What is Infertility?

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Infertility can be defined in a number of ways.  It is most commonly understood as the attempt to conceive a child for over a year without having a successful pregnancy.  These attempts can be made either individually or with a partner.  Infertility doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get pregnant, but that your likelihood of getting pregnant may be less than your peers.

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Infertility is generally a very difficult and painful experience that affects approximately 10% of women in the United States ages 15-44.  Grief experienced by people struggling with infertility can be as strong as that felt by people grieving the loss of a living child.  The stress caused by infertility can be as strong as that experienced by people with life threatening health conditions such as cancer.

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Fertility Counseling Can Help People Dealing with Infertility

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Coping with Infertility

 

Infertility can impact us in a number of ways.  We can feel the weight emotionally and physically, and it can begin to affect various areas of our lives.  Some of the things people dealing with infertility might experience include but are not limited to:

• depression,

• anxiety, and

• grief

People might also experience feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and a sense of loss of control.

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Infertility Can Cause Difficulties in Other Areas of Our Lives

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For example, people might start to experience problems in their relationships, financial stress, changes in sex drive and also notice a loss of interest in activities that they used to enjoy.

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How Fertility Counseling Can Help People Who Are Dealing with Infertility 

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Treatment can be really helpful for individuals and couples struggling with infertility. Talk therapy can teach effective skills for coping with infertility. For some, medication management or a combination of both medication and talk therapy may help. Although medication may be helpful in managing physical symptoms, fertility counseling can provide:

• support and useful information,

• help managing difficult emotions,

• an increase in positive coping skills and,

• improve decision making skills. 

The primary methods of fertility counseling I might utilize in my practice include:

 

• Person Centered Therapy - which allows a person to feel heard, understood and validated in an emotionally safe space without judgment,

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -  which can help you identify and try to change unhealthy or irrational thought patterns, and

• Interpersonal Therapy - which can be helpful in improving your relationships.