Infertility. The dreaded word you hear from your OBGYN or Urologist after trying to conceive the old fashion way. It appears to be more and more prevalent these days. I remember growing up and being taught in 6th grade health class that a guy could basically sneeze on you and you would become pregnant. Fast forward 20 years and all of a sudden you are faced with this diagnosis. With it comes confusion, doubt, a feeling of helplessness, and bills. A LOT of bills. Add onto that the stigma that still exists around infertility and you are left feeling alone and isolated.
Going through infertility testing, and treatment is difficult. You need a strong support system for your emotional well being. You need to hold onto hope; no matter how often you are told that there is a new road block in your life. And you need love. So much love. Love from your partner, from your friends, and from your family. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to make a child in the infertility world.
The other major thing you need is patience. The testing alone can take months followed by rounds of hormone treatments, egg retrievals, and In-Vitro fertilization attempts. Patience is such a hard skill to have these days. We are used to instant feedback due to modern technology. I want to know the weather; I just check my smart phone and know it within seconds. But with infertility, patience will be one of your strongest challenges and assets.
No matter where you are on your journey to having a child. Whether you have one the old fashion way, whether you're under going fertility testing / treatments, or whether you have moved on to adoption, I am here for you. I can give you support, be your sounding board, and help you maintain the patience that you need.
Written by Linda Meier Abdelsayed, LMFT
Originally published on 09/12/2017
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