Making people uncomfortable in under ten seconds.

barren[bar-uh n]

adjective

not producing or incapable of producing offspring; sterile:

I never really understand why this word is so offensive to the Fertiles.

"Don't say that about yourself"... "No, you're not barren!"

.. But here's the thing.. I am.  I am quite literally barren.  I am truly incapable of producing offspring.  I am fortunate enough to live in an age where science and technology have birthed their own solution, but a hundred years ago? Barren.

I'm doing my best not to embrace the Infertility Shame, but it's just so built into the structure of IF.  People are so uncomfortable with it, have no idea what to say, they would really rather not.

But it IS the reality, and saying it out loud doesn't make it any more (or less) true.  We will be writing a five figure cheque to even try and make a baby.  It will require a team of various medical professionals, multiple surgeries, and quite potentially reproductive material that isn't genetically ours.  See: Barren.

... And maybe that's okay.