Fertility and Infertility Counselling (including baby loss)
Whilst our loved ones can mean well, their words can often unintentionally add pain, pressure or shame to people trying for a family. Trying to conceive can be one of the most emotionally charged journeys a person or couple can go through. I’m here to offer you a space where you feel seen and heard.
It can feel like the most natural thing in the world has become a clinical exercise and it this can affect us in so many ways. The highs and lows can become relentless. We may feel differently about our experience from our partner and this can cause tension. As well as people trying for their first baby, these feelings also apply to secondary infertility, those of us who have a child already but are struggling to conceive again.
What’s the difference between Fertility and Infertility Counselling?
- Fertility counselling supports individuals and couples through the emotional challenges of trying to conceive, offering guidance and coping strategies.
- Infertility counselling, on the other hand, focuses on those struggling with conception, helping them manage the emotional impact of infertility and explore options like IVF, adoption, or living child-free. Both provide tailored support for different stages of the reproductive journey.
I’m a member of the British Infertility Counselling Association and have undergone specialist training to help me support people going through their own fertility journey. Choosing to work with a BICA counsellor means you are working with someone who has a deep understanding of the emotional and ethical complexities of fertility journeys. There is more information about BICA at http://www.bica.net
Whichever path you are currently on, it can be a rollercoaster of emotions - sadness, anger, joy, guilt, frustration, hope and grief. It’s exhausting. And often we don’t talk about what is happening to those around us.
When we don’t talk about our experience:
- People suffer in isolation, believing they’re alone
- Grief and loss are invalidated or dismissed
- Support systems aren’t in place, adding to our sense of isolation
- Our relationship with our partner can become strained
I specialise in supporting people (including those in same sex couples) and solo parents who are undergoing IVF, fertility preservation (freezing of eggs, sperm or embryos, exploring donor conception, and those dealing with male and female infertility.
Baby loss
Many of us, myself included, have experienced baby loss - either through miscarriage, medically advised terminations, stillbirths or a death in the first year of baby's life. It's vitally important to acknowledge this loss and all the feelings that go along with it. I have trained with Sands, the UK's leading pregnancy and baby loss charity so I can better support clients experiencing profound loss, with sensitivity, compassion and respect.