Is infertility affecting your relationships?

Infertility, sub-fertility and secondary infertility can have a devastating impact on our lives. Being unable to conceive when it has always been your plan to have a family, can induce feelings of shock, anger, depression, grief and even isolation.

Relationships can suffer greatly as a result of an inability to conceive and can put a huge strain on you and your partner. Perhaps blame is being apportioned or sex has become clinical and a matter of 'having to'. The choice to undergo fertility treatment can be a very difficult one with the physical, financial and emotional burden compounding the pressure you are both under.

Infertility can also affect your friendships, you may feel you don't want to be around people who have children because you find it too hard and upsetting and it may seem easier to withdraw from situations which you find difficult. It can also be very hard for people who are not experiencing infertility to empathise with those who are, a feeling that noone understands. The pain of loss and disappointment can be overwhelming and leave us with a feeling of being stuck on a treadmill where everything becomes about having a baby, preventing us from getting on and living our lives.

Maybe you don't want to burden others with your feelings and as a result, keep these feelings inside. However, talking to someone about what you are going through will help you to cope with the myriad of emotions that arise from infertility, helping you to face every stage of your journey. Anxiety and stress can also have a negative impact on fertility and fertility treatment so keeping these out of your life as much as possible is vital.

​Living with the uncertainties of infertility is painful and exhausting, being supported throughout the experience will not guarantee success but can help make the process more bearable.