Did you know that as many as 1 in 8 women will have trouble getting pregnant, and a quarter will experience a miscarriage? It’s true – fertility problems are quite common, and yet for women who are trying to conceive (TTC), it’s easy to feel isolated. Some days it just feels like other women, including your friends and family, conceive so easily. And those are the days you need community the most.
TTC Stress
Most women who speak of themselves as TTC are experiencing some kind of infertility, have evaluated the reasons why they may be struggling, and may be actively pursuing some type of fertility treatment. For some couples, this may just mean carefully timing intimate encounters to ensure optimal fertility; these are usually younger couples who, with patience, will conceive within a year. For these couples, the greatest difficulty is to keep the spark alive while dealing with the less romantic elements of fertility tracking.
Other couples struggle to conceive because of age, due to health conditions such as PCOS, or low sperm count, but whatever the reason, these couples share a common desire and a common struggle: they want a child and it’s taking some extra time. This shared desire also has a common result – emotional and, often, financial stress.
Finding Community
It can be hard to talk to talk to family or friends who have had an easier time conceiving about your TTC journey, but just because they don’t understand, that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Instead, you need to find a community that shares this experience, such as Peanut’s TTC chat group. Meant for moms in the TTC process, the platform offers opportunities to chat, blog, and connect with others on a similar path to motherhood.
Not a digital community person? Not a problem. Fertility problems are common and many local hospitals and clinics offer in-person support groups. Though it may not offer the kind of immediacy of a digital community, gathering with a local support group can both help you process your feelings and build local connections. These are the people who could be your fellow parents one day as you all progress along your TTC journey.
Consider Therapy
Finding a community of others going through the TTC process is valuable, but it’s important to remember that your partner is on this journey with you. With that in mind, it’s worth considering couples counseling so that you can both safely process your emotions. While having a TTC support group can keep you from reaching the point of explosion with each other when stressed, couples counseling can help you learn productive communication skills that wills serve you throughout the fertility process and as co-parents in the future.
Some couples spend years navigating the TTC process, and some get lucky within that first year, conceiving fairly quickly with some intervention. The good news, though, is that wherever you are on your journey, there are other couples going through the exact same thing. By finding a TTC community, you’ll discover that this journey doesn’t need to be isolating. There are others walking this road with you and you can find your way together.
