Infertility Therapists
in Phoenix, AZ

Infertility can be a time that bonds a relationship and helps the couple feel close, yet for many, this stressful time is one that can pull them apart. Below are a few signs that you should seek an infertility counselor:

• Intimacy is replaced with only “procreation sex”
• Arguments are increasing around how infertility should be addressed
• The couple cannot agree on when/if to pursue assisted reproductive technology to form a family
• Either partner is feeling anxious, depressed or despair
• Infertility is taking over the couple’s life
• The couple is lacking support from friends or family who understand their stress

Couples counseling for infertility will focus on identifying the places in the relationship that are causing distress, misunderstanding, or feelings of distance. At times of difficult decisions, it will focus on helping the couple express their needs, fears, and desires while also listening to the other partner’s perspectives.

If infertility has caused places of pain in the relationship, the focus will be to help the couple repair their relationship and feel supported by the other. Individual counseling for infertility will help the individual process through negative feelings of loss, grief, anger, confusion and stress related to the process.

Infertility is an inherently stressful process. Couples experiencing infertility go through grief, shame, self-blame, financial stress, scheduling stress, information overload, and despair. In fact, research shows that a woman going through infertility is as stressed as a woman diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

Numerous big decisions and disappointments can stress event the best of relationships leaving many feeling misunderstood and unsupported. Couples can benefit from infertility counseling when the stress on the relationship reaches a tipping point and is starting to drive a wedge in the relationship. Yet, couples can also benefit from infertility counseling when they are first faced with infertility as a way to help them stay close through each decision and hard moment.

Further Reading: How Infertility Can Impact a Relationship