Can You Help Me with My Feelings During Fertility Treatments?
Today the blog is about managing the intense emotions associated with difficulties becoming pregnant and fertility treatments.
It is very common for people having difficulties becoming pregnant and pursuing fertility treatments to experience feelings of stress due to the stigma, high treatment costs, frequent doctors’ visits and medical interventions.
The stigma is one of the hardest things to overcome because, as a society, we do not talk about difficulties becoming pregnant and fertility treatments. It truly can make one feel isolated and alone. I want to reassure you that you are not alone. Fertility treatment and the stressful feelings that come with it are common for all genders. I encourage you to reach out to family, friends, or a mental health professional to share some of the burden of your distress.
If simply speaking with family and friends does not seem to be helping enough with your stress and you are having symptoms of depression or anxiety (you can review my videos about those topics to remind yourself of the specific symptoms), ask your psychiatrist if they recommend further treatment.
People do not always expect this, but some fertility medications have side effects that can affect your mental health. You should absolutely talk with your reproductive psychiatrist about them. Effects such as insomnia, mood swings, and anxiety can be quite problematic for some individuals.
Your psychiatrist will be able to help you manage some of the side effects. We start considering medication for the side effects when the side effects are severe enough to interfere with completing tasks that are part of daily life. For example, if you are having a hard time getting to work in the morning and being productive during the day because the insomnia was so severe while taking the fertility medications, then a psychiatrist may prescribe you a medication to temporarily assist you with sleep.
I commonly have people who are undergoing fertility treatments ask me if mental illness can lead to decreased fertility. There is an association with eating disorders, specifically anorexia and bulimia nervosa, leading to decreased fertility, but it is not clear if depression and anxiety contribute to infertility. One study of only 58 women showed women with a history of depressive symptoms had double the risk of infertility in comparison to those without. However, the study did not control for other factors such as cigarette smoking, alcohol use, decreased sex drive and body mass index. So, with the lack of good statistics and only a small number of women studied, it is difficult to assess the affect depression has on fertility.
The most important thing to remember is to work closely with a reproductive psychiatrist to find a treatment that makes you feel comfortable.
If you would like me to be your reproductive psychiatrist, please go to my website, Freedom-Psychiatry.com, click on the “Book Appointment” button and schedule your free 15-minute consultation with me, Dr. Mills.
Thanks for reading, have a great week, and remember, Mental Health is Freedom!
Dr. Mills is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Freedom Psychiatry, located in California. She focuses on achieving mental wellness using medication, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.