When IVF Doesn’t Work

When IVF fails it is devastating. Fertility treatments offers hope to many, so to engage physically and emotionally with such a demanding and expensive treatment can leave you feeling very empty when it doesn’t work. The reality of fertility treatments is that they don’t have a 100% guarantee of success. It is often not fully appreciated that the majority of IVF cycles will not work. About two-thirds of fertility treatment cycles fail. Obviously this statement is a huge generalisation and some patients will have higher chances of success than others. If you are embarking on fertility treatment for the first time, or have had an unsuccessful cycle already, how should you prepare for the day when treatment doesn’t work? The inevitable sadness that comes when a cycle fails is normal. The best advice is not to panic but to begin to talk constructively to someone about how you are feeling and agree on the next steps. If you are going through treatment with a partner it may …
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Mental Health and Life after Fertility Treatment

By Kelly Da Silva - The Dovecote: Childless Support Organisation After spending years trying to conceive, undergoing various rounds of fertility treatment, I know only too well that realising that you are never going to have children is absolutely heart-breaking - and has a significant impact on one’s mental health. Loss, grief, anxiety, sadness and feeling like a failure are just some of the feelings associated with unsuccessful treatment. For me, and many whose childlessness has not been a choice, the prospect of facing life without children was initially all-consuming, challenging and utterly devastating. Therefore, faced with the prospect of having to live a ‘life without children’… being able to live a happy, fulfilling and purposeful life can seem like an impossible task. From challenging your identity, wondering what to do with your life now treatment has finished, dealing with social exclusion to healing the deep sadness which lies within your heart and soul; …
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