Medicine and science offer many advances to help couples enter parenthood.
Physicians called reproductive endocrinologists (RE) specialize in helping individuals and couples achieve pregnancy.
Infertility is a health crisis
Despite its prevalence, women, men and couples often experience the emotional issues of infertility alone.
For example, shame and isolation make individuals reluctant to talk about their experiences trying to conceive. And most often women and men experience, react and communicate the pain differently.
It is common for friendships to suffer and diminish as one friend becomes pregnant and the other waits or goes through round after round of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Infertility has been compared to other serious health crises and research has shown that women with infertility have the same levels of anxiety and depression as do women with cancer or heart disease.
If you are suffering from similar symptoms, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
Infertility causes stress
There can be an added stress on a couple’s relationship as couples experience problems with communication, intimacy and sex.
Many people feel consumed with the overwhelming hopes and dreams for pregnancy and birth.
The needs of each person in the couple often get overlooked as one or both partners rush to manage doctor appointments and procedures, manage financial obligations and cope with how to relate to family and friends, all while holding down a job and tending to daily life. It is important that each individual in a relationship take the time to meet his or her needs. Counseling can help.
There is hope
Dr. Domar’s research on mind body programs and support has shown that mind/body support groups for infertility promote fertility treatment success. In our next blog post, we will describe the relief counseling can bring to couples experiencing infertility, and how you can feel better too.
Get help for infertility
Are you suffering from infertility? We can help you cope. Call now to learn more, or just fill out the contact form and click Send.
