Infertility Support in Geelong, Bellarine & The Surf Coast
What springs to mind when you think about IVF? Often, it’s the cost and probably the needles. After working with many clients over the years, the sense of hope that IVF brings as well as the physical and psychological demands of the treatment means that anyone entering into the journey would benefit from extra support. Happy Minds Psychology works with patients undergoing treatment for infertility such as IVF in Geelong, The Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast. Whilst this treatment can be physically uncomfortable for many people, it’s the emotional rollercoaster that can be tricky to navigate.
Infertility treatment is demanding. It’s common for couples undergoing IVF to have experienced some emotionally demanding decisions prior to commencing treatment. Often, a sense of loss accompanies women on the fertility journey, whether that is because of miscarriages or the loss of the expectations surrounding their fertility. Losing your privacy and placing your future in the hands of science can be a source of stress too. Sometimes, patients need to move ahead with their goal of a family by using donors and this can also lead to a sense of loss. All these issues can lead to a patient experiencing grief . Working with a professional Geelong Psychologist during your journey is often of benefit to women and their family.
Happy Hormones
The hormones necessary in fertility treatment can make life feel very intense despite being a miracle of science. For some women, the effect of these hormones can trigger anxiety while for others it’s just some interesting mood swings. There is no noticeable effect for others. Whichever it is for you, it’s perfectly normal.
There is no doubting that infertility treatment is a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s isn’t just the hormones to blame here. The possibility and hope that IVF brings balances against the fear and anxiety that it won’t work. It can be a tough juggling act to manage the emotions of joy and despair in one journey. Then there’s the waiting!
The Two Week Wait
Never in the history of humankind is time slower than during the two week wait for the results of your infertility treatment.
Once you start a cycle everything may seem to be happening all at once as there is so much to learn and do. Once you have started the hormone treatments you then have to wait between each appointment to learn how many follicles are growing, how they are tracking, if your uterus lining is thick enough for implantation and so on. Following egg retrieval you have to wait to hear how many were successfully fertilised, if the embryos are growing rapidly enough and how many will be strong enough for transfer or freezing.
Finally, the mother of all waits comes. The two-week-wait (2ww). And the questions. Did this cycle work? Am I pregnant? When can I start using home pregnancy tests (at the risk of getting a false result)? Was that twinge a symptom of pregnancy? To say the two-week-wait is hard is an understatement and something few people understand unless they have been through it. For many, it helps to plan how they are going to fill that time, whether it be with work or hobbies or getting out and about.
Get Support For New Experiences
The new experiences that fertility treatment brings is something else to consider. Getting IVF in Geelong or Melbourne is no different. Within a short period of time after starting IVF treatment you will experience ultrasounds, blood tests, monitoring, disruptions to your usual routine and a whole bunch of needles. Giving yourself a break is essential to help you cope with the rigours of the journey. But nothing worthwhile was ever easy, right?
Many people may not know or understand what you are going through. Often their comments and questions, no matter how well intended, can feel intrusive and insensitive. Choose which family and friends you would like to tell and don’t be afraid to set boundaries. Sharing with the right people can help you get support and educate those around you to the process and how it feels. It’s often the case that once you share your fertility journey you find people you know that have faced their own challenges.
The biggest stress for patients may be the fear of failure. The fear that the cycle will not end in a positive pregnancy test. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees with fertility treatment and it may take a few cycles and different treatment protocols in order to achieve pregnancy. Despite knowing this, the disappointment of an unsuccessful cycle can be devastating. The thing to remember here is that there are multiple pathways to get to your ultimate goal of having a family. Make sure you discuss treatment options and pathways with your Fertility Specialists in Geelong, as they are best placed to advise you on the way forward in your particular case.
Counselling for IVF in Geelong, Ocean Grove & Torquay
Factor everything together and you can see the demands placed upon someone both physically and emotionally when undergoing fertility treatment. As a result, it’s common for patients to experience some degree of stress, anxiety and even depression during and after treatment. Working with a professional with experience in the area of infertility can be helpful, whichever way the treatment goes. Happy Minds Psychology works with women and couples undergoing IVF in Geelong, Ocean Grove, Torquay and surrounding areas to help them manage the impact of infertility.
At a time when looking after your mental health has never been more crucial, we understand the importance of being able to access support as it is needed. We are here to support you and we currently have some limited availability for appointments.
All our appointments are currently via Telehealth so we are able to work with clients across Australia. Most of our appointment times at Happy Minds are afternoons/evenings and Saturdays.
Feel free to contact us on 0431 666050 or email us at [email protected] to find out more about our services.