When I was struggling with infertility, having a child was almost like finding the "holy grail". I was convinced that if I could just start my family, all of my problems would be solved. I must add that most of this expectation was held unconsciously; regardless, boy was it ever wrong! I am fortunate to be the mother of three (at this moment) reasonably healthy children, but I can't say I have ever approached the nirvana of a relatively problem-free existence.
I know from my clinical experience in working with individuals and couples struggling with infertilty that I am not alone in this belief. Perhaps it's one of those working fictions that we need to keep us going during difficult times. If we really recognized that difficult times don't really end, but just lead to difficult-in-a-different way times, we might just curl up in a ball and call it a day. However, the usefulness of this fiction often dissipates after the infertility struggle is, at least overtly, over. Often, I see people struggle with the expectation that once their child or children arrive, they should be over-the-moon happy all of the time. When they don't always feel this way, they worry that they are not grateful enough, or that after they have endured, they are somehow not "doing it right". Of course, it is their expectation that is inaccurate...most likely, their feelings are completely normal and expectable give their current situation,
In order to create a more realistic picture of life after infertilty, I will describe some of the more common experiences I have witnessed in the lives of others as well as my own life.
1. Pregnancy after infertility is often filled with anxiety.
Instead of shouting with joy from the rooftops, many newly pregnant infertility patients are riddled with anxiety and fear. This is usually quite the opposite of what they expected. They live anxiously from beta to beta and ultrasound to ultrasound. Every early pregnancy symptom is examined and reexamined. As the pregnancy progresses, the anxiety dissipates somewhat, but it never totally goes away.
2. Childbirth and breastfeeding can be difficult and can add to the already negative feelings you may have about your body.
For many infertile women, childbirth and breastfeeding seem like an opportunity to finally be and feel "normal". That's great if everything works out the way you hoped. Unfortunately, many women with infertilty are at at higher risk for difficult childbirth and breastfeeding troubles. For some women, having an unexpected c section or milk production issues can feel like another body "failure", adding to their still painful feelings about their infertility.
3. Your child isn't going to be perfect, and you aren't going to be the perfect parent, no matter how hard you try.
Of course, this is true of any child and any parent. However, many parents who have a history of infertility have lingering, unconscious expectations that because they have been so committed to building their family, they need to be perfect parents. When they fail at the impossible, they can be too hard on themselves. Sometimes, they may unconsciously blame themselves or their infertility for whatever difficulties their child might be having, even though chances are, it's completely unrelated.
These are just a few experiences I have noted, and I would love to hear about the experiences and observations of others, so please leave a comment!
Also, even though the parenting experience isn't a perfect one as we may have envisioned, it can be very rewarding--perhaps more so if we free ourselves of unrealistic expectations.
Thanks so much for reading, and as always, I look forward to your comments and questions!
Monday, July 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
More decisions; medical decisions, emotions, and infertility treatment
I often think that if I ever were to write a book on psychological issues, it would be on how individuals make decisions about their medical care. I find it fascinating and sometimes frightening how much emotional issues can affect and impair the ability to make good health care decisions. Unfortunately, I have seen this lead to very sad and perhaps avoidable negative outcomes, in the area of infertility and in other types of illness as well.
In this post I will discuss some emotional issues that commonly interfere with the ability to make sound medical decisions. The first, and perhaps most serious problem is an overuse of the denial defense. We have all heard stories in which a person notices some significant medical change, like a lump, and copes with their anxiety about it by using denial. They do not seek medical treatment and often don't alert loved ones about the problem until it is too late. My own father-in-law, a dear, wonderful, and educated man, ignored the warning signs of his colon cancer for years. When the family finally became aware of and responded to the problem, it was too late, and he died a few weeks after his diagnosis.
In the infertility world, this can occur when individuals fail to seek treatment even though they meet the criteria for infertility. They often trust that it will "just happen when the time is right". Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and if there are ovarian reserve issues at play, time may be running out. I sometimes see women in their late 30's or early 40's remain convinced of their ability to conceive naturally with their own eggs, despite much objective evidence to the contrary. Perhaps in some of these cases there is an underlying ambivalence about having a baby, but regardless inaction at this crucial time may ensure that they lose whatever opportunity of using their own eggs that remains.
