Emotions and Infertility

Emotions and Infertility

Infertility often produces one of the most difficult life decisions for couples. The struggles with trying to conceive can cause many hidden emotions to surface. Also, many couples often find themselves dealing with these emotions and feel like they do not have anyone to reach out to. Being able to identify and address these different emotions is proven to help you get through infertility and the battle that comes with it.

• Depression: Depression is usually experienced after unsuccessful attempts at pregnancy or unsuccessful treatments. It is encouraged to reveal your feelings with your partner and your doctor in order to prevent severe emotions that will harm you and your relationships. A support group may be a helpful source to cope with depression, especially groups in your area or in online IVF communities. Sharing your emotions with others who are also going through infertility helps you as well as those in the support communities that they are not alone.
• Self-esteem: The first thing each partner should address is self-esteem, considering that self-esteem is a byproduct of infertility. Before infertility is identified or a problem is addressed, you may face feelings of disappointment and brokenness in yourself and your body. After a few months of treatments and pregnancy going unsuccessful, you may not be as optimistic as you used to be. It is essential for each individual involved to understand there are treatable solutions through the assistance of your doctor. Medical technology is advancing every day, and doctors have several treatments available to assist both men and women starting the family of their dreams.
• Stress: Stress is extremely common not only in women, but also in men. They are stressed with their career, family and friends, so to add on the fear of not building a family and having children only puts on more stress and pressure. Having stress can affect your ovulation by changing signals to the hypothalamus(the center of the brain that controls some of the hormones prompting ovaries to release eggs each month). It is encouraged by many doctors that lowering stress and promoting healthy lifestyle choice helps increase the chances of fertility. Learning mind-body practices, such as meditation and yoga can teach you tactics on coping with infertility. There are studies that report couples feeling happy and calm compared to a demanding and stressful month actually increased their likelihoods of conceiving and having a successful pregnancy.

If you believe you are having difficulty trying to start a family and you are also experiencing these emotions that are explained above, make sure you contact your doctor. Physicians have excellent experience with couples from all over the country who have gone through similar situations and are willing to do all they can to support you to start a family.