Dealing with infertility is an under-explored form of grief. You wish to have a child, but for one reason or another, it hasn’t happened yet. It’s as if you miss someone you’ve never met. Navigating such a journey requires support, but even loved ones may not understand this reality. They may feel awkward focusing on the topic or simply underestimate the potential toll it can have on a person.
Walking the path to parenthood involves much more than the physical act of conception. The underlying emotions require attention and validation. Having real conversations about infertility and raising awareness about its emotional impact are vital and long overdue.
How Common Is Infertility?
The fertility journey can be a source of loneliness as it’s common to keep these struggles private. However, this can give the false impression that these experiences are rare and alarming.
Looking at how common infertility actually is, at least 1 in 8 couples have trouble conceiving. But here is what might be the most important number of all: 9 out of 10 infertility cases are treatable. Even so, very few folks are willing to talk openly about infertility.
3 Big Reasons for the Silence:
- If one of the partners is deemed to be the cause, they may feel severe guilt about letting everyone down.
- To be unable to conceive can feel like a form of “failure.”
- Most people take for granted the act of becoming pregnant. When things are not that simple, it becomes a major source of anxiety.
In addition, fertility-related delays and struggles typically put extreme pressure on a relationship. For example:
- Blame and resentment may get passed back and forth
- Your sex life may dramatically slow down
- Partners may not agree on what their next steps should be
- They expect to be in agreement, and this can set up unrealistic expectations
All of the above information can serve as valuable evidence that a fertility workshop might be helpful for the emotions you’re experiencing.
How Fertility Workshops Can Help You Find Emotional Support on Your Journey
There are many different types of fertility workshops, but all of them have some important elements in common. First, a gathering of this type must serve as a safe space in which conversations can be introduced without judgment or shame. Committing to regular attendance at a fertility workshop can bring about outcomes like:
- Enhancing communication with your partner
- Allowing yourself to feel what you need to feel
- Learning how to regulate your emotions in a healthy way
- Validating each other’s feelings
- Maintaining intimacy with your partner
- Creating a support system
- Committing to daily self-care via steps like exercises, regular sleep patterns, healthy eating choices, a gratitude journal, and more
- Resisting the counterproductive urge to compare your journey with that of others
Perhaps most importantly, your workshop leaders and fellow attendees will help to dispel myths and misinformation that may be discouraging you or holding you back from healthy responses and choices.
Remember, You Are Not Alone
Infertility is a subject often brimming with silence, stigma, and falsehoods. You may be surprised how things can change for you emotionally when you make the move to connect with others.
In a group fertility workshop, for example, you can offer solace, receive it, share ideas, get fresh ones, learn coping mechanisms, and develop new levels of hope surrounded by others under the watchful eye of a skilled professional. A subject that is so emotionally heavy and daunting can develop into something more manageable when brought out into the light.
If you or someone you know is on this journey, I invite you to reach out and learn more.
