Impact of Infertility on Mental Health in the Middle East
by: Eva Aksahin Eva Aksahin, CPCC
Empowerment Coach - Career Coach - Personal Development Coach - Psychologist
According to a recent WHO study, 17.6% of the adult population is affected by infertility. This means every 1 in 6 people experience infertility. This is a huge number. The population that struggles with infertility is still growing, and yet, infertility is still a taboo in the Middle East, especially male infertility, even though both men and women equally contribute to this issue.
Furthermore, studies show that struggling with infertility is as stressful as dealing with cancer. This explains why infertility is so emotionally, mentally and physically overwhelming.
Since both the prevalence and psychological impact on individuals are considerable, it is important to urge mental health professionals as well as fertility coaches to raise awareness and discuss the implications of infertility on individuals at multiple levels.
Infertility impacts individuals on a personal, relationship and societal level. What are the implications?
First of all, on a personal level individuals may face loss of control, self-confidence, impaired body-image as well as the inability to transition to a major role in life called “parenthood”. All of these on an emotional level can create anger, frustration, uncertainty, and disappointment, which eventually can become an isolating experience.
Questions may arise: Why me? Why did my body fail? Am I not worthy of having a child? Why has God taken away from me the opportunity to experience motherhood?
Second, infertility impacts relationships heavily. In the ideal scenario, the relationship is strong, and couples tend to lean on each other for support emotionally, physically, and mentally. However, if the relationship is not supportive enough, the partners may become more aloof; and may start to drift away from each other even more.
Questions may arise: Why doesn’t my husband understand how I feel? Why has my wife became so sensitive? Do we still belong together?
Then on a societal level, especially in the Middle East, family and parenthood are strong values. When this transition is hindered, couples might face extra pressure from society and extended family.
Questions may arise: Why are they intruding in our life? How should I let them know we are trying? How can we set boundaries?
A fertility coach can help you to:
? Reduce the negative impact infertility has on you and your life.
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? Sort through the information overload and help you to better understand egg retrieval and other medical processes.
? Offer emotional support to process everything you are dealing with.
? Provide perspective as you navigate the ups and downs each month.
? Act as a sounding board when you need to make difficult choices.
? Lift you up and cheerleads at each milestone.
? Offer stress reduction techniques to develop resiliency.
? May refer you to a mental health professional in case deeper emotional issues surface.
Finally, remember that you are not alone! Many other people have been facing the same challenges and may even be in your immediate social circle. Sharing your experiences with a trusted circle of people may allow you to channel difficult emotions and relieve the emotional burden.
written by:
Certified Co-Active Coach and Psychologist with 8+ years of experience in HR, working with diverse populations in Central Europe and Middle Eastern regions.