Infertility: The Silent And Lonely Battle Among Couples
Learn more about infertility and how our centre can help your dream of becoming parents.
April 24 to 30, 2022 marks the annual Canadian Infertility Awareness Week. This week started as a way to increase awareness of infertility, the impact it has on couples and families, and raise hope for those experiencing this diagnosis.
With this in mind, our Fearless team decided this month’s blog topic is about infertility - the silent and often lonely battle more people are facing than you may realize.
When Getting Pregnant Is Harder Than It Sounds
When you begin considering starting a family, you imagine all types of scenarios and start planning.
You might think of:
How many children you want
How far apart they should be in age
What colour their bedroom will be
What names you like
How you will save for their future
How your current family dynamic will change by adding another person
For female-bodied individuals, you may go off any types of birth control you’re on and begin tracking your cycles. You begin “practicing” and get excited about the possibilities of this beautiful baby you’re making.
Want to learn how to track your cycles and why it’s important for those looking to conceive or not? We’re hosting a 90-minute workshop on May 2, 2022 called Understanding Your Cycles. Learn more at www.fearlesswc.com/events
For many couples, this process is quick. They may go a few months without a positive pregnancy test and then BAM! One day, two lines appear on the stick, you go to the doctors, and it’s confirmed you’re pregnant.
For those dealing with infertility, the journey is not as easy or straight forward.
What Is Infertility?
Infertility refers to “a lack of conception after a reasonable period of sexual intercourse without contraception”, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
For women under 35 years old, this period of time is after one year. For women over 35 years old, this period is defined as a lack of conception after 6 months.
Roughly 1 in 6 couples in Canada experience infertility, a statistic that has doubled since the 1980s.
Despite 16% of couples in Canada struggling with infertility, there is still stigma, shame, and myths around the topic. We’re going to tackle a few of them now!
MYTH 1: Infertility is only traced to the woman.
TRUTH 1: Infertility can be traced to either the woman, the man, or a combination of both.
There are many reasons why an individual or couple may experience infertility including:
Age
Problems within the reproductive system such as missing tubes or having blockages
Endometriosis
Hormonal imbalances
Poor sperm quality
Past treatments for cancer including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery
Tobacco and alcohol use
MYTH 2: If you struggle with infertility, you cannot have biological children.
TRUTH 2: While this statement may have been true a hundred years ago, there are many types of fertility treatments available to couples and families today. Infertility does not mean a couple cannot get pregnant. It just means it is harder for them to get and stay pregnant.
MYTH 3: Couples just need to try harder.
TRUTH 3: Trying harder isn’t an option because these couples and families are trying their hardest already. They often face physical, financial, and psychological challenges that need to be addressed. Couples experiencing infertility are struggling with a medical condition that requires different treatment options, support, and resources.
What Is The Impact of Infertility?
Individuals and couples experiencing infertility often face physical, financial, and psychological challenges.
Depending on the cause of infertility, doctors may suggest lifestyle changes, additional screening and blood tests, ultrasound exams, genetic testing, and sperm and/or semen analysis. Some tests may be covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) while others are paid for out of pocket.
Testing and procedures can bring physical and hormonal changes, especially for female-bodied individuals. These individuals may experience mood swings, weight gain and bloating, headaches, and nausea, to name a few. If injections are involved in treatments, individuals may experience tenderness and skin irritation at the injection site.
On top of the physical and financial, individuals and couples experiencing infertility will often experience psychological challenges as well. Additional procedures, uncertainty, extra bills, and changes in their schedule can bring stress.
Many couples and families experiencing infertility will also have mood changes. They may feel as if they’ve lost control in planning their future, their friends and family members may not understand what they’re going through, and they may have to make difficult decisions to make their dream of becoming parents come true.
It’s important that individuals and couples going through this experience have the support, love, care, and resources they need to be successful.
Looking for someone to talk to? Our counsellors are available and offer services in English et en francais. Learn more at www.fearlesswc.com/about.
What Fertility Options Are Available?
With advancements in science and medicine, there are many fertility options now available.
Families in Canada may have the option of:
Tracking ovulation cycles
Lifestyle changes
Fertility drugs
Surgery on reproductive organs
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
In vitro fertilization (IVF)
Embryo transfer
Gestational surrogacy
At Fearless, we believe there is no “right” or “wrong” way to build your family. It’s your journey and you get to decide what it looks like. Our team is here to help you along the way.
How Can Our Centre Help You Through Your Journey
At Fearless Wellness Centre, we believe everyone deserves the support, care, and resources needed to heal, continue being resilient, and explore fertility options. We work as a wellness centre and bring a variety of team members together to offer you every type of support you may need.
Reflexology and Reiki
With our Reiki Master, Anna, ready to help, we offer reiki and reflexology services to support fertility and IVF. These ancient energy healing and holistic therapy techniques are rooted in a number of cultures and countries around the world.
In these sessions, we treat the whole body in a holistic way. When the whole body is supported, it can return to homeostasis or balance, heal itself, and see hormone levels improve. When hormone levels are balanced, you see better digestion, sleep, circulation, and stress.
Reiki and reflexology are safe, non-invasive, and great compliment to all other natural and medical treatments.
Learn more about our Reflexology and Reiki services.
Counselling
We want you to know you don’t have to do this alone. Our team of counsellors will provide you the space to feel your feelings and tell your story without judgment.
Our team can:
Offer you the opportunity to develop new coping strategies and ways of thinking
Help you consider your different family-building options
Provide referrals to community resources
Help you reduce stress, anxiety and/or depression
Work through past trauma and experiences
Improve self-esteem and body image
We offer counselling in English et en francais. Our team also offers counselling through a variety of methods including in-person and virtually.
Meet our team of counsellors and learn who will support you best.
Registered Massage Therapy
Caring for your physical and mental health is essential when seeking fertility treatments. Massages have been shown to improve your immune system, blood circulation, and hormone production. They also reduce muscle pain, tension, and stress levels.
Our Registered Massage Therapist, Ronalyn, loves working with clients to become more aware of their body and body mechanics. She has experience in trigger point therapy, deep tissues, cupping therapy, and myofascial release. She also offers prenatal massages.
Find Ronalyn’s next appointment opening now.
Doula Support
Our amazing Fearless doulas are available to support individuals and couples well before conception occurs. Our team can offer suggestions, connect you to community resources, help you find a fertility clinic to support your journey, and be a safe space for you.
Through the Doula Support Foundation, our team also offers FREE loss and bereavement supporting including abortion and loss support.
Learn more about our Fearless doula services.
Our team is here to support you and your family through your fertility journey. If you have any questions, please email info@fearlesswc.com or give us a call at the centre at 343-261-3327.
