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Combating Stress & Anxiety During Infertility Treatment

Infertility treatment blue folder with stethoscope.

The psychological impact of the physical and emotional aspects of undergoing infertility treatment can be huge. One study found that women undergoing fertility treatment are just as anxious or depressed as women diagnosed with cancer. Another study showed that when a woman fails to conceive in a month that she was trying, she experiences the same degree of grief as when a person’s parents or siblings die. It is difficult to experience this when it happens a few times in a lifetime. When it happens month after month, it can be devastating.

Women and men may feel that their destiny is out of their control, resulting in depression, anxiety, frustration and anger.

Unfortunately, these feelings can make undergoing treatment more emotionally challenging. And those emotions themselves can even negatively affect the outcome of the treatment. Studies in parts of the world where infertility treatment is covered by the State Health System show that a significant number of people drop out of treatment before they have completed reasonable amounts of treatment due to stress alone.

Stress can be a big complication when you are having trouble getting pregnant because of the many negative effects that stress can have on the body. As you seek infertility treatment, anxiety may worsen if your first attempts at treatment are not successful. Our psychological counselors can certainly help, but you can also do things to reduce your stress.

To break the cycle of stress surrounding infertility, you might incorporate these essential steps into your routine so that anxiety is kept to a minimum

Find quiet time with your partner

Couples often find that they have more tension and difficulty getting intimate during infertility treatment because there is so much pressure on both partners to conceive. It is important to take a step back from the topic of fertility during these tense situations and put your minds on lighter subjects so that you can have quiet, meaningful moments together. You should speak to each other about your concerns with treatment, but remember that you have a full life outside of your reproductive health to keep up with.

Reduce your daily obligations

It is not likely that you will be able to take your mind completely off of the subject of infertility, so you might need to let up on other obligations in your life. For example, now may not be the time to take on a big project at work or host holiday events. These external sources of stress will only make fertility care harder on you, so try to delegate chores and big obligations where you can.

Do good things for yourself between fertility treatments

Many prospective parents undergoing fertility treatments find that activities like massage, yoga or acupuncture are beneficial for easing stress and anxiety between IVF cycles. In fact, these holistic therapies might better prepare the body for pregnancy by improving circulation and minimizing any damage that external stress can cause.

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