Have you experienced involuntary childlessness?
Do you want to have a child but have not been able to? Have you experienced infertility, had a miscarriage or is pregnancy not possible at the moment due to your circumstances? An unfulfilled desire for a child is common. Many people have similar thoughts, feelings and experiences. The Finnish Infertility Association Simpukka is an expert organisation offering information and support to people in Finland with lived experience of involuntary childlessness. We are here for you.
You may have been trying to get pregnant without success or the pregnancy did not carry to term. You may already have a child or children but are hoping to have to have more. You may have considered or gone through infertility tests and treatments alone or with a partner.
Perhaps the desire for a child has remained in the background due to your circumstances in life. For example you may be single, your partner’s ideas for the future may not align with yours, or pregnancy is not possible due to medical or financial reasons.
If you have queries regarding our work, you are looking for peer support, or you require help with navigating the Finnish healthcare system, you can contact our staff. If you are unsure who to contact, you can email us at simpukka@simpukkary.fi.
One in five face infertility
In Finland, estimated one fifth of the population of childbearing age faces infertility at some point. The cause may be fertility problems or other physiological reasons. Sometimes the cause of infertility remains unknown. Infertility resulting from circumstances in life can be for example a couple not sharing the same desire for children or experiencing financial challenges.
Infertility can often be treated by medical means. Tests are recommended if pregnancy has not started within a year or if the pregnancy repeatedly ends in miscarriage . Different tests are aimed to investigate the possible causes of infertility. It is also quite common for the causes of infertility to remain unexplained. Single women and couples can seek fertility treatment in Finland through public and private clinics.
For many, an unfulfilled desire for a child is one of the greatest crises of adulthood. Sometimes the crisis and its management is influenced by the attitudes, hopes and even the demands of the environment. Any form of infertility is always an individual experience, arising from an unfulfilled desire for a child.
In addition to medical help, it is recommended to seek professional psychosocial support and peer support from other involuntarily childless people. Simpukka’s peer support and research-based knowledge will help you move forward. Don’t be alone with your thoughts.
Peer support is empowering
”It is a great relief to talk to people who understand what I am going through. It is of great importance for my own well-being.”
Involuntarily childless people need the understanding, acceptance and presence of their loved ones and other close people in their everyday life. An unfulfilled desire for a child is associated with conflicting emotions, thoughts and experiences. Oscillating between hope and despair and uncertainty puts its own stamp on the crisis.
All emotions are allowed. When dealing with emotions, special help is provided by others who have gone through or experienced similar situations. Talking to people in the same situation often offers a better experience of being heard and understood than talking to loved ones. Peer support provides new strength and a safe and understanding space to deal with thoughts such as those caused by jealousy.
The social and peer support of other infertile people is a great help in a challenging life situation. An involuntarily childless person is not alone. The same feelings, thoughts and experiences are shared by many who experience infertility. Shared experiences provide resources for coping.
There is a place for everyone
The causes of infertility are many. Different stages require answers to different questions and support for the challenges of their situation. Childlessness has different reasons and brings different challenges, but the experience of grief is the same.
Peer support offers comfort in the different stages of infertility. Simpukka ry offers high-quality face-to-face peer support in different locations and online. The website forum, peer support activities and chats, Facebook groups and live and video meetings of peer support groups make the support accessible.
Read more about Simpukka’s peer support (page in Finnish only).
Experiences of peer support
Examples of feedback received on Simpukka’s peer support.
”I didn’t expect to get such good and functional support!”
”I feel that I am not alone and get support for my anxiety and stress.”
”The meeting eased the anxiety for both of us, provided a sense of belonging and helped us to sort out our thoughts. We have not been able to talk as openly about the experience of infertility with anyone else.”
Information and support from Simpukka
An unfulfilled desire for a child can cause a person who wants a child to close up in their shell like a clam. With time and support, the clam can be opened and a pearl found inside. A pearl can mean, for example, new plans or finding a direction in life.
Simpukka is a nationwide association of experts and a community for involuntarily childless people. The organisation provides up-to-date information on the phenomenon and experience of infertility, offers peer support and promotes the well-being of infertile people.
Simpukka looks after the interests of infertile people and influences decisions related to infertility. Its activities also include people who have had children and people living alone or as couples whose lives are still affected by infertility.
The association organises a wide range of activities open to everyone: events, gatherings and peer support. The organisation publishes Simpukka magazine, an expert on infertility.
Simpukka’s Helminauha produces information and support for families who want a child or have had a child with the help of a donor. Helminauha’s website provides extensive information on the topic of gametes and available support. Familiarise yourself with the activities of Helminauha.
Join the organisation!
By becoming a member or supporting member of Simpukka, you support the work done to raise awareness of infertility and improve the position and well-being of childless people. As a member, you are involved in influencing Simpukka’s activities and the social status of the childless.
As a member, you will receive the high-quality and versatile Simpukka magazine four times a year.
Information on membership prices is available on the website. You can register as a member on the Simpukka website.
Welcome to Simpukka! You are not alone.
Guides on infertility
Download or order our guides. We have some guides in English and in Swedish. We also have several translated versions of ”Wish for a child”, for example Spanish and Chinese.
Other Infertility Associations
See here the list of infertility associations in other European countries.