Psychological Help In Infertility Or Assisted Reproduction Processes
Infertility, in all its variables, is an increasingly widespread problem mainly due to the increase in the age at which we consider becoming parents, although it can be due to multiple factors and, in many cases, there is not even an explanation as to why the longed-for child does not arrive.
Whatever the reason, what is evident is that it causes psychological stress. It is a situation that is beyond people’s control and that is not talked about much, which is why they tend to be overwhelmed and have few tools to manage it.
The process usually begins when the couple decides to have a child and begins to discover that it costs them more time than expected. This generates a variable level of anxiety, which depends on the person, the time it is costing them, and whether they are detected. or not the causes of this delay, whether you know if you can or cannot have children, if there have been previous abortions, etc. That is, it depends on multiple factors, both personal and contextual.
Besides, The couple usually finds themselves in the position of whether or not to start an assisted reproduction process The decision-making itself is usually complex and if you decide yes, or even if it is done in this way by medical prescription, you must also be prepared psychologically and psychological support is recommended since it is not a simple process on an emotional level. . We must work, among other aspects, on the expectations we have of the treatment (trying to achieve a balance between realism and positivity), tolerance for frustration, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, management of waiting, etc. .
Of course, if the result is not the desired one, more intensive support is required and work with the person either on the path of persistence and management of the stress and pain that this produces, or on accompanying the couple. who decides to abandon the treatment due to the feeling of guilt, failure, sadness, etc. that this decision may generate, but it is a logical and very personal decision.
The decisions, as always in therapy, are made by the patients, although it is true that the psychologist must ensure that these decisions are not made under the influence of emotional states that prevent being rational, for example, if the couple/person decides not to continue with the treatment when they have just learned that the result has been negative, they may do so guided by the frustration of the moment, which is not ideal.
It is vitally important that the person/couple does not lose functionality, that is, work must be done to continue doing the same or very similar activities, being able to enjoy them and not generate an obsession that can even become pathological and harm the person. couple. It is very common that these processes can harm the dynamics of the couple, that they only talk about this topic, that their irascibility has increased, that they do not feel like doing other things, that sexual relations revolve around conception, etc. Thus, With the help of a psychologist, we work to prevent this from happening or to try to remedy or alleviate it if it is already happening.
Waiting, together with the feeling of lack of control, is one of the aspects that most disturbs a person. When a child is not arriving, whether or not the couple puts themselves in the hands of assisted reproduction, we must assume that we do not have the solution in our hands, that there are many elements that are beyond our control, what’s more, as we have commented, in Sometimes we don’t even know why it doesn’t arrive, so this feeling creates a lot of insecurity, to which is added anxiety about waiting.
Another aspect that usually generates a lot of pain is when the person/couple discovers that they cannot be biological parents and wanted to be. Obviously, this generates suffering, anxiety and even depression. At this point, therapy must focus on pain management, expression of feelings, and providing tools to channel anger guilt, sadness, etc., expanding objectives, evaluating options… according to the situation and demands of the person/couple and the point at which they are.
In short, we have spoken with generalizations of processes that are very personal and different from each other, however, they tend to share that they are experienced as stressful, that they have a lot of emotional charge and that it is very important that a psychologist accompany the couple or the person involved. to help you manage everything that is happening. Furthermore, although social support is very important, the people around us do not usually know how to help us, which is why at Mariva PsiccologÃas we recommend, without a doubt, putting yourself in the hands of a psychologist. that can help you.
