Ladies, We Need To Talk About Our Fertility

“This isn’t about telling women to ‘hurry up and get married because their clock is ticking.’ It’s about opening up the full menu of options so no woman feels stuck, blindsided, or forced to settle.” — Cheri Bergeron, founder of Cheri’s Choice.

Austin’s NBC affiliate KXAN just published a story about the rising rates of infertility in the U.S. 

For me, it isn’t news—it’s déjà vu.

Since 2007, birth rates have declined across all 50 states. And while COVID led to a brief baby bump (turns out, a lot of people did find creative ways to pass the time), the long-term trend is clear: women are waiting longer to become mothers.

According to the CDC, the average age for a first-time mom in the 1960’s was a youthful 21 years. Today? It's closer to 28—and for many of us, it’s much later.

Like so many women, I poured myself into my education and career when I got my degree, and there was no obvious time to put my work on “pause”. 

Motherhood? I thought I had lots of time. But when I finally turned my attention to fertility, biology wasn’t on my side. And I’m not alone. 

Research shows that 7 in 10 women have never even spoken to a doctor about their fertility health.

Dr. David Prokai, a fertility specialist with Aspire Fertility in Austin, says infertility affects one in six couples. He also warns that many women are often misled by feel-good fertility stories on social media—where success is often highlighted, but struggle is rarely acknowledged. The real problem, he says, is a lack of honest, accessible education.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I created Cheri’s Choice, a nonprofit committed to giving women the education they need to make informed, empowered choices about motherhood—on their timetable – whether that means egg freezing, sperm donation, foster parenting, adoption, surrogacy, or single motherhood by choice.

This isn’t about telling women to “hurry up and get married because their clock is ticking.” It’s about opening up the full menu of options so no woman feels stuck, blindsided, or forced to settle.

I believe the next generation of women can rewrite the script, and ditch the fairy tale if that’s what’s required. With the right knowledge and support, they’ll have more freedom to define motherhood on their own terms—and build the family of their dreams.