Infertility Counseling

Infertility is an emotional rollercoaster - full of hope, heartache, and uncertainty

You never pictured it would be like this. No one seems to understand the crushing losses, the feeling like your body has betrayed you, and the fear of even having hope.

Many people imagine they will start trying to conceive and become pregnant right away, so infertility can come as a shock. Or perhaps you knew you would need to rely on a donor, but never expected so many procedures in a system that doesn’t affirm you.

Suddenly it seems like everyone around you is expecting, except for you. Just the sight of a pregnant body on the street can trigger tears. As the months or years go on, you feel exhausted from cycling through feelings of anticipation, grief, disappointment, and anger.

Pursuing fertility treatment offers hope, but it opens up a world of confusing, invasive medical procedures. These procedures can feel like traumas to your body, especially in our medical culture that is not very consent-based or doesn’t affirm your gender identity or sexual orientation.

Well-meaning friends and family members offer support but it’s clear they don’t understand how you feel. The stress of infertility can put a strain on the relationships with those closest to you. It can also fan the flames of old tensions in your relationships, adding to the feelings of stress and isolation.

You don’t have to go through this alone

While every person’s fertility experience is unique, my work has given me insight into the unique stress and emotional experience that accompanies many people’s journeys.

Therapy can provide a space dedicated to taking care of you as you navigate these challenges, while also giving you the space to continue working on issues of depression, anxiety and self-esteem. Working from a relational, trauma-informed LGBTQ+ affirming approach, we can work together to:

• Understand and cope with the many feelings that fertility treatment provokes

• Explore the changing relationship to your body

• Process the impact of repeated medical intervention

• Navigate your relationships and work on communication and boundaries

• Help you gain clarity about key decisions you are faced with

• Understand how your early life experiences are shaping your current responses to stress