If you have been trying to get pregnant without success, you are the best person to know how painful infertility can be as family and friends ask the same nagging questions. Even though the causes of infertility treatment can be many rights from physical to psychological, emotional pain is often hard to tackle. The treatments for infertility can add stress to a relationship that often goes into troubled waters and the drugs prescribed to the female partner are not devoid of the side-effects. Often patients reveal that the tress of undergoing the fertility treatment is more than any other stress in life.
Knowing the truth
Previously, the medical practitioners believed that more than half of the problem related to infertility are physical although the current research showed the physical origin involving one or both the partners. About one-third of the problems lie with men and the rest of the issues are related to women. In about 10-20% of the case, no exact cause can be assigned to infertility and the problem stays unexplained most of the time.
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Cause of infertility
Although the cause of infertility is primarily physical, the stress that occurs, as a result, is often emotional or psychological. In fact, the effects of infertility treatment can also create an impact on emotional thinking. According to a study involving two hundred couples visiting a fertility clinic, about 50% of women and 15% of men have described the experience as one of the most distressing issues of their lives. According to another group of who completed a questionnaire before participating in the initiative to reduce stress indicated the infertile women tend to experience the same degree of pain and anxiety as with people do when they are diagnosed with cardiac problems or cancer.
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Typical reactions
Some of the contributing factors to depression may be the side-effects of the medicines, the concerns about the financial status, and uncertainty about the outcome of the treatment. Some of the commonest emotional reactions include shock, depression, frustration, grief, lowered self-confidence, and the tendency to lose control over the future. It can also impact the relationship with the partner negatively and the people who have brought distress with their advice and opinions. A sexual relationship also comes under its effect due to marital problems and anxiety.
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Side-effects of medicines
The medicines used for treating infertility have plenty of side effects that are largely psychological. For instance, the estrogen drugs used for promoting ovulation can result in disruptions during sleep and cause mood swings, anxiety and irritability. Even though it may not be easy to assess whether the psychological side-effects of the treatment are psychological, they must try to focus on the exact reasons before knowing how to proceed.
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The uncertainty of the treatment
The treatment interventions for infertility are effective in half of the cases, but the effectiveness tends to decrease with age. Some women who have faced miscarriages before might have doubts about the impact of the treatment.
Things to remember
Many women experience shock initially when the treatment fails but come to terms with the acceptance that it is not possible and the only option that remains is adoption or facing childlessness.
