Grief is a natural and common reaction to all kinds of loss; this includes the loss of or the threat of losing the chance to have children when diagnosed with infertility. Grief involves several emotional reactions to loss such as negative thoughts, a change in behaviors (e.g., difficulty sleeping), conflicting feelings, and challenging interpersonal experiences such as difficulty attending baby showers or other child-focused activities.
Grief related to infertility affects many areas of a person’s life. Infertility-related grief can include sadness, anger, anxiety, shock, feeling invisible, feeling like no one understands your experience, emotional numbness, loneliness, and/or difficulty engaging in daily life.i Fertility issues can also impact self-esteem.ii,iii Although infertility-related grief can sometimes be long-lasting, feelings of grief generally decrease over time.
