What is The Psychological Impact of Infertility?
Infertility often evokes a powerful and unwelcome mix of emotions -sadness, grief, frustration, anger, inadequacy, shame, and hope. The months, and often years, spent in fertility limbo can deplete your emotional resources, and make it difficult to navigate the emotions of yet another cycle or baby show or milestone. In this blog, we'll delve into the psychological impact of infertility, can infertility cause anxiety, mental health concerns that may be exacerbated with infertility, the psychosocial and relational impact of infertility, and strategies for mental coping, such as finding support with anxiety therapy, as you navigate the fertility journey.
What are the Mental Disorders Associated With Infertility?
As with other stressors in life, experiencing infertility can contribute to mental health struggles such as anxiety and depression. So, “How stressful is infertility?”. Some individuals may have experience managing their mental health, and recognize that infertility may be exacerbating a pre-existing mental health condition. Others may experience mental health symptoms for the first time, which can make it harder to recognize that your experience has risen to a clinical level and isn’t just part of the experience of infertility or a personal failure to cope.
Some of the most common mental health diagnoses that we see with infertility are Generalized Anxiety, Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Adjustment Disorder (possibly with anxiety, depression, or both). In particular, the experience of infertility and infertility treatments can feel perfectly designed to trigger anxiety. There is the constant watching and waiting, the cycles of hope and disappointment, the need to quickly familiarize yourself with unfamiliar medical terms, protocols, and options, and to sort through sometimes conflicting information. While your doctor has a wealth of knowledge, it can be difficult to get providers on the phone or in person for an in-depth conversation, and many clients find themselves feeling the pressure to research on their own.
If you find it difficult to control or turn off the worry, the worries spill into multiple areas of life, you are having trouble sleeping or concentrating, feel tense, irritable, or tired, you may be experiencing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. While some anxiety is normal in such a stressful situation, these symptoms typically become clinical when they last for an extended period and have a negative overall impact on your life.
Major Depressive Disorder
With Major Depressive Disorder, you may find yourself feeling sad, down, lethargic, or even hopeless. You may lose interest in activities that you once enjoyed, notice changes in your appetite, weight, or sleep, or have trouble concentrating. Many clients experience feelings of hopelessness or lethargy. It is very normal to feel sad when experiencing infertility, but when these feelings last most of the day, most days for two weeks or more, and are negatively impacting your life, they may have increased into a clinical range. Individuals with more severe depression may experience thoughts ranging from “I wish I weren’t here anymore” to active thoughts of self-harm or suicide, and those always merit a conversation with your doctor, a therapist, or another supportive professional.
Adjustment Disorder
In “Adjustment Disorder,” individuals tend to experience many of the symptoms listed above, but at a lower level of distress, duration, or impairment. Many times clients stay in the Adjustment Disorder range, using their support and coping skills to navigate the ongoing stressors of the fertility process. Once the stressor resolves, they often go back to their prior baseline of mental health. Others begin at the Adjustment Disorder level, but the intensity or duration of the stressor eventually shifts symptoms into the GAD or MDD diagnostic category. Either way, you do not need to wait for your symptoms to become more severe to seek support, and treatment with an infertility-informed or anxiety therapist can help you both feel better now and reduce the chances that symptoms will worsen.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Other mental health disorders can also appear or be worsened by infertility. Among those, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), eating disorders including Anorexia and Bulimia, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are among the most common. Trauma symptoms related to past sexual assault can be particularly difficult for clients pursuing fertility treatments and related procedures. These concerns deserve skilled support from a psychotherapist, and with your permission and involvement, possible coordination among members of your treatment team.
It is also important to recognize that both partners are impacted by the mental health strains of infertility. While there is increasing recognition of anxiety and depression for women/gestational parents, non-gestational parties (including fathers and non-gestational mothers, including same-sex partners or those hoping to become parents through a surrogate) often experience significant anxiety, depression, and mental health concerns as well. This can be additionally challenging as they may not recognize that they can be impacted by these mental health concerns, or feel they can take space for their own mental health needs as they support a partner.
If you relate to any of these symptoms or wonder if you might be experiencing anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, or another mental health concern, it is important to be screened by a qualified mental health professional. If you have thoughts of hurting or killing yourself, please call 988 or go to your nearest emergency department for support or stabilization.
What are the Psychosocial Consequences of Infertility and Treatment?
When we think of infertility, we often think of the medical procedures, the cost, or the mental health strain, but there can also be powerful psychosocial consequences to infertility. It can seem like everyone, everywhere is getting pregnant while you struggle, and many infertility patients find themselves withdrawing from friendships or events that feel too difficult to tolerate. While this can be an important protective step, it can also be isolating, particularly if others are unaware of your fertility struggles. Infertility can also strain relationships. The stress of the process, the demands on work schedules, administering shots, and the financial burden can strain both partners’ resources, leaving them less able to support one another.
Infertility can also have an impact on the partner’s sexual relationship. It can be hard to find joy and spontaneity in the midst of trying to conceive, and desire can wane particularly if partners feel on some level that the infertility is their fault. The medical aspect of fertility treatment is often central to the process, but it is important to recognize the psychosocial consequences of infertility as well. With attention and support, it is possible to lessen the isolation and strain that often come with infertility, better enabling you to navigate this stage with resilience.
What are the Psychological Aspects of Couples With Infertility?
Couples facing infertility often experience significant strain on their relationship. While the shared experience of infertility can bring couples closer, it’s important to recognize that infertility often places both partners under long periods of significant stress, draining their emotional resources. While the non-gestational partner focuses on support, they are doing so while also feeling depleted. Infertility can be particularly challenging for couples that value equality in their partnership, as the demands on the gestational and nongestational parent vary so widely. It is common for gestational parents to feel resentment after months spent rearranging work for clinic appointments and bearing the physical impact of endless shots and procedures, even if their partner does their best to provide emotional support or rebalance demands around the house. It is also common for one or both partners to feel guilty or inadequate, especially if they feel that the infertility is their “fault,” or out of guilt for not being able to protect their partner in this difficult experience.
While infertility can be a strain on partnerships, open communication, loving support, and compassion can help couples navigate the process with their relationship intact. Individual therapy can also serve as a space for both partners to process their feelings around infertility and to seek support from a source other than their partner, while couples counseling can help couples better navigate differences in communication style, love languages, or needs that are heightened under the strain of infertility.
How Do You Mentally Deal With Infertility?
Infertility can test even the most robust mental health, but it helps to remember that you are not starting from scratch. You have almost certainly faced challenges before, big and small, and have a sense of strategies that have worked for you. You may also have a backup list of strategies that help, even if you would rather not do them (more sleep/less screen time!). Take time to come up with a list, mental or written, of your resources – what support systems are already in place, which could be utilized more, and what gaps might need filling.
It is likely that you, and your partner, will face new kinds of stress and strain in this process, and will need new strategies as well. Self-care practices like mindfulness meditation, exercise, and creative outlets have been shown to effectively manage stress and promote emotional well-being, especially during challenging times.
Connecting with friends, family, or those who understand infertility firsthand fosters a sense of shared experience and reduces feelings of isolation. Having friends you can confide in, and who will understand last-minute cancellations due to emotional or physical fatigue, is invaluable. Open communication with your partner can also strengthen your relationship and provide a mutual support system as you work to expand your family. Shared experiences – continuing to explore new things together, outside the realm of infertility, can help you to stay connected and grow together.
Therapists specializing in infertility and anxiety can offer important guidance and support throughout the process. While many clients know that they should be engaging in the tools above, there is often a gap between knowledge and execution. Our team of therapists are skilled in not only providing support, encouragement, and accountability, but also in helping you to understand the why behind the avoidance, and the disconnect between intention and action. Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, often prescribed by your primary care doctor or OBGYN, can also be helpful. Infertility is stressful, but please remember that you already have many of the internal resources to navigate this path, and support is available to help. In addition to mentally dealing with infertility, learn, “How to emotionally deal with infertility”.
Finding Hope and Healing
Infertility can have a profound impact on individuals and couples, requiring levels of resilience and stamina like few things in life. At Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates, our therapists specialize in the psychological aspects of infertility, supporting your mental, social, and physical health as you work to build your family.
Find Support With Your Infertility Anxiety With Anxiety Therapy in Washington, D.C.
Explore the psychological impact of infertility and find the support you need through professional anxiety therapy. Our compassionate anxiety therapists at Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates are experienced in helping individuals navigate the emotional challenges of infertility, offering strategies to cope and find hope. Take the first step towards emotional healing and resilience by scheduling your therapy session. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if Anxiety Therapy is right for you.
Begin meeting with one of our skilled anxiety therapists.
Start healing from your infertility-related anxiety.
Other Services Offered at Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates in Washington D.C. & Virginia
At Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates, we want to help you thrive. In addition to helping you manage your infertility-related anxiety with anxiety therapy, we also offer services for those struggling with depression, relationships, infertility, academic or work concerns, disordered eating, and more.