakeholders in ART domain. We were very
happy that some of our colleagues in Fertility Europe responded to our call and sent
letters to the Romanian minister: Roda of Croatia, Simpukka of Finland, Cider of
Turkey, and Magna Mater of Greece. Thank you!

5. As consequence of that event, the representatives of SOS Infertilitatea had a
meeting at the office of Ministry of Health with representatives of the office of Adrian
Pana, Secretary of State, on the topic of funding the IVF Subprogram.
Media promotion - advocacy campaign appearance in mass media: 6 news / TV
footages, 3 radio broadcasts, 14 online appearances. Details and more photos can be
found here: http://www.slideshare.net/SOSInfertilitatea/anexa-1-aparitii-media-
legate-de-subprogramul-fiv?ref=http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?
f=9&t=456&start=80
Financial costs: They were very low, practically local transportation, phone
subscription and post mail tariffs.
3. National Infertility Awareness Week 2014
During NAIW 2014, we had a physicians – patients’ meeting, which was
organized in partnership with Embryologists Association of Romania. Details and more
photos can be found here: http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=41

6. The “Infertility exists. And it hurts!” exhibition was brought to the Palace of
Parliament of Romania, in a strategic hallway everybody had to walk on daily, next to
the Parliament members entrance:
Numerus actions on our own website and on the social networks. Press articles.
Financial costs: They were very low, practically local transportation and phone
subscription.

7. 4. National Infertility Awareness Week 2015
Details and photos on the National Awareness Week 2015:
http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=643
For the first time, we had an action only on Facebook, a free application that
added a ribbon to the profile photo:
In its whole, during the National Awareness Week, we had 260 supporters with
ribbon attached to the profile photo and 552 shares, which led to a very high number
of views. You can see here how green our wall was during NIAW 2015:
http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=643#p50468. We thank to our
colleagues in Fertility Europe that joined the Romanian event.

8. During Infertility Awareness Week 2015, we unfolded the “Minister, please
increase the budget of the IVF Subprogram!” campaign. Patients and their
supporters sent hundreds of letters to the minister of Health. Responses were also
received from the Ministry of Health and the IVF Subprogram will continue in 2016.
Dear Minister Nicolae Banicioiu,
Without the IVF Subprogram, SHE would have never existed. Without HER, we would have been
uncomplete and you wouldn’t have seen those smiles on our faces. That is why we are asking you with
tears in our eyes to increase the funds for the 2016 IVF Subprogram. The amount is not big but, it is
extremely important. By increasing the budget, you will bring hope to the lives of many families. Take a
second and look at us. Other couples deserve the same chance; other children deserve the chance to be
born.
Sincerely yours,
Family Madalina and Mihaly, Timisoara

9. More details and photos can be found here:
http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=652
During Infertility Awareness Week 2015, we developed the “IVF mum and
proud of that” action. We asked our contacts on the social networks to offer photo
testimonies, proof that infertility can be defeated and that it should not be taboo /
stigma / shameful. In only 36 hours, we received over 30 such testimonies (let’s not
forget that Romania is a country where until recently infertility / conceiving by ART
was an absolute secrecy – things change and we are proud of that!)
Details and photos can be found here:
http://forum.infertilitate.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=653

10. During Infertility Awareness Week 2015, we participated in Bucharest
Embryology Symposium with our own booth and the “Infertility exists. And it
hurts!” awareness increase exhibition.
The Embryologists Association grants annually, at the time of the International
Symposium taking place in Bucharest, an award. In 2015, Asociatia SOS Infertilitatea
received it and we had the chance to speak to all physicians and other stakeholders
attending the event; the speech (in Romanian) can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3QOS6UN8CM
Financial costs: They were low, practically local transportation, post mail
tariffs and phone subscription.

11. *****
We mention that all events were designed and implemented during the four
editions of the National Awareness Week in Romania without sponsors, out of the
funds of SOS Infertilitatea. We thank our volunteers!
We remain at your disposal if you need additional information on any activity.
Please send us an email to contact@infertilitate.com and we will be happy to write
back!
SOS Infertilitatea team
January 2016