Fertility Support

 

Contrary to what many people believe, stress is most likely NOT the cause of your infertility. However infertility is without doubt a very stressful experience.

 

Perhaps you’ve been trying to get pregnant for months and feel devastated every time you get your period.

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Or maybe you and your same-sex partner always knew you’d need the help of a sperm donor, but now it’s looking like you might have a medical infertility issue as well.

 

I provide support to people who are going through the roller-coaster ride of trying to conceive, whether you’re dealing with unexplained infertility, secondary infertility (infertility after having conceived one child without assistance), or the challenges that come with LGBTQ family building.

 

Reproductive Decision-Making

 

Parenting involves constant decision-making. For many of us, the difficult decisions arise before our child is even here.

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You may be be struggling to decide whether to become a parent—on your own or with a partner—or perhaps you’re figuring out whether to add to your family.

 

Or maybe you know you want to parent, but need help figuring out whether to use donor gametes (sperm or egg), embryo donation, surrogacy or adoption.

 

I can also help if you’re

• considering becoming a sperm, egg or embryo donor

• deciding whether to undergo elective fertility preservation (ie. egg freezing for future parenting)

• preparing to undergo gender-affirming medical treatment and want to discuss fertility preservation options

• considering fertility preservation prior to treatment for cancer

 

 

Reproductive Loss

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When we decide to become parents, we open up our hearts to hope, joy and love. Reproductive losses are devastating. Often a loss is made more difficult because it isn't recognized by society.

 

Whether you’ve experienced a failed embryo transfer, a miscarriage or a late-term loss, you deserve a supportive space to grieve. Therapy can support you through the grieving process and help you find a way forward.

 

Support Across the Life Span

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Our reproductive stories don’t end when our children arrive.

 

I help families explain donor conception to children, manage donor relationships and navigate decisions about connecting to genetically-related others. Whether you’re a donor, a parent through donor conception or a donor-conceived person, I’m happy to support you with all the complex feelings that this form of family building can evoke.
 

I strongly support all family building options including the decision to live child-free.

Family Building Consultations for Donor Conception
 

If you're working with a fertility clinic and planning to conceive with the help of an egg, sperm or embryo donor, your clinic may require you to meet with a mental health provider for a consultation.

 

You may be wondering why this is necessary. After all, people have babies all the time without talking to a therapist.

 

Here is how I think about clinic-required family building consultations:

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In recent years, adult donor-conceived people have been telling the fertility industry that it needs to do better by them. The Donor Recipient consultation is one step in that direction.

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The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that everyone intending to use donor gametes to build their family attend a meeting with a reproductive mental health professional to discuss the psychosocial implications of donor conception. These current recommendations are the results of a long history of advocacy by members ASRM’s Mental Health Professional Group to get the fertility industry to think about donor conception as a unique form of family building—not just a medical procedure to achieve a pregnancy.

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What the consultation is:

The purpose of the consultation is to provide you with information about family building through donor conception. Topics include: choosing whether to use a Directed (Known) Donor or an Unknown (ie. sperm or egg bank) Donor; information about donor conception from the perspective of your future child; the impact of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing on donor conception and talking to children about their conception story.

 

What the consultation is not:

This meeting is NOT an attempt to determine whether or not you get to be a parent or whether you’ll be a good parent.

 

I offer the following Family Building Consultations:

 

• Psychoeducational Consultation for Individuals or Couples using non-identified (unknown) Donor - One 75-minute meeting

 

• Psychoeducational Consultations for Directed (Known) Donor Arrangements - Three Meetings

1. A Recipient Consultation (90 minutes)

2. A Consultation/Screening with the potential donor (and their partner) (90 minutes)

3. A Group meeting (60 minutes or less)

 

• Psychoeducational Consultation for Directed Embryo Donation - Three Meetings

1. A Recipient Consultation (90 minutes)

2. A Consultation with the potential donors (90 minutes)

3. A Group meeting (60 minutes or less)

 

**At this time, I am not providing consultations for families using Gestational Carriers. I do not screen potential carriers. I also do not screen gamete donors who do not have a prior relationship with the recipients. If you need a referral for this service, feel free to reach out to me.