We heard a lot during the live with @pharmieinthecity about the idea of 'disenfranchised grief'. Bereavement expert Kenneth Doka coined the term in 1989 to capture this feeling of loss that no one seems to understand and that you don't feel entitled to. "It refers to a loss that's not openly acknowledged, socially mourned or publicly supported," he says.

Which is exactly what many singles feel...

These slides are small slices of how painful and difficult being single is. We know that so many of these sentiments can refer to anyone in the fertility community who is struggling to have a child, be it for medical infertility or having gone through a loss. (If we missed any, please add them to the comments!)

And that's exactly the point.

When someone can't even get to the stage of trying to conceive, those same deep, dark emotions lurk...sometimes just beneath the surface, sometimes rearing its ugly head.

And it's our job as a community to hold space for whomever, no matter what their marital status.

h/t to @ceci_fertilityhand for the inspiration and wording for some of these posts