Another type of emotional issue that can impair medical decision making is feelings about the doctor-patient relationship (or transference as we psychodynamically trained therapists like to call it). Feelings of loyalty to a doctor may make it difficult for some people to seek a second opinion. They may have idealized their doctor and be unable to recognize or admit that their doctor has missed something or made a mistake. Alternately, they may find it difficult to trust others, especially medical professionals, and therefore are unable to provide a complete symptom picture, leading to under diagnosis or misdiagnosis, which then unfortunately only increases their mistrust. Even if they do receive the correct diagnosis, their feelings of mistrust prevent them from following treatment recommendations, which can have tragic effects.
As you can see, making sound medical decisions requires the ability to deal with your feelings directly, and to be able to acknowledge anxiety-producing situations. It also involves the ability to trust and value the opinion of others, but not so much so that you cannot examine these opinions critically. These emotional abilities are not always easy to obtain. In an emotionally charged situation such as infertility treatment, it is even harder to apply these skills. Thus, it is important, when you are making treatment decisions, to take a moment and think about whether you are using denial, or if your emotions about your doctor could be interfering with your ability to critically examine their recommendations.
As always, thank you for reading, and please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions you may have!
In this post I will discuss some emotional issues that commonly interfere with the ability to make sound medical decisions. The first, and perhaps most serious problem is an overuse of the denial defense. We have all heard stories in which a person notices some significant medical change, like a lump, and copes with their anxiety about it by using denial. They do not seek medical treatment and often don't alert loved ones about the problem until it is too late. My own father-in-law, a dear, wonderful, and educated man, ignored the warning signs of his colon cancer for years. When the family finally became aware of and responded to the problem, it was too late, and he died a few weeks after his diagnosis.
In the infertility world, this can occur when individuals fail to seek treatment even though they meet the criteria for infertility. They often trust that it will "just happen when the time is right". Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and if there are ovarian reserve issues at play, time may be running out. I sometimes see women in their late 30's or early 40's remain convinced of their ability to conceive naturally with their own eggs, despite much objective evidence to the contrary. Perhaps in some of these cases there is an underlying ambivalence about having a baby, but regardless inaction at this crucial time may ensure that they lose whatever opportunity of using their own eggs that remains.
Another type of emotional issue that can impair medical decision making is feelings about the doctor-patient relationship (or transference as we psychodynamically trained therapists like to call it). Feelings of loyalty to a doctor may make it difficult for some people to seek a second opinion. They may have idealized their doctor and be unable to recognize or admit that their doctor has missed something or made a mistake. Alternately, they may find it difficult to trust others, especially medical professionals, and therefore are unable to provide a complete symptom picture, leading to under diagnosis or misdiagnosis, which then unfortunately only increases their mistrust. Even if they do receive the correct diagnosis, their feelings of mistrust prevent them from following treatment recommendations, which can have tragic effects.
As you can see, making sound medical decisions requires the ability to deal with your feelings directly, and to be able to acknowledge anxiety-producing situations. It also involves the ability to trust and value the opinion of others, but not so much so that you cannot examine these opinions critically. These emotional abilities are not always easy to obtain. In an emotionally charged situation such as infertility treatment, it is even harder to apply these skills. Thus, it is important, when you are making treatment decisions, to take a moment and think about whether you are using denial, or if your emotions about your doctor could be interfering with your ability to critically examine their recommendations.
As always, thank you for reading, and please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions you may have!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Decisions, decisions: a few thoughts about deciding how many embryos to transfer
One of the difficult parts of an IVF cycle comes near the end when the decision about how many embryos to transfer back must be made. From a medical standpoint, this decision can be difficult because there are no hard and fast rules; every individual situation is different and involves multiple factors such as embryo quality, maternal age, prior treatment history, etc.
From a psychological standpoint, the decision about the number of embryos to transfer can be tricky as. Well. Usually, these decisions need to be made quickly because the information about the embryos is only available right before the transfer. Further, by this point in the cycle, emotions and hormone levels as running high, making clear and rational thought a challenge.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that by the time a person is usually facing their IVF transfer, they have been dealing with infertility for a while. Thus, they are naturally desperate for the whole thing to be over and done with as soon as possible. The idea that putting another embryo or two back might increase their chances of success, meaning they could be on their way to parenthood very soon, is quite seductive. If financial issues are a concern, an increased chance of success in fewer cycles is also a strong motivation.
