Holidays, with their focus on family and children, can be emotionally challenging for individuals and couples experiencing fertility problems.  But Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are often especially difficult.  As celebrations of parenthood, they can be painful reminders of the child you yearn for.  For some, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may also mark the passing of time – another year that’s gone by without being able to create a family.  The sense of isolation can often feel acute.  But a little preemptive planning can improve your ability to cope and make it through the day more easily.   Check-in With Yourself Think about how you’re emotionally handling your fertility journey right now and realize that this may be different [...]

Wishing for something or someone absent from your life is always a feeling that’s hard to accept. As the holidays approach, the longing may become more intense making it an especially difficult time for individuals and couples who yearn for a baby and struggle with infertility. The holidays -- leading to the New Year -- are seen as a marker of time, a measure of what we’ve achieved over the past year, and a time to reassess goals and dreams both internal and external. The everyday sadness over no baby is bad enough without the forced merriment of the holidays. Anticipating this time can become overwhelming both emotionally and physically and even more so if you are already worn out [...]

I already talk about my fertility struggles too much and that doesn’t seem to help.  While we can believe that we are repeatedly sharing the story of our struggles, such as what treatment we are doing, what shots we are taking, and/or the results of the latest labs/test results, we often still aren’t as candid with our true thoughts and feelings with other people.  Therefore while it feels like we are sharing A LOT of facts- we aren’t actually processing the feelings (such as sadness, anger, and/or fear) that we may have about the process or outcomes of fertility treatment.  Counseling can be a safe and neutral place to do discuss feelings and thoughts.   If I start really talking [...]