Patient Resources: Support Groups and Classes
Infertility Treatment and Emotional Well-being
Welcome to the Center for Reproductive Medicine (CRM). Infertility can be a challenging emotional experience as well as a medical condition. Experience has shown us that patients may feel fear, anger, sadness, guilt, disappointment, loss, shame, and anxiety. We know that our patients never envisioned themselves starting or expanding a family with the help of a medical team. In addition, well-meaning friends and family can be intrusive and say insensitive things at precisely the time you are feeling most vulnerable. For all these reasons, it is important to find emotional support during what can be a difficult and isolating process. For that reason the CRM team includes two clinical social workers, Laura Lubetsky and Annie Geoghegan, who specialize in helping individuals and couples through their infertility treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Our social workers are available to meet with you individually or as a couple at any point in your infertility treatment to offer support and the insights gathered from counseling hundreds of people coping with infertility. It is a hard journey. People have different coping styles. This can make it hard for couples. Men and women can often experience different emotions too. Medications can exacerbate a women’s emotional response to her infertility. Women might experience sadness, anger, and moodiness. Their partners often report feeling helpless and sometimes anxious as they watch their partners undergoing medical treatments, tests and screening procedures. All of these emotional reactions are normal “infertility moments.” While some of our patients welcome an opportunity to talk about these emotional stresses, others find this difficult or uncomfortable. There are lots of things you and your partner can do to feel more in control of your life and your emotions while undergoing infertility treatment. Try some of these ideas to manage those “infertility moments:”
- Keeping the lines of communications open:
Sometimes, we suggest couples set aside 15 or 20 minutes a few times a week to talk with each other about their thoughts and feelings. That provides room for communication but keeps the infertility from taking over the relationship.
- Feeling in control:
For some their infertility ?leaks? into many parts of their lives. Patients who are used to being in control of their work, their relationships, other aspects of their lives experience a sense of loss, frustration, anxiety and anger at the realization that they have so little control over having a child. This may be the first time they have bumped up against something so important that they can’t control. Many of our patients have found meditation can help them. Deep breathing exercises can be especially helpful in getting thru the stress of treatments. It takes only a little practice and as little as 5-10 minutes a day to start:
- Find a quiet time and place where you can sit comfortably. Close your eyes, rest your feet on the floor and arrange your hands comfortably in your lap. Slowly breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you breathe in feel your stomach expand like a balloon. As your breathe out, feel your stomach contract. After you have mastered this breathing exercise try this:
- Again, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in your lap. Start by tightening the muscles of your feet and hands, while squeezing your eyes shut. Then completely relax your body. As you breathe deeply try to deepen your body’s relaxation. Repeat tightening your hands, feet and squeezing your eyes shut and then relaxing your body again, all the while breathing deeply. Concentrate on your breathing. Practice this for a few minutes everyday especially when you feel anxious or stressed. This helps promote calmness.
- Some of our patients have found yoga helpful as well to calm them and deal with the stresses of infertility treatments. Yoga is a gentle form of physical exercise that helps people relax through breathing and stretching techniques.
- Taking Care of Yourself:
Many women have expressed concern and discomfort with some feelings that they experience such as envy or jealousy when they see pregnant women or babies. This is a very normal reaction. Again, it’s important to take care of yourself during this very difficult time. Sometimes, that might mean declining an invitation to a baby shower or family function or attending only briefly. Don’t worry: These feelings are temporary.
In any event, you should remember that Laura and Annie are available to talk with you and your partner. Feel free to call them and schedule an appointment.
They can be reached at 617-732-5500.
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Laura Lubetsky, LICSW, ext. 32214
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Annie Geoghegan, LICSW, ext. 31565
Infertility Support Groups and Classes
There are a number of resources available to help you through this stressful process.
- Infertility Support Groups and classes
Infertility Support Group Thursdays 8am in the Tomasso Conference room. Call 617-732-5500 ext 31565 to register for the group.
- Support Group for Single Women seeking Infertility Treatment:
Contact Laura Lubetsky, LICSW at 617-732-5500 ext 32214
for more information and to register.
- RESOLVE:
Founded in Massachusetts, this is a self-help organization that provides support and information to couples undergoing infertility evaluation and treatment.
PO Box 541553,
Waltham, MA 02454-1553
Telephone: (781) 890-2225
Website: www.resolveofthebaystate.org
Email: admin@resolveofthebaystate.org
- Internet sites:
There is a wealth of information, and misinformation, on the web. It is important for you to review with your doctors any information gathered on the web.
- Mind/Body programs:
These programs focus on the feelings couples have about their infertility, and not on their treatment success or failure.
- If you need a gynecologist, primary care physician, specialist,
or more information on services at Brigham and Women's Hospital,
call our Physician Referral Service at:
1-800-BWH-9999, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Adoption Issues and Resources
Adoption is a reasonable option for single individuals or couples who have been unsuccessful with or do not wish to undergo fertility treatments. There are many resources available to those who are considering adoption. Many couples find consultation with an adoption counselor to be very helpful in sorting through all the options that are available to them.Two resources available to couples considering adoption include:
Reproductive Psychiatry Care
Emotional problems are common in patients experiencing infertility. If you or your partner feel sad or irritable, or you are experiencing diminished interest or pleasure in daily activities, changes in appetite, weight or sleep, loss of energy, diminished ability to concentrate, or if you feel excessive anxiety or worry, you may benefit from the psychiatric consult and treatment service provided by Florina Haimovici, M.D., in the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Haimovici has been trained in Psychiatry at the Harvard South-Shore Residency Program and in Reproductive Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She has more that 15 years of research experience in the field of reproduction. She is currently a staff psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Haimovici is available on Monday mornings in the Center for Reproductive Medicine.
For consultation and information you can contact her at 1-617-732-5500 ext. 33770.
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