Studies show Black, Brown, Indigenous, and all other women of color face much higher rates of infertility while also facing lower rates of accessible medical care. Lilliana Vasquez, who is part of the Latin community, has had her own battle with infertility and the struggles of pregnancy.
The Emmy-award-winning journalist started her journey to have a child in 2015 and recently found out she was pregnant in the Fall of 2020.
"It was a difficult and isolating battle with infertility," she says. "It was a battle against my ovaries, it was a battle against cultural stigma, it was a battle against myself."
Destigmatizing miscarriages and reproduction health in communities of color is key to ensuring women aren't afraid to seek medical care, she says. The notion that Latin Women are the most fertile negatively impacts women in the community who struggle to get pregnant.
"It's a really dangerous stereotype that has no founding in science, reality, or data," says Vasquez. "We're not fertile based on our backgrounds or our ethnic makeup, fertility is individual, and just because your sister or your mom or your aunt had a baby at 45....that doesn't really mean anything for you."
Fifteen percent of non-Hispanic, white women, actually use medical help to get pregnant, while only about 8% of Black women and 7% of Hispanic women report those same numbers.
Kind Bodypromises access and education on these issues in an affordable way. Blood levels, ultrasounds, and hormone levels are all checked. 100 Hispanic Women advocates for Kind Body and helping Hispanic women get in contact with them to kick start their journey for reproductive health.
