Welcome!  

My name is Regina Townsend and I am the founder and voice behind The Broken Brown Egg.  

My husband Jahbari and I spent nearly a decade on our fertility journey.  We’ve fought with hypothyroidism, PCOS, blocked Fallopian tubes, Type 2 diabetes, and some male-factor issues as well.  Along the way, we’ve tried to hold on to our sense of humor, our passion for family, and our beliefs. We’re proud godparents, have amazing nieces and nephews, and even took a slight detour into parenting purgatory (aka Foster Care/Kinship Placement) 

In 2015, we were blessed with the opportunity to try IVF, and had our son Judah in 2016. 

My Why:

As a young Black woman, while I’d heard about infertility, stories of black women and couples seemed nonexistent or rare.  As I started to learn more and more about how common infertility actually was, and the fact that it actually affected 1 in 8 couples in the US, I became even more passionate about spreading the word that not only did this disease affect black women, but that we deserved to be heard about it.   

Black women experience infertility at almost 2x the rate of our counterparts and yet we are least likely to seek treatment.  In addition, many conditions that impact directly impact fertility, such as fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS, and others disproportionately affect black women as well. The harmful stereotypical belief that black women are somehow more fertile, or that we don’t participate in foster care, adoption, or fertility treatments is yet another factor.  

Newsflash: We aren’t, and we do. 

I believe we can combat these things by increasing representation, information, education, and discussion.  Infertility is lonely enough without feeling like a minority inside of a minority. 

I’m a Librarian by profession and writer by passion, and I consider writing and reading to be one of the most personal forms of communication, entertainment and education. This site has become how I’ve been able to take some of my power back, while also empowering others.  

In 2021 I published my first book, Make IF Make Sense, a memoir and guided journal that will help infertility patients and their friends and family better understand the nuanced feelings that accompany a fertility journey.  

The site reaches an audience of over 11k+ through my social media presence and an intimate audience of 650+ through the BBE ShellShocked online support group.  Visitors are primarily women between the ages of 25-44, and infertility advocates and agencies seeking to connect with the African American community.

Please visit ReginaTownsend.com to discuss ways we can work together for the infertility community at large or if you would like to discuss specialty items geared towards my unique niche audience.

 

Thanks for visiting, and good energy on your journey