Les deux semaines d’attente fatidiques après un traitement de fertilité – appelées 2WW, pour 2 week-wait dans les forums de discussion anglophones – sont décrites comme étant l’une des étapes les plus stressantes, sinon la plus stressante, du processus,
Why is this happening to me
Why is it so difficult for us to conceive
What did I do to deserve this
Since 2007, I have been privileged to write the Mind Matters column for this excellent journal Creating Families. In this issue, I write my final Mind Matters article.
Throughout history, female sexuality has either been celebrated or suppressed. Celebration of female sexuality was evident with the fertility goddesses of ancient civilizations, the Kama Sutra, and, for those of us who remember, the glorious sexual revolution of the nineteen sixties! In turn, suppression has occurred by forced modesty and chastity. ...
Just recently I was listening to a presentation by an American reproductive endocrinologist who stated that his clinic had the reputation of being the ‘go to’ place for women wanting to try IVF, who, because of advanced age or elevated FSH levels, had an extremely low probability of success. Although he acknowledged that, given the location of his clinic, finances were usually not a concern for patrons, he also stated that he believed it was therapeutic for such couples to at least attempt conception, as a necessary precursor to beginning the grieving process of not being able to have their wished for genetic child. ...
A couple remarrying is hopeful that everyone in the family will grow to love one another, but they are often surprised by the storms that arise. Also, when they try to conceive more children, they may become overwhelmed by the added stress of infertility. Given that 40% of Canadians divorce and that one in six Canadian couples are experiencing fertility challenges, there is no doubt that step couples are sitting in the waiting rooms of fertility clinics. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I am often asked by step couples going through infertility: how do I deal with all of this? ...
They have told me that they feel alone. Some worry that others will notice in the locker rooms at the gym that they are different. Others say that while they are still husbands or partners, they are no longer “mates” to their partners and they worry about being left for someone who is capable of filling the role. For some infertile men, their work, relationships and health suffer during fertility treatment and its tug-of-war between failure and success. Often isolated by the fact that most treatment is geared towards the female, the male partner moves through the fertility process like a ghost. ...
When you’re experiencing infertility, you feel a number of painful emotions. For many people, one of the most challenging aspects is other people’s negative attitudes, and one of the most painful emotional responses is shame. These two factors may be felt together or separately, but they are always difficult to deal with.
Women who experience infertility are more likely to suffer from heightened depression and anxiety symptoms than women in general. The longer the infertility and the greater the associated distress, the more likely a patient will suffer depressive symptoms, which can in turn diminish fertility and interfere with treatment success...
When you want a baby but have yet to achieve a successful pregnancy, you are experiencing primary infertility. If you already have one or more children and are having difficulty conceiving again, you are going through the difficult experience of secondary infertility...
by Sherry Dale, MSW, RSW You may have been trying to get pregnant for years. Perhaps you’ve gone through endless fertility tests and treatment. When you finally get a positive pregnancy test, it should feel like victoriously crossing the finish line to the roar of a crowd… right? [...]
by Janet Takefman, PhD
When I think of the mind-body interaction, I immediately think of the impact depression has on fertility and pregnancy as a classic example of this duality. We all know depression is a common outcome of infertility. The crisis of infertility is characterized by four factors that make it a prime circumstance for the development of depression: it is unpredictable and unexpected, it is beyond one’s ability to reverse once it has occurred, it is chronic and unremitting, and it has life-altering ramifications...
by Theresa Barry Longley, RN, MSN
It’s a popular stereotype that men hate going to the doctor. Social scientists like Don Sabo and Will Courtenay have found in their research that men are less willing to seek help during illnesses, never mind when they’re well. But research has also shown that men die sooner than women regardless of the age, have a higher risk of infectious diseases, heart disease, cancers, more severe chronic illnesses, and more serious psychiatric illnesses...
This webcast was originally recorded on May 16th, 2010 as part of the fourth annual Canadian Infertility Awareness Week. McGill's Dr. Janet Takefman, and IAAC's director Beverly Hanck outline important strategies and available resources that will help you when facing infertility's emotional roller-coaster.