Emotional Impact Of Infertility

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Dealing with emotional effects of infertility is the harsh reality for so many childless people. Once the honeymoon period is over, most married couples dream of having their own little family to nurture and cherish. Sometimes, the husband and wife may postpone having a child till they have progressed a little in their careers.

Whether you are a young couple in your 20s or a seasoned pair, there is no guarantee that you will get a visit from the stork. Sadly, some wonderful people are destined never to be parents. Usually, after a reasonable length of time, the couple get themselves tested, and if needed, treated. This too, may or may not bear fruit. Fertility treatments have given numerous couples their offspring but not everyone is lucky.

Over time, this disappointment takes a toll on the couple who start to display the emotional effects of infertility. And these feelings are made worse by people around them who have no qualms about asking intrusive questions to the childless couple.

These are some of the emotional effects of infertility:

Blame:
If the couple is not deeply bonded, there will be a tendency to blame each other. Often, family members like parents of the couple also point fingers and create stress between the couple.

Guilt:
Both husband and wife will blame themselves for this situation. Motherhood holds an important place in the feminine psyche and especially in society’s perceptions of women. This will lead to guilt in women and may result in depression.

Inadequacy:
The ability to have children is seen as a sign of masculine virility. When a man is unable to father a child, he struggles to reconcile it with his pride.

Anger:
In these emotional effects of infertility, the couple’s stress manifests itself as rage. This rage may be directed at each other or at the people around them: their household staff, colleagues, friends or family.

Difference of opinion:
Men and women have different ways of coping. She may want to talk and be given emotional support, but he may not want to dwell on painful issues.

Emotional distance:
Often, the couple begin avoiding their family and friends, as they do not want to deal with probing questions. They feel that people around them cannot understand how they feel.

Jealousy:
Some couples, who are unable to conceive, develop intense jealousy for those who can. They may behave badly with friends or relatives who have children.

Lack of sexual interest:
The couple begin to time their intercourse to an ovulation time table. The act of lovemaking feels routine and the additional pressure to be “successful” each time creeps in.

Financial stress:
Most infertile couples go to the best doctors and struggle through several rounds of expensive fertility treatment. This leaves them financially and emotionally devastated.

It takes a great deal of maturity and empathy for childless couples to deal with the emotional effects of infertility. Think positive. That is the best way to handle emotional effects of infertility.