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We originally published this earlier in the year as a series of articles. Now we’ve put them all together in one big piece.
By Jenny Sinclair
Geva Mentor wants to have children, but, single and in the prime of her netball career, has been facing odds that are increasingly stacked against her. She recently went through an egg retrieval procedure in the hope of future proofing her dreams. Natalie Medhurst considers herself lucky. She had fertility issues, and after going through a range of investigations and assisted measures she and her partner are expecting their first child. Sonia Mkoloma is playing a numbers game, having had three miscarriages and three failed IVF cycles in the past six years. She didn’t start trying for a family until her elite career finished at the age of 35, and she’s anxious that it might not happen.
Aged between 35 to 41, the three athletes know about limitations. That their reproductive years, like their sporting careers, won’t last forever. Given little concrete information about how sport could impact their fertility, they did their own research. Each woman made a conscious decision to tread a pathway to assisted reproduction. Littered along the way were physical, emotional, logistical and medical factors that complicated the process. The trailblazers hope that by sharing some of their more intimate details, that people might gain a wider understanding of the problems they faced, and why all active females should consider their health as well as their sporting careers.
Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-exclusive-fertility-and-elite-female-athletes/
Geva Mentor
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