Infertility takes an emotional toll on individuals and couples. In my practice, I counsel many couples struggling to conceive, and I help them navigate their emotions in order to stay mentally healthy. But because infertility can be caused by so many factors, I encourage them not to give up hope too quickly when it seems things aren’t going well. They may need to try a variety of professionals before finding the right experts for their particular needs.
I do not recommend particular doctors or particular fertility treatments. But I do sometimes encourage clients to look into other options if their method isn’t working. I have seen so many different approaches that work. In New York City, we have world-class experts who use multiple approaches to deal with fertility issues in many patients.
Fertility issues can be in the woman, the man, or a combination of both. There could be a problem with PCOS or endometriosis, sperm count or sperm strength. There could be emotional stressors or previous traumas compounding a medical problem. There could be a nutritional problem or even some health issue in a totally different part of the body that is impacting fertility. Medication can affect fertility. Some medical experts are also finding an alarming drop in male fertility worldwide, possibly due to environmental toxins and estrogen added to food. My point – don’t give up. Find the right doctors to find the underlying problems and, hopefully, fix them so that you can conceive.
Sometimes it helps to take a fresh look at your situation and start “from scratch.” All your experiences so far – what has worked and what hasn’t, all the tests you’ve had – can be taken to a new doctor who can look at things with fresh eyes. There are many wonderful fertility clinics to choose from, but if the “usual” hasn’t worked for you, try the unusual. Find a practice that uses a multi-disciplinary approach and is open to looking outside the box. Start going to a nutritionist. Many nutrient deficiencies are known to impact fertility.
Take the time to research and interview various experts. Make sure you’re emotionally comfortable with them and find out what they do when the standard treatments don’t work. What’s their success rate? What kinds of issues did successful couples have and how were they overcome?
Remaining mentally strong during this challenging time can help you both as you search for and build the right medical team. Make sure you have emotional support, either through friends and family or a professional counselor, that will help you stay strong and come out stronger on the other side.