INCIID

The INCIID Mission Statement

The InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID – pronounced "inside") is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals and couples explore their family-building options. INCIID provides current information and immediate support regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infertility and pregnancy loss, and offers guidance to those considering adoption or childfree lifestyles.

The Birth of INCIID

INCIID (The InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination - pronounced “inside”) is the largest infertility information and support organization in the U.S. The organization provides an independent voice for consumers on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infertility as well as those considering adoption or child-free lifestyle. INCIID was created by infertile patients who have fought their way through the challenge, and won.

INCIID’s Executive Director, Nancy Hemenway and her husband, David, tried to have a baby for seven years. After four miscarriages doctors could not diagnose the problem, but Nancy would not give up. In 1991 after her first ten week pregnancy loss, she discovered the Internet – a resource for information and networking. She sat down at her computer, signed on to a fertility support bulletin board and typed: “I want to look into a tiny face that looks lovingly back. Can someone out there help me?”

The next day, she was delighted to have dozens of responses. One woman with a similar problem led her to a reproductive immunologist who treated women with the antibodies that may cause miscarriages. The immunologist discovered Nancy had antibodies preventing an embryo from attaching to the uterine wall and prescribed a drug often used in organ transplantation. For months, she injected herself with the medication and tried to become pregnant - without success.

Nevertheless, Nancy continued to receive information and encouragement from friends online to persist: “The treatment takes time.”

She soon began a close online relationship with two women who had each also had four miscarriages. The three women soon began to realize that there was a great need for a comprehensive online support resource – one with information on cutting-edge technologies and treatments for those suffering with reproductive failure. During National Infertility Awareness Week in October 1994, they had their first telephone conference and by February of 1995, the first formal INCIID board meeting was held.

INCIID’s web site was launched in March, 1995 and became the Internet’s first nonprofit site dedicated to advocacy for those with reproductive failure. As fate would have it, within days of creating INCIID, all three women became pregnant and carried their babies to term the following summer.

Today, INCIID has grown into a global organization with international membership. The INCIID website serves millions of consumers annually and accommodates the needs of those who are infertile, women who conceive following fertility treatment, women with repeated pregnancy loss and those choosing adoption. Parenting forums have been added to address the special needs of those who have children through adoption or treatment.

INCIID’s advisory board includes 25 internationally-renowned fertility experts to ensure that the information on the site is accurate with the latest diagnostic and treatment protocols. Nancy Hemenway and INCIID’s medical experts also serve as guest speakers for conferences and online chats.

INCIID strives to ensure that everyone has access to the latest trustworthy information about infertility.

Sponsored by imin.com – http://www.imin.com