By Danielle D Jenkins, PsyD

One of the most amazing aspects of my work is getting to walk with women and couples going through fertility treatment. I wish this wasn’t part of my work and that everyone could have children when they want and how they want, but I feel honored that people let me walk through this with them. Part of the work of helping people build healthy families is going through the challenges of infertility with them. The stress of the process is more than many people can handle on their own.  I was reading Women’s Therapy Center, February 2016 Newsletter, focused on fertility and assisted reproduction and was reminded that the stress of infertility is similar to any other life crisis. On top of that, many people struggling with fertility challenges feel like failures. Feeling they have not only struggled to build the family they desire, but then see their relationships and mental health impacted too.

Often, by the time a couple has come into my...

By Danielle D Jenkins, PsyD

Infertility can be a huge burden. I’ve had friends, family, and clients share how isolating, scary, and overwhelming infertility can be. Some people choose to keep their experience and process to themselves while others are very open about it. Either way, it can be hard to know which path is best for you. MamaThriveVillage  has some tips.

Keep the circle small. Choose wisely. If you know someone is very opinionated about assisted reproduction or know you will have to do a lot of explaining, it may not be best to include them in your process, especially at the beginning or right before or during an important time (picking a donor, embryo transfer, or other procedure). Have a few people who will support you on bad days and respect your need to pull back if you need to. Choose people who will keep your story to themselves. 

You might be surprised by who these people turn out to be. That’s normal. You might find that one parent (or set...