Psychotherapy for Women in Fertility Treatment: Why It Is Helpful

Problems when it comes to getting pregnant are a constant in the lives of many women. In Spain, in fact, one in every 7 couples experiences complications to achieve a pregnancy naturally.

On the other hand, assisted reproduction processes are often complex and linked to a great emotional burden, and knowing how to manage these sensations and emotions is not usually easy.

So, fertility treatment is challenging for two reasons: one objective is pursued at a physical level, the fertilization and normal development of the fetus, and another at a psychological level, which is not see your own quality of life damaged emotionally, so that you can move forward and not suffer in a way unnecessary.

Fortunately, psychological support helps a lot in these cases. Therefore, in this article we will see how psychology can help and assist women who start fertility treatment.

• Related article: "First month of pregnancy: 8 things you should know"

Why Psychotherapy Can Help Women In Fertility Treatment

Being able to have psychological support during fertility treatment is not something that has benefits that only the patient notices from her own subjectivity; it has positive aspects also on the objective plane. In fact, you have them in the most important objective aspect:

whether the fertility intervention culminates in a successful pregnancy or not.

• It may interest you: "How To Increase Your Fertility With These 14 Simple Habits"

Not in vain has it been scientifically proven that maintaining a negative attitude during the period in which the pregnancy is associated with a higher percentage of problems and reduce the success rate of this kind of interventions. According to the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), just over 75% of patients who abandon these treatments do so due to psychological discomfort.

In addition, according to data from the American Infertility Society, women who underwent fertility treatments while experiencing high levels of stress they ovulated on average 20% less and their eggs were fertilized 30% less frequently, which has a significant impact on the chances of conceiving a baby. In fact, among these women, abortions were 20% more frequent compared to the rest.

From a more positive perspective, there is also the other side of the coin: increased well-being through psychological factors increases the chances of pregnancy occurring before and conclude well.

Thus, psychotherapy can become the differential fact that determines whether fertilization and pregnancy will go well, or not. Having the psychotherapeutic assistance of mental health professionals is essential at such a delicate time.

How to know if you should attend psychological assistance during fertility treatment

In general, attending psychology sessions during fertility treatments is considered to be always recommended, and there is no specific profile of women who will not benefit from this kind of services.

However, there are certain cases in which it is especially important to have a psychologist or psychologist while this process of searching for pregnancy occurs. They are as follows:

• The habits of the woman or her partner generate stressful behavior dynamics.
• There have been several attempts to conceive a baby and there is little hope of achieving this through treatment.
• There are day-to-day problems due to the discomfort caused by trying to get pregnant.

What are the objectives of this psychological intervention?

The main goals targeted by supporting fertility treatment through psychotherapy are as follows.

1. Act on the level of emotional well-being

Reduce the frequency of actions and thoughts related to discomfort and hopelessness about the possibilities of conceive a baby, and promote those that produce well-being and confidence in the possibilities that the process will well.

2. Act on stress levels

Avoid passing by anxiety phases and ongoing stress, to maximize the chances that fertilization will occur and continue during pregnancy.

3. Promote adherence

Psychologists create contexts in which it is easier to engage in fertility treatment and give pregnancy a chance.

4. Reinforcement of self-esteem

It seeks to adopt a more neutral and constructive point of view on the situation, from which accept the fact that you have no control over everything that happens but that does not imply that we are worth less. This increases confidence in oneself of women.

5. Ensure the couple's bond

It is intended that this complex experience does not wear down the affective bond or the communication dynamics that exist in it.

What topics are covered in these sessions?

These are the topics that are treated in psychotherapy applied to those who undergo fertility treatment:

• Relaxation techniques training.
• Promotion of healthy lifestyle habits that prepare the body for pregnancy.
• Guidelines for involving the couple and helping them not to be nervous.
• Recommendations about what to do in each phase of treatment.
• Review of incorrect beliefs and discard catastrophic or overly pessimistic ideas.
• Guidelines to manage a negative result and do not let frustration dominate us.