Psychological Services
Coping with Infertility and its Emotional Challenges
One out of every six couples in the United States will have trouble getting pregnant or have a miscarriage. This experience can be very stressful.
We recognize that while undergoing infertility treatments, you may experience a variety of emotions and challenges, including depression, anxiety, anger, confusion, self-doubt, guilt, indecision, social isolation, marital problems, and sexual difficulties.
There are a number of decisions and issues that you may need to confront during your infertility treatment. These may include:
- How long should I continue treatment?
- How do I talk to my partner about my feelings regarding our infertility?
- What do I tell my friends, family, and co-workers about my infertility?
- What treatment makes the most sense for me, considering my personal and financial resources?
- Should I use an egg donor or a sperm donor?
- What are the psychological issues involved in egg or sperm donation?
- What do I tell my child about how he or she was conceived?
- Should I consider child-free living?
- Is adoption for me?
- How do I handle all of my emotions?
Our in-house Director of Psychological Services, Dr. Julia Woodward, can help you deal with these questions and meet these challenges. Dr. Woodward holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist with the State of North Carolina. She has specialized in working with fertility patients since 2000.
National Psychology Resources
RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1350
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-652-8585
Help line: 888-623-0744
E-mail: info@resolve.org
