| By :
Stephen Daniels
Having a baby together is a natural step for many couples. But if pregnancy doesn't become a reality relatively quickly, relationships can become overly stressed with guilt and blame, which leads to even more stress. Fertility counseling can help couples process these new emotions, and studies have shown that couples are even more likely to become pregnant with counseling. The stress and guilt associated with infertility, whether temporary or permanent, can stir up individual and relationship issues that may have been buried or suppressed. Family psychotherapy uses stream of consciousness methods to expose areas of anxiety so they can be dealt with properly. Participating in fertility counseling sessions, either as individuals or as a couple, can be equally effective. The goal is to clear away the noise of failure, lost hope and blame. Couples with older children or children from a previous marriage may benefit from a family therapy session. This allows the kids to express any restlessness or anxiety they may have about the possibility of a new sibling. Through family counseling, parents can put to rest any fears regarding the children in order to better focus on the pregnancy. Documented cases have shown that simple everyday stress causes biological symptoms that affect fertility. Women can produce less eggs, and men less sperm. Stress also causes people to adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking, eating and sleeping poorly, drinking more and exercising less. This behavior leads to a lack of intimacy and other relationship problems. In fact, stress, whether due to relationship difficulties or from work, increases cortisol levels. This in turn can cause a hormonal imbalance, which of course can affect fertility. Family and couples counseling can help ease the strain of everyday stress and make the body more prepared for pregnancy. Practitioners of fertility counseling are licensed and experienced in family psychotherapy and knowledgeable about treatments. They are trained to use family counseling tools to help couples deal with everything from the side effects of fertility drugs to changes in sleeping and eating patterns. They also specialize in helping couples cope with any feelings of guilt, depression and despair associated with failed pregnancies. If fertility treatments fail, the couple is faced with tough decisions. Do they want to use an egg donor, adopt a baby or older child, or live a life without children? Fertility counseling will open the lines of communication, so decisions are made as a couple with a clear and optimistic look toward the future.
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