Struggling with infertility can be harmful to your relationships, your well-being, and your day to day life. Seeking out a therapist can be helpful, whether it has been recommended by your reproductive endocrinologist, or perhaps to consider your options for building a family and how different choices may affect your romantic relationship. Are you wondering whether you need fertility counseling? If any of these scenarios pertain to you, it may be time to consider counseling:
Infertility is Hurting Your Relationship
When going through fertility treatments, it can put a relationship under tremendous stress. This stress can either bring a couple closer together or pull them apart. It can also have a detrimental effect on your stress life. Considering the fact that many people handle stress differently, misunderstandings can add even more strain to the relationship. One person may feel as if they do not have the support of their partner. However, your partner is going through this hard time as well, and they are probably one of the people closest to understanding how you feel. Counseling can help couples better understand and support one another.
Considering A Childfree Life
Perhaps you have gone through years of treatment, or maybe the available options just aren’t right for you. Realizing that you may not be able to have kids during your lifetime is difficult to handle, but counseling can help. Making the decision to be childfree is very different from considering to adopt later on, or deciding to try treatments again in the future. These options do not allow for closure as the possibility of having children still exists. If you have come to the decision to live a childfree life, visiting a counselor can help you process the difficult emotions you may be feeling.
Infertility is Taking Over
If infertility has taken over, meaning that your sadness, depression, or anxiety is affecting you deeply in many areas of your life, it is advised to seek professional help. Visiting an infertility counselor can help you learn coping skills and strategies.
Uncertainty
If you are unsure of what to do when it comes to your challenges with fertility, an infertility counselor can help you make informed choices and sort through your options. They will also help you consider what treatment may involve, like financial and emotional stress.
Need More Support
Perhaps none of these scenarios pertain to you; maybe you just need some extra support. You do not need a specific reason for visiting a counselor, and you certainly don’t have to wait until your feelings begin to overwhelm you. Having the strength and courage to know when you need help is very important.
NCCRM
The North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine/Talbert Fertility Institute is the premiere center for reproductive health in North Carolina and the East Coast. Our team specializes in fertility testing, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility conditions. We’re experts in IVF, Tubal Ligation Reversal, Male Infertility, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Gestation Surrogacy, Family Balancing, and more. Contact us today.
