• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Depression From Infertility

December 10, 2010 by ds_48763 Leave a Comment

If you are dealing with infertility when trying for a much-wanted baby, you are going to feel sad. The expectations you had for your life may never materialize in the way you envisioned. You probably feel a loss for the family you may never have. Sadness runs on a continuum, according to “Psychology Today,” ranging from situational sadness to profound depression.

Types

Situational sadness occurs with certain triggers. Having your period can bring on a bout of sadness, as can attending baby showers or hearing about a friend getting pregnant. Hormone treatments can make you sad at times, too. Depression is more serious. You feel sad all the time when you are depressed. You may feel guilty for not being fertile. You may be irritable, have trouble sleeping or eating and find no pleasure in life.

What Not to Do

Depression is a physical as well as a mental disorder. You can make your condition worse by not eating right, by drinking too much caffeine (which can make you anxious) and by drinking alcohol (which can make you more depressed). You must try to get enough sleep, too.

Tell Your Doctor

If you are seeking treatment for your infertility, tell your doctor about your depression. Some infertility clinics have mental health professionals who you can consult. You can also speak to your doctor about changing your hormone treatments. Certain hormones could be affecting your mood, according to “Psychology Today.” Even if your fertility clinic does not have mental health practitioners on staff, the clinic may be able to recommend someone.

Top Priority

If you are depressed from infertility, you should make it a top priority to seek help from a psychiatrist, from a behavioral therapist or both. Behavioral therapy can teach you skills that help you deal with your feelings of helplessness.

Hope

Dr. Alice D. Domar of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health told the Fertility Authority website that 34 percent of women who go through in vitro fertilization have depression and that 68 percent of women who have a failed IVF cycle suffer from depression. Domar says that women should seek treatment for this depression before they hit rock bottom. Besides seeking therapy, you can join a support group and talk to your friends. The good news, according to Domar, is that if you are depressed because of infertility, you probably won’t be depressed for the rest of your life. Depression caused by infertility is usually temporary.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_48763

Laura Agadoni has been writing professionally since 1983. Her feature stories on area businesses, human interest, and health and fitness appear in her local newspaper. She has also written and edited for a grassroots outreach effort and has been published in "Clean Eating" magazine and in "Dimensions" magazine, a CUNA Mutual publication. Agadoni has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from California State University-Fullerton.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

We Are Never “Asking For It”

The following is a guest post by Alane Miller Howell, … [Read More...] about We Are Never “Asking For It”

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

diabetes in infants

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes in Infants

Can I Use Baking Powder to Thicken Sauce

Can I Use Baking Powder to Thicken Sauce?

Freeze Cooked & Smoked Ham

How to Freeze Cooked & Smoked Ham

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

Advantages & Disadvantages for Children in a Single-Parent Family

What Happens When You Mix Lemon Juice With Baking Soda?

What Happens When You Mix Lemon Juice With Baking Soda?

Best Way to Cook Boneless Shoulder Steak

The Best Way to Cook Boneless Shoulder Steak

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2022 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.