There are many circumstances in life that cause us stress, anxiety and depression. Dealing with infertility, and going through treatments to conceive, is one of these difficult times. When a person receives the news that it will be more difficult to have a baby, they go through a time of grief and loss. Every failed attempt, unsuccessful treatment, miscarriage, or some other reminder of the difficulty in conceiving is experienced as a loss. And this can affect our mental health in a negative way. We know that patients undergoing fertility treatment are four times more likely than other people to have symptoms of depression. That's why we created this guide to protect your mental health during infertility treatment.
The benefits of accompaniment
There are several forms of therapy that can help significantly improve mental health during fertility treatment. We would like to emphasize two that focus on transforming our thoughts to break with certain patterns that we could be repeating, without even realizing it: the psychology of the cognitive behavioral current and the interventions of the mind-body method. Although there is no “psychology of infertility”, in this article we will tell you what these two tools are about, with which you can accompany your process.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is not a type of psychological treatment for infertility, it is a therapy that is based on the idea that people think and act according to certain patterns. Within these patterns is the formation of negative thoughts that can lead us to suffer certain psychological disorders and that are the origin of poor mental health. What is done during the sessions is to detect the patterns and look for new patterns with which to replace them. With the help of a therapist and the right tools, we stop generating negative thoughts so often. It's about understanding our own mental processes in order to modify them to our advantage. In a way, we hack our thought system so that our mind doesn't play against us.
Mind-body method interventions
Another form of psychological intervention in case of infertility are mind-body interventions, which are based on the idea that our thoughts can affect our emotions and these, in turn, can affect our body. Intervention is about learning skills, strategies and techniques that can have an impact on those connections. However, things that work for one person don't always work for another. This is why a trial and error process is essential during which different strategies are put on the table, and the patient tests them to see which ones work best for him. Some of the strategies are relaxation techniques, keeping journals, exercising, and implementing self-care practices.
Mental health in infertility treatment matters
There are so many ways to take care of our mental health. These are just a few tools you can turn to, but they're definitely not the only ways to treat the psychological impact of infertility. The most important thing is to be aware that fertility treatment is a difficult process on a mental and emotional level, which can be traumatic for many people; it is usually a roller coaster of emotions. We know that during this stage sometimes our heads get completely filled with the idea of conceiving. However, we must not lose sight of the importance of taking care of yourself, and that includes taking care of your mind and heart.
Source: https://www.fertilityiq.com/mental-health-and-fertility
