Importance Of Psychological Counselling For Couples Undergoing IVF

Fertility treatment can be an extremely challenging process, both physically and emotionally for the couple. The couple who seeks fertility treatment look forward for awareness, support, and right information regarding the treatment before they decide to start the treatment along with emotional support for the psychological state, they are in. Counselling is a form of therapy that provides emotional and psychological support for people facing challenges or difficult phases in life.

Why Psychological Counselling For Couples Seeking Fertility Treatment?

Diana Crasta, Chief Psychological Counsellor, Nova IVF Fertility says, “Psychological Counselling for infertile couples can work as a healing process for all the pain and sorrow they have been experiencing for many years. Psychological counsellors have the knowledge and capacity to understand the situation and through their professional counselling and therapeutic skills, the couple can be empowered to cope up and lead a quality life. Apart from working with the emotional status, counselling also helps in understanding the treatment process, addresses myths and misconceptions, prepares the couple for donor programs, and helps to accept the negative cycles.”

Counselling Based On Stages Of Treatment

There are 3 major stages in Fertility treatment, which require a lot of emotional support for every couple.

Before Treatment

Decisions to start the treatment can be overwhelming for most of the couples even before it starts. Psychological counselling can help the couple in the following ways before treatment

Acceptance to the advised treatment: One of the important and major concerns faced by the couple is to accept the treatment advised. Psychological counsellors can understand the concerns and reasons which are causing apprehensions and can help to take the decision which is best suited to the couple.

Identify and deal with the personal issues: It is observed that many couples struggle to deal with their own self due to guilt, fear, stigma, helplessness, and hopelessness when dealing with infertility. Using personalized and patient centric counselling approach helps the counsellor to identify and deal with the situations the couple is going through.

Working with the changes: The psychological counselling helps in observing and handling the emotional/psychological changes that may occur during the treatment.

During the treatment

Psychological counselling plays a significant role when the decision has been made to start the treatment. Based on the treatment advised, every couple experience anxiety, stress and fear related as the treatment progresses. During this stage, psychological counselling can help them to deal with these emotions.

Counselling at every stage of the treatment: Every day and every stage of fertility treatment is important. Psychological counselling helps to understand the feelings the couple are experiencing and with the help of counselling and psychotherapies. This can result in building capacity, enabling environment, and positivity during the treatment.

Counselling to deal with the changes during the treatment: In a few cases, there might be a chance of change in treatment due to clinical reasons which can be devastating. Therefore, having access to psychological counselling becomes an especially important aspect.

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After The Treatment

One of the last but critical stages in fertility treatment (how to boost fertility) is the waiting period and handling results. The waiting period can be one of the most stressful and long times for the couple. The waiting period ends in results, and this also can bring many changes in patients’ clinical and personal life. The following ways the psychological counselling can help the couple during this stage of treatment.

Waiting period: Providing an enabling environment and time to express feelings and fears during waiting period, help the couple to stay positive and calm.

Counselling posts the results: Accepting and dealing with post negative results is very challenging for the couple. For a few, these results could be life changing and they need professional support to handle it. The session on psychological counselling gives a space for the couple to express their feelings without any judgement or bias and also provide support in dealing with it.

Counselling during miscarriage: In some unfortunate cases, pregnancies can end due to a miscarriage. The pain of losing a child cannot be described in words. This is yet another situation where counselling sessions can help couples deal with the pain.

Counselling to deal with own self and face society: It is easy to say, “don’t worry or bother about others.” But it is difficult to keep society and people away, as we are all part of it. The negative comments, suggestions, stigma, and discrimination are part of everyone’s life. Regular counselling and therapy sessions are one of the best ways to deal with it. The counselling sessions will help the couple to feel better, give positivity and provide a healthy way of leading life.

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Takeaways

Couples decide to undergo the IVF procedure with a hopeful feeling, but the procedure can make them vulnerable to anxiety, fear, and dark thoughts. The couple’s experience with the family and society also can bring negativity, stress, and depression. Counseling can help them investigate their situations, deal with them, and help in taking the next move.