'Desperate Housewives' Actress Brenda Strong to Serve as National Spokesperson for The American Fertility Association

'Desperate Housewives' Actress Brenda Strong to Serve as National Spokesperson for The American Fertility Association

NEW YORK, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Fertility Association (AFA) announced that actress Brenda Strong will serve as the first national spokesperson for the fertility patient advocacy organization. Ms. Strong -- known to many as Mary-Alice Young, the narrator and dearly-departed Wisteria Lane neighbor on ABC's hit "Desperate Housewives" -- wrestled with infertility and turned to the practice of yoga to manage and alleviate the associated stress brought on by the diagnosis. She will use her spokesperson platform to educate infertile women and men on how they can re-connect with their bodies, reduce stress, and increase self esteem through exercise and complementary medicine.

"Brenda's holistic approach to fertility teaches us to treat the whole individual -- mind, body, and spirit. We have to balance the elements we can control with those that we cannot. That's an important message that too often gets relegated to the sidelines," said Pamela Madsen, Founder and Executive Director of The American Fertility Association.

"It's difficult to love your body when you feel like it's failing you. Yoga reduced my stress and bodily tension. It allowed me to bring my body back into balance, to emerge from my fertility struggle with my sense of self esteem and self worth intact, and to forge a stronger bond with my husband," said Ms. Strong.

This fall, Ms. Strong will begin a high-visibility media campaign to support The AFA and women and men on the journey toward wholeness and acceptance in their reproductive capabilities. To kickoff her role as national spokesperson, she will serve as Master of Ceremony at the American Fertility Association's Kokopelli Ball at the Chelsea Piers on Monday, November 7, 2005.

"Too often fertility treatment addresses only a failing body part or an inadequate hormone level. But reproductive difficulties are much more than a bad ovary or low sperm count," added Madsen. "Brenda brings a fresh, new perspective and reminds us that there is a soul and an emotional component to reproductive challenges that we should not forget."

Ms. Strong has taught at UCLA's Mind-Body Institute and produced and starred in "Yoga 4 Fertility," a video series designed to help infertile couples through yoga therapy (www.yoga4fertility.com). She and her husband designed a system of yoga postures for women and couples experiencing infertility which reduce stress, increase coping mechanisms, deepen awareness, increase relaxation capability, and improve circulation and muscle tone. The yoga practice enhances and supports any protocol treatment suggested by a fertility doctor.

She is a familiar face on the small and big screen. In addition to "Desperate Housewives," Strong is also recognizable to television audiences as Sue Ellen Mishkie (a.k.a. "The Braless Wonder") on the award-winning series "Seinfeld." She has also has recurring roles on such acclaimed series as "Nip/Tuck," "Everwood," "Sports Night," "7th Heaven" and "Party of Five."

Brenda Strong is available for interview. Please contact Frank Fusco at 212-714-3537 or frank@depcr.com.

THE AMERICAN FERTILITY ASSOCIATION (AFA) is a national organization dedicated to educating, supporting and advocating for all men and women concerned with reproductive health, fertility preservation, infertility and all forms of family building. Visit www.TheAFA.org or call 888-917-3777 for more information and support.

Contact: Frank Fusco David Eng Communications (212) 714-3537 frank@decpr.com

Source: The American Fertility Association

CONTACT: Frank Fusco, David Eng Communications, +1-212-714-3537, frank@decpr.com, for The American Fertility Association

Web site: http://www.theafa.org/ http://www.yoga4fertility.com/

------- Profile: Ent