Dealing with pregnancy loss and fertility challenges
Pregnancy loss or ongoing fertility challenges can be painful, especially when it seems everyone else is having an easy time naturally expanding their families. One in four women experience a miscarriage in their lifetime, and according to the March of Dimes, it’s estimated that between 10–20% of known pregnancies end in loss. For many, the ability to even get pregnant and carry a child to term remains a struggle, with over 13% of women of childbearing age in this country reporting fertility issues.
Managing the frustration of fertility challenges or the grief of losing a child in utero can have a profound impact on how a woman perceives herself. Internal perceptions of inadequacy, incompetency, and guilt in relation to their partner are common. These emotions, compounded with persistent, repetitive thoughts about the inability to conceive, can take a toll on a woman’s mental health and lead to heightened risk of anxiety and depression on top of the physical challenges.
Coping mechanisms
While feelings of sadness, frustration, and hopelessness are natural, coping mechanisms are available and can be effective.
Open and honest communication: Talking about fertility issues with a partner and loved ones can help reduce feelings of isolation and open doors for practical and emotional support.
Therapy: Counseling can play a crucial role in coping with infertility or a miscarriage, helping to address grief, loss, shame, guilt, depression, or anxiety related to uncertainty, treatments, or repeated disappointment.
Support groups: Sharing your experience with others facing similar struggles can be a cathartic exercise. Support groups offer a vital sense of community for individuals and couples navigating the challenges of infertility. Sessions can provide a safe space to share emotions and insights, reducing feelings of isolation and promoting emotional well-being.
Medication: Prescription medications are available on a case-by-case basis to help individuals manage the mental toll that pregnancy loss or infertility can have over time.
Alternative roads to motherhood: It’s important to recognize that the path to motherhood can take many forms, including adoption and surrogacy. In the United States, approximately 100,000 children are adopted each year through all types of mechanisms, including foster care, and private, domestic and international adoptions. Surrogacies, while more expensive, have also increased significantly over the past few decades.
This article is brought to you by Lucet. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City partners with Lucet to optimize our members’ access to behavioral health services. For more information call the behavioral health number on your member ID card or login to your member portal at MyBlueKC.com. If you are experiencing a medical emergency call 9-1-1. If you are experiencing a behavioral health emergency call or text, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
