Are you one of the 1 in 8 couples experiencing difficulty in conceiving a child?
- Is it creating stress in your relationship, finances or self-worth?
- Has intimacy become a lot of work?
- Feeling like less of a man or woman?
- Are you tired of dealing with people asking you when you are going to have kids?
- Are you at a loss for how to help or deal with your partner through this process?
If so, you are not alone. Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that affects 1 in 8 couples. The good news is that a majority of these couple are able to be helped by medical interventions and have a child. For some people the road to pregnancy is relatively short, yet for many others it can be longer with a few twists and turns.
I teach strategies for dealing with your and your partner’s emotions, managing your stress and assist you in making informed decisions regarding the choices that are best for you and your partner as you navigate through the world of infertility.
For a couple who really want to be parents, the inability to conceive a child is one of the most challenging and emotional events that two people can experience. It seems like the disappointments never stop, from each comment about “when are you going to have kids?,” to each menstrual cycle, to each unsuccessful medical intervention, to each baby shower or birth announcement you receive. The pain and stress feel relentless.
Men and women experience infertility both similarly and yet in different ways. From my own experience with infertility I have a passion for helping men through this struggle (but don’t worry ladies I am more than happy and equipped to help you as well.) As such, I have spoken with countless men who have experienced infertility (be it their issue, their partner’s or a combination of both). Some of the things that I hear men say are:
- That they tell themselves that it is more of an emotional issue for their partner because she is a woman and the maternal need is stronger, while in reality they are really hurting inside as well;
- They feel alone and isolated because they don’t feel comfortable talking to their friends about it;
- They really do want to be there for their partner but don’t know how;
- In cases where the infertility is a male factor issue, they feel broken or less like a man; and
- Finally, they struggle with how to deal with all the hormones – hers.
Having been there myself, I get it; and I can tell you there are reasons to be hopeful.
Infertility Hope Counseling™ is a process through which I help my clients to better deal with the stress and hurts they experience along the road to fertility.
- I will help you sort through your stress and emotions regarding your struggle and will provide strategies to cope with them.
- I will provide you strategies for living with infertility while you’re on this journey, which will lessen the painful sting that many life events can cause as you travel along your path.
- Men, I will provide you with strategies for being able to be the supportive partner that you want to be for your partner, all while helping you to understand and deal with the hormones that may be wreaking havoc on her.
- Should you require and decide to pursue more involved medical treatments, I will educate you on the processes and assist you in sorting through your options, in an effort to help you make an informed decision that is best for the two of you. (Some fertility doctors are better at this than others, as most tend to focus more on the clinical and not the emotional/life pieces of such decisions.)
- Should you reach a point of needing/wanting to consider alternative methods of creating a family – when you are ready to do so – I will educate you on your options, sort through the emotions that come along with these types of decisions, guide you through thinking of the different variables (many of which are not self-evident and may come up in the future) of each option, as not all options are for every couple.
The most rewarding part of my job (and there are many rewards) is when my infertility clients are finally able to have the family they hoped for, and they tell me thank you – for helping them feel more hopeful and less overwhelmed, for helping them get through it all and for being a part of starting their family. I know that I can do the same for you too! Contact me today.