Counseling

Most patients with infertility become exhausted and start feeling hopeless as they go through repeated treatment failure over a prolonged period. In the majority of these, adequate counseling may not have happened. Due to this, they become confused and lose trust in the treatment.

Effect of infertility on the couple:

Marriage without children is considered as a failure of the two individuals. The couple prefers to stay isolated as this becomes the topic of discussion in every family or social event they attend. They start getting a feeling of guilt, shame, and even low self-esteem. The lack of respect shown by the near and dear ones becomes tough to handle. These couples are under tremendous pressure to prove to themselves, their family, and the society that they are as normal as the others. Just like a person with some disability is considered Not normal, similarly, an infertile couple especially a woman and that too in India has a lot to prove. It becomes harder and harder for the couple to believe that sooner or later they will overcome the problem and have a baby. They start feeling hopeless, but most of them pretend to be fine. The couples may start feeling that they are a burden on society. These feelings can be unpredictable, upsetting and can even cause tension in relationships. These couples may need help.

The role of the medical experts:

The fertility treatment available to patients in various cities and clinics is not always standardized. This has numerous reasons such as lack of proper training to doctors in some cases, lack of facilities in some private clinics, lack of skills of the sonologists, endoscopic surgeons, and embryologists. Communication skills is still an underdeveloped area in the medical practice in India. This is the most important skill required to effectively manage a couple with infertility. Postgraduate training from government medical colleges does not allow enough scope for doctors to sharpen their communication skills.

The role of Counseling:

Counseling is the most important aspect of fertility treatment. Doctors need to be able to give adequate time for patients to understand the issues. It is vital that the patients understand the reasons for their delay in conception and the way forward for them. Mental preparation and education of the couple is the cornerstone of successful fertility treatment. Patience and Trust are needed in abundance and this is only possible if the patients feel confident in the doctor and the clinic. Patients are willing to travel to far distances in search of a good facility. They want a personal touch during their treatment.

A few tips to help improve your chances of successful outcome:

Diet A well balanced diet is always important
Vitamins Pre-preganacy Folic acid supplements to reduce chances of birth defects like Spina bifida
Exercise & BMI Body mass index(BMI) before treatment should ideally be less than 30
Smoking Smoking is definitely associated with reduced fertility in both men and women
Alcohol Has adverse affects on sperm and eggs. As sperm takes 10 weeks to mature in the testers, it is important to adapt your lifestyle well before starting treatments
Stress De-stress whichever way suits you best, by interacting with friends, family or through counseling