The Cycles of Infertility

I work mostly with clients walking the path of infertility. I am not really sure how this started, but these are the clients God consistently sends my way, and I am happy to participate in His work for me this way. While each one of their experiences is unique, there are sometimes certain phases that emerge along the journey through infertility. These phases or moments can occur at various times depending on the client’s own experience, whether it be going full steam ahead with a treatment plan or feeling the need to take a step back. There is no one-size-fits-all experience for the client experiencing infertility, but here are some suggestions to help you hold onto your sanity while walking the path of infertility.

Take time to reconnect with your spouse: So much of infertility can become focused on appointments, follow-ups, imaging, lab draws, and more. While those are certainly all good things that can help with achieving a pregnancy, it can be so easy to get stuck in that rut where working through infertility becomes a lot of nonstop scheduling and work, and that definitely can carryover into a couple’s sex life as well. Sex between spouses is always meant to be unitive, pleasurable, and procreative, but that balance can become lost when the sole focus becomes on achieving a pregnancy. Sometimes taking a break from all the fertility things in the form of a vacation or even a weekend at home with no plans can be so beneficial for a couple looking to reconnect, recharge, and bring balance back into their relationship.

Take time to take stock: Infertility can sometimes feel like a path with no end in sight. It is easy to get caught up in all the “doings” of working through infertility that sometimes it feels like you are blindly running down the path of your treatment plan. It is so important to make sure to take the time to take stock of the situation. Are you feeling like your friends and family aren’t understanding where you’re coming from and just want to talk with someone who will listen? Maybe it’s time to work with a therapist. Are you feeling so absolutely burnt-out that you can’t even enjoy the things you used to? Maybe it’s time to take a step back to breathe. Are you feeling like there is something your physician is missing? Maybe it’s time to speak with a NaPro physician. Taking the time to assess where everything is and how your feeling about everything can help bring calm a client calm and comfort during a stressful time.

Take time to live: Working through infertility can feel all-encompassing and draining, but it doesn’t have to feel that way. Make sure you are taking the time to continue to live while working on this one area of life. Don’t let your current state of infertility define or limit you! Think of a list of hobbies you may have or items you have on your bucket list. Maybe you have always wanted to take a cooking class or learn a new language…do it! Maybe you have always wanted to continue your blossoming career as a ballet dancer that was sadly cut short at the age of five following your breathtaking performance of “Little April Showers” from the Disney classic Bambi (super specific and just might be an idea from my own bucket list)…look for a dance class and recruit a friend to join you! There are so many other areas of your own unique life that can still be lived to the full while working through infertility. Make sure you don’t neglect them!

     There is no doubt that working through infertility can be one of the most difficult paths a couple may ever be asked to walk. While continuing to chart and working through a treatment plan are important, there are certainly different times on this journey for a couple to experience. Take the time to check-in with yourself and your spouse to see where you discern your next steps to be. If that’s beginning to work with a FertilityCare Practitioner, reach out to one of the Practitioners at Groesbeck FertilityCare Center today!