Whether you’re preparing to undergo fertility treatment or currently working through your treatment plan, both situations can certainly cause a lot of stress.

Fertility Solutions understands how the time between an infertility diagnosis to a positive pregnancy test can feel like it’s dragging on forever, but we also acknowledge that there are ways to help relieve the stress you are feeling.

1. Seek support from other fertility patients – Support from family and friends is very important, but everyone’s level of comfort while discussing infertility is different. Some may feel 100% comfortable sharing every detail about their diagnosis and treatment, whereas others might prefer to share minimal information until the process is over. Both situations are entirely understandable, but they do leave out the benefits of speaking with other fertility patients. Support groups come in many different forms, from in-person groups segmented by gender identity or relationship status, to online forums where concerns and questions can be shared freely with differing levels of privacy.
2. Discuss concerns with your fertility specialist – Your fertility specialist is the person who created your fertility treatment plan in the first place, so they are well positioned to address your concerns about treatment. We can assuage any worry that your question has never been asked before – your doctor has heard everything! Our specialists prioritize one-on-one time with patients and can walk you through periods of unease, no matter how minor the question may seem to you.
3. Take a mental break – So many treatment plans involve considerable planning proper medication use, injections, tracking and appointments. Between your normal daily routine and these added factors, of course fertility patients can become overwhelmed by the process. Staying on top of planning is important, but so is stepping back and making the time to focus on yourself and your partner. If possible, dedicate a day or part of a day to self-care. Take a day trip, visit the beach or a park, visit a city you’ve never been to before, watch a couple of movies or plan a staycation where you stay in your pajamas all day and sleep in.
4. Be honest with your partner – With everything in motion or about to go into motion, it can be tempting to refrain from sharing last-minute concerns with your partner, especially when you’re both anxious for success. Withholding your worries will only further contribute to any stress you are feeling, so honesty is important.
5. Know that it’s all OK – Feeling bad about feeling bad accomplishes nothing, but that doesn’t mean it’s suddenly easy to accept how you feel. Giving yourself the permission to feel the way you feel during fertility treatment is necessary. Fighting your feelings on top of feeling your feelings is exhausting. Forgiving yourself for moments of anger or sadness is OK – these reactions are natural and felt by all fertility patients during the process.