Fertility Center Psychological Services
The Yale Fertility Center provides psychological services to accompany infertility treatments at the center. Psychological support and counseling can be very helpful to individuals and couples undergoing infertility treatment. Although infertility affects one in six couples in the United States, most people who are faced with it feel isolated and alone. Especially difficult, but normal, feelings associated with infertility are:
- A loss of interest in usual activities
- Difficulty thinking of anything other than one's infertility
- Change in sleeping and/or eating patterns
- Fleeting thoughts of death and dying
- Difficulty making decisions
- Feelings of isolation and loneliness
At times these symptoms may lead to strained relationships with one's partner, family, friends, and/or colleagues at work. An open (but entirely confidential) discussion of these issues with a counselor can often be quite helpful. In fact, infertile couples face a number of issues that can be addressed by a meeting with a mental health professional.
A Yale Fertility Center counselor can provide important information about treatment options and help to facilitate discussion of such highly charged topics as whether or not to pursue a particular treatment, whether and how to pursue third-party assistance (such as donor sperm, donor oocyte, and surrogacy) and whether or not to pursue adoption. The counselor can also help with questions about multiple pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and when and whether to stop treatment.
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Greenfeld, Dorothy, MSW | Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, Psychological Support Services | (203) 785-4708 Appts
(203) 764-5619 Fax |