I hear many clients tell me that their ideal outcome of an IVF cycle would be twins. "Two for the price of one," and "buy one, get one free," are common refrains. I totally understand that sentiment. I think I may even have said those things regarding my own treatment at one point or another. However, part my practice involves working with people who have experienced perinatal loss and/or who have given birth prematurely and whose children have spent an extended time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Many of these people began their path to parenthood via IVF, and transferred multiple embryos. There experiences in the NICU are often extemely difficult, traumatic, and of extended duration. All of them have expressed a wish that someone had really helped them understand the risks associated with multiple pregnancies before their IVF transfer.
In addition, even if things work out medically, my work with the parents of multiples has taught me that having twins or triplets can sometimes be hard on a relationship as well, especially if there are other life stressors occurring simultaneously.
I don't mean to be full of doom and gloom here, as I know many healthy and happy families with twins and triplets. But I do urge people to really educate themselves about the medical and psychological risks associated with multiple pregnancies before they get to transfer day, so they are prepared. The good news is that with today's improvements in embryo freezing technology, single embryo transfer is a more viable option with a greater chance of success.
Sometimes the decision about how many embryos to transfer is made for you by the situation; you may only have one viable embryo, or the quality of the embryos may suggest transferring multiple embryos. If you do end up with a choice, then you need to weigh the risks of multiple pregnancy against the emotional and physical wear and tear of doing another frozen embryo transfer. After seeing the problems that can arise with multiple pregnancies, I find myself recommending single embryo transfer more often these days.
Of course, the decision about how many embryos to transfer back is a personal one, and can only be made by you and your partner. Just be sure that you have all the facts, so you can make the choice that is best for your situation.
From a psychological standpoint, the decision about the number of embryos to transfer can be tricky as. Well. Usually, these decisions need to be made quickly because the information about the embryos is only available right before the transfer. Further, by this point in the cycle, emotions and hormone levels as running high, making clear and rational thought a challenge.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that by the time a person is usually facing their IVF transfer, they have been dealing with infertility for a while. Thus, they are naturally desperate for the whole thing to be over and done with as soon as possible. The idea that putting another embryo or two back might increase their chances of success, meaning they could be on their way to parenthood very soon, is quite seductive. If financial issues are a concern, an increased chance of success in fewer cycles is also a strong motivation.
I hear many clients tell me that their ideal outcome of an IVF cycle would be twins. "Two for the price of one," and "buy one, get one free," are common refrains. I totally understand that sentiment. I think I may even have said those things regarding my own treatment at one point or another. However, part my practice involves working with people who have experienced perinatal loss and/or who have given birth prematurely and whose children have spent an extended time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Many of these people began their path to parenthood via IVF, and transferred multiple embryos. There experiences in the NICU are often extemely difficult, traumatic, and of extended duration. All of them have expressed a wish that someone had really helped them understand the risks associated with multiple pregnancies before their IVF transfer.
In addition, even if things work out medically, my work with the parents of multiples has taught me that having twins or triplets can sometimes be hard on a relationship as well, especially if there are other life stressors occurring simultaneously.
I don't mean to be full of doom and gloom here, as I know many healthy and happy families with twins and triplets. But I do urge people to really educate themselves about the medical and psychological risks associated with multiple pregnancies before they get to transfer day, so they are prepared. The good news is that with today's improvements in embryo freezing technology, single embryo transfer is a more viable option with a greater chance of success.
Sometimes the decision about how many embryos to transfer is made for you by the situation; you may only have one viable embryo, or the quality of the embryos may suggest transferring multiple embryos. If you do end up with a choice, then you need to weigh the risks of multiple pregnancy against the emotional and physical wear and tear of doing another frozen embryo transfer. After seeing the problems that can arise with multiple pregnancies, I find myself recommending single embryo transfer more often these days.
Of course, the decision about how many embryos to transfer back is a personal one, and can only be made by you and your partner. Just be sure that you have all the facts, so you can make the choice that is best for your situation.
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