Deciding to Get Help
One day you may suddenly realize that it's been several months or even years since you threw your birth control away. If you have been trying to get pregnant for a reasonable amount of time for your age and other factors, and you have not gotten pregnant, it may be time to get some answers.
When you realize that you may have fertility issues you might first be confused. You may feel angry or hurt. You and your partner might wonder what is wrong with each of you, or even how you fit together as a couple since you are unable to produce a child together. You may wish to discuss your feelings and questions with others you know who have been there. This can help you clarify what it is you are feeling. It may also give you an idea of what your spouse is going through.
You may seek out support from various fertility support groups, both in person and online. These support groups can help you make decisions by showing you how others have dealt with similar problems. Members may be able to offer you advice about discussing issues of fertility with your spouse.
Support groups like RESOLVE meet on a monthly basis, normally for a formal discussion on support and survival in a fertile world. This is also a chance to ask questions about procedures, fertility clinics, financing options, and so on. It's a great way to get a general layout of information from a variety of sources. They may also offer informal social gatherings of women, men, or couples to just spend some time with other couples or individuals going through the same things — doing simple activities like dinner, free from worry that someone will whip out the baby photos!
Remember that every fertility patient will have his or her own fertility treatment protocol. Before you make decisions about a given fertility treatment, back it up with medical facts from your team of selected health-care providers.
Online support groups offer benefits of anonymity and some less demanding times frames. You can choose to utilize chat rooms, bulletin boards, or even just plain old e-mail to receive support from your online community. This can prove to be very beneficial as well.
Sometimes it is a good feeling just knowing that you are not alone and that you are not the only person feeling like this. Coping with infertility can be a lonely time. Try not to add isolation to the list of things that you and your partner suffer from during the course of your treatment. Seek support and guidance wherever you can and as often as you can.
