6 Ways To Deal With The Stresses of Infertility

Marriage is a stage in one’s life that promises a lot of wonderful things. It has the promise of love, forever, security, family, and children. Every couple is different, with a diverse set of values, goals and challenged by different problems. One problem that may arise is infertility. Contrary to what people believe, infertility is a common problem.

Infertility issues affect around one in every 10 couples in the United States. For the female population, around 11 percent of them or 6.1 million in the country experience difficulty in conceiving or carrying a baby. While about nine percent of all men in the country have infertility issues like low sperm count, or abnormal sperm delivery and function. This type of family problem can greatly affect anyone’s relationship.

The possibility of not having your own child can put a toll on someone’s emotional, mental and physical health. It can be very stressful. Anyone affected by it may feel insecure, lose their confidence and see themselves as damaged.

Infertility is not the end on the goal of having your own child, rather you need to see it as a simple bump, a hurdle that can be overcome. Medical advances for the reproductive system have come a long way. There are many options to choose from, but before anything else, you need to deal with how you handle the stress of this situation

Accept Your Emotions

If you have watched “Inside Out” by Disney, you will know there is a reason why sadness is an integral emotion. It is a signal to everyone that we need attention and care. So whatever your emotions are you need to accept it, understand it and feel it. The reason being is that so you can process them thoroughly. Remember that these emotions are natural and they are there for a reason. Once you’ve acknowledged them, you’ll know how to handle and deal with them.

You will be able to understand your actions and will be able to properly address yourself and your concerns. It also helps if you can do some meditation and yoga to keep yourself grounded, calm and collected. It makes you more stable, which is important during these type of moments.

Look For Support

No matter your situation, you’re never alone. Ever. You need to gather some sort of a support system. It could be from your spouse, your family or close friends. The first thing to do to have your support group is to be open with them and let them know what you are going through. This way they will know how to handle your situation and how to interact with you.

For example, in your workplace, it is ok to let them know about your situation so that they are informed that you are juggling your schedule between work, home and fertility clinics.

Communicate With Your Spouse

Someone being infertile, whether it’s the wife or the husband can lead to some marital problems if not handled properly. In order to prevent this unnecessary stressor, you need to keep an open, deep and honest communication with your partner. Talk to them in the most open and loving way. This is when “for better or for worse” comes into play. You need to establish that you understand each other’s situation and emotional state. Having regular talks and checking up on one another is a helpful way to deal with this marital challenge.

Move On

You’ve learned that you are infertile or your partner has a reproductive problem, so the next step should be to move on and look for solutions. Now that you have identified the problem, it is time to look for answers and find solutions. There are many medical procedures that can help you with infertility, may it be on the women or men’s side.

Be Informed

Keep yourself informed about the steps you are about to make. Make sure you have done research before doing anything and seek professional advice and help. Make sure to visit a fertility clinic to know your most viable option. The available medical technology we have today that can address your infertility concerns have a well-known success rate. Whatever medical options present itself to you and your spouse, you need to have consensus on your decision and is backed up by professional opinion. Widely available fertility treatments are:

• Fertility drugs
• Surgery
• Intrauterine insemination
• IVF
• ICS
• GIFT
• ZIFT

IVF or in vitro fertilization is the most commonly sought after procedure. For more serious cases, you need to consider GIFT or ZIFT. These procedures may need you to look for a sperm or egg donor. Sperm and egg donors need to be strictly inspected and examined. Egg donors are chosen by the couple and are screened for diseases or possible genetic disorders.

Be Patient

Infertility procedures take time, from medical examination, screening, extraction, execution, up until the moment of truth, the fruition. It does not promise instant gratification of having a baby. You need to practice and apply your patience as it requires you to wait and then wait until there is a successful pregnancy and birth.