Infertility is Like a Paper Cut

You’ve spent time planning and dreaming about what your family would look like, and decided as a couple when to start trying to get pregnant. You’ve imagined what it would be like to hold that precious baby in your arms, and it brought a smile to your face to wonder if you’d have a boy or a girl. The first couple of months of trying to conceive were manageable, but the disappointment started to turn into worry and fear that something was wrong.

No one plans for infertility, you weren’t prepared to deal with this shame

Photo of a caucasian couple standing near a lake looking into the distance. This photo represents how infertility can affect your relationship in different ways. With infertility counseling in League City, TX you can begin to repair your relationship

You’ve gotten a diagnosis and desperately want to accept what’s happening in your life, but you’re dealing with a roller coaster of emotions, it’s shockingly uncomfortable to talk about as a couple, and you are inundated with insensitive commentary from every person you’ve ever met.

If another person asks you when you’re going to have a baby or says this is all happening for a reason, you just may lose your shit or break down crying. You never knew you’d feel like such a failure.

The grief of infertility is cyclical, and people don’t always get it

Infertility is like a paper cut, just as it begins to heal, it opens back up again. It may not be a gash or gaping wound, but it’s always there, it’s so small most people don’t notice it, and it hurts like hell. After you’ve had another negative pregnancy test, you’re devastated, fearful, and hopeless.

A couple of weeks go by and you’ve started to feel better and you try again. Now you’re a complete ball of nerves and anxiety during the two-week waiting period, and you’ve also allowed hope to sneak in.

You’re feeling stuck, lost, and not in sync with your partner

While you’re unsure of how to feel or what to say to people, your partner doesn’t want to talk about it much. You’re consumed with the next appointment, figuring out the next step and treatment, and it’s hard to focus on anything else in your life. Your family and friend relationships are becoming difficult as you start to isolate yourself, and the one person you want to discuss this with 24/7 is your partner.

But your partner is reacting completely differently, and you don’t know how to take it. The more guarded he/she becomes, the more you wish you could connect with them. Now you’re scared you’ll never have your family, and that your marriage will fall apart.

Therapy Can Help! And Erika is an Infertility Counseling Expert.

An infertility journey is far more complex than most people realize and more common than you know. About 1 in 8 couples experience infertility, you are not alone. Infertility counseling in League City, TX can help you, individually or as a couple, develop coping skills to deal with the anxiety, discomfort, and plethora of emotional experiences that accompany infertility.

There are decisions to be made, uncomfortable and painful medical treatments, social expectations, fears of judgment, not knowing how to talk about it, etc. It’s a lot to manage, and a lot to sit with. You don’t need to do that alone.

You’re Struggling With Your Relationship

Couples often struggle in marriages during this time. You both need support and want to support your partner. You have the best of intentions, but you don’t know how to talk about this.

Most partners have different coping styles, so when a difficult experience comes up, each person manages it in their own unique way. Even for strong couples, the tumultuous nature of this storm is tough to weather.

You Need an Infertility Therapist, Someone Who Understands the Medical, Relationship, and the Emotional Sides

Having a therapist who is intimately familiar with the medical, relational, and emotional aspects of infertility is essential, whether you are working as a couple or individually. There are too many factors at play, and spending the majority of your sessions explaining the intricacies of infertility won’t get you where you want to be.

With infertility counseling, I want to understand all the ins and outs of your specific situation and relationship, and my experience and expertise will allow me to do that much more quickly.

Learn To Let Go Of Shame

Photo of two people walking down the street carrying umbrellas. Are you struggling with infertility? Meet with an infertility therapist in League City, TX to help you face your infertility.

I can help you feel more comfortable and less ashamed to talk about infertility. I’ll walk with both of you as we explore your thoughts, feelings, and reactions and navigate each step of the infertility process together. In therapy, you’ll learn new coping skills, understand your partner at a deeper level, and discover that this most painful experience can be the catalyst to forming more meaningful relationships with everyone in your life.

Letting go of your shame and learning to be more open with your pain can be a very rewarding experience. At times we’ll practice a coping skill or I’ll take you through an exercise, at times you’ll have guided conversations with your partner, and at other times we’ll be together as people. I’ll be there in your anger and pain, AND your laughter and joy. Let me help you get through this storm so you can experience the rainbow on the other side.

To learn more about infertility, check out my infertility posts here.

Begin Infertility Counseling in League City, TX

There’s no reason you need to fight this battle alone or flounder your way through it. At Center for Couples Counseling, we can help you deal with what’s happening, reconnect with your partner, know they’ve got you even during these trying times, and embrace all the ups and downs of your infertility journey. To get started with in-person or online infertility counseling follow these simple steps: