Infertility

Infertility is a problem that currently affects 17% of the population. The infertility rate is rising, for a number of reasons: 1) women are waiting longer to have children in order to pursue their careers 2) we as people, are exposed to more toxins which may have an adverse effect on fertility 3) and the stress in our everyday life has increased dramatically from that of 20 years ago.

Infertility is described as the inability to conceive after a period of 18 months.

Most practioners will treat a couple after 12 months of infertility. Generally, the couple should begin by seeing a reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in working with infertility. By going immediately to a reproductive endocrinologist, the couple can avoid months of missed diagnoses and procedures which would have had little success.

Many women who suffer from infertility often feel as if: 1) their bodies have betrayed them 2) they are not fully women because they are unable to give birth 3) that their infertility is a "punishment from God" for past sins. Men often report: 1) That they feel as if they are not very "manly" because they are "unable to impregnate their wife" 2) that their genetic line will end with their death and 3) that they are failures in making their wives happy.

As a specialist in working with infertile couples, I encourage couples to focus on their other attributes aside from that of being a parent. This philosophy has been adopted from the Domar Model, which emphasizes the importance of taking the focus off of becoming pregnant.

Couples who focus solely on having a child, often become depressed and frustrated, as they begin to define themselves by their inability to have children. Essentially, they begin to believe that they are complete and total failures in every aspect of their lives, because they cannot reproduce.

Thus, I recommend that couples only talk about their infertility struggles for a set period of time each day. I also get them to focus on what they enjoy doing, so they can bring some joy back in their lives. The reason I treat couples in this fashion, is that studies have shown that hormones that negatively affect one's ability to conceive, are released throughout the body, when one is stressed or depressed. Nurturing one's self can make the difference in the struggle with infertility.

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