Cope with the stress of fertility treatment
A fertility treatment is a lengthy process with ups and downs. We give you some coping strategies for this difficult time to help you get through the bouts of hope and disappointment during fertility treatment.
What stresses during fertility treatment?
Couples who want to have children have already gone through a long period of suffering when they decide to undergo fertility treatment. The long wait for a pregnancy, the many attempts to have a child naturally and the diagnosis of infertility mean an enormous psychological burden for a couple .
After these previous stresses, fertility treatment means further physical and psychological stress for both partners. However, it also depends on the type of treatment: The physical strain on the woman and the time required for the treatment are limited with insemination and are greatest with in-vitro fertilization . The psychological effects are closely related to the number of attempts. With increasing disappointments, and especially with one or more miscarriages, overwhelm, exhaustion, and feelings of guilt and failure increase.
Dealing with fertility treatment
Most fertility clinics and treatment centers offer psychological counseling, support, or relaxation classes. It is advisable to take advantage of these offers and to exchange ideas with fellow sufferers. We have compiled a list of individual coping strategies for you:
- Accept your fears and try not to suppress them. Negative feelings do not affect the chances of success of the treatment.
- Realize that every cycle is an attempt that can go wrong.
- You can never go wrong with infertility treatment!
- Any fertility treatment is a temporary emotional state of emergency.
- If the fear grows that it will never work, talk to optimistic friends and remember your positive assessments at the beginning of treatment.
- If negative thoughts threaten to overwhelm you, do something pleasant, like a spa day, and develop daily rituals for short-term distraction, like going for a short walk.
- Also deal with what you can do if the wish remains unfulfilled: Which dreams do you still want to achieve? How do you imagine your partnership without children? How about adoption or a foster child?
- It is important for your partnership: Exchange ideas and listen to each other!
- Create special areas in your relationship where the topic of having children is taboo: a nice evening for two, a new hobby together, or a long vacation.
- Make sure that the unfulfilled desire to have children does not negatively affect your sexuality.