My failure at fatherhood took over my entire life
Jon Waldman always imagined he would have a big family – but then he and his wife received a bombshell diagnosis
Jon Waldman photographed at home in Winnipeg, Canada
Credit: Sarah Fuller
I will never forget the day my wife and I were given the diagnosis of unexplained infertility – that neither Elana nor I seemed to have anything wrong with us that would prevent us from having a child naturally.
The bomb was dropped during the first meeting with our new fertility specialist, an appointment that came after months of disappointments, failed attempts and a devastating miscarriage. In a signature case of poor bedside manner, he had pictures of his happy family – wife and two children – plastered across the walls of his office. His tone was very clinical, offering little concern or care. I remember remarking to Elana as we were leaving just how insensitive this seemed.
The Globe and Mail Jon Waldman Published April 17, 2021
Jon Waldman is the Winnipeg-based author of Swimming Aimlessly: One Man’s Journey through Infertility and What We Can All Learn from It.
Infertility is isolating. There’s no simpler way to put it.
When you’re unable to have children by natural means, you feel, in many ways, that you’re not only different than your family and friends, but that your life is going to be in a constant battle to get even close to where your peers are. Being told things such as “you’d better catch up” hurt like hell (and yes, that happened to me).
TORONTO One in six couples in Canada experience infertility, according to government figures. Jon Waldman, author of ‘Swimming Aimlessly,’ joined CTV’s Your Morning to share his experience of infertility from the male perspective. The Government of Canada says that four out of 10 times, infertility traces back to women, and three in 10 times the cause of infertility is in men. In 20 per cent of cases it is caused by both the male and the female, and in 10 per cent the cause is unknown. Jon Waldman and his wife’s cause of infertility was unknown. The couple tried several treatments such as acupuncture, fertility drugs, Intrauterine Insemination, and In Vitro Fertilization. After transferring medical clinics and trying to conceive for six years, the couple had their daughter.
March 3, 2021 at 3:30 PM
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Forget pandemics. Instead, it’s time to worry about worldwide plummeting sperm counts. The end result could mean the end of humankind. But, in the meantime, will the rapid decline in male fertility mean a rise in sperm-related legal work? Are my priorities backward?
I recently learned of the severe drop (over 50%!) in sperm count worldwide from podcast guest Jonathan Waldman, author of
Swimming Aimlessly: One Man’s Journey Through Infertility And What We Can All Learn From It. Reiterating the seriousness of the issue, last week, USA Today came out with an article focused on a study showing a greater than 59% decline in sperm count from 1960 to 2015. Although the author gives a nod to the naysayers, it seems pretty clear that this is happening. Aside from our dystopian