We know that stress takes a toll on an individual's ability to persevere through fertility treatments. In addition, research shows that stress is the number one reason patients drop out of treatment.
Time, money, unsuccessful cycles, envy at a friends' pregnancy, the holidays, questions from family about your fertility status, and so many more. The list of triggers for stress during infertility and family-building treatments can feel endless. Coping with that stress often feels isolating and lonely. But loneliness is just a feeling. Your experience is natural and shared by many. So it's important to know you are not alone.
It's why our Wellness Center offers the Mind/Body Program for Fertility.
The goal of this program is to help you get your life back, become the person you were before you started trying to build a family, and feel healthy and whole as you continue to pursue your dream of parenthood.
PROGRAM FAST FACTS
- 50% of Mind/Body Program participants become pregnant within six months
- 95% become parents somehow within two years
- Research indicates that participants see reductions in anxiety and depression
- A large federally-funded study showed that 55% of previously infertile people who met regularly in a Mind Body Fertility Program conceived within six months after the program, compared to only 20% in a control group that used no mind/body techniques
PROGRAM DETAILS
The Mind Body Program for Fertility is a ten-week group program for individuals experiencing infertility, pregnancy loss, or wish to build a family. The program is led by our team of psychologists, who are all experts in the emotional aspects and challenges of infertility and family-building.
Our program, held on Zoom, offers support for people at any stage of treatment.
In most groups, about half the participants are either beginning or in the midst of IVF treatment. The program enables participants to take back control of their lives, positively cope with treatments and learn about lifestyle habits that contribute towards happiness and good health.
Our groups provide this support through:
- group sharing with other participants
- guidance from two ‘peer counselors’ in each program who have experienced infertility and family-building and understand what you are going through
- shared knowledge, resources, and experiences
- coping skills
- relaxation techniques
- stress-management strategies
- sharing the pros and cons of alternative approaches
- advice to achieve the most fertility-enhancing lifestyle behaviors
*The Mind Body Program is offered to residents of Massachusetts.*
