Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss Counseling
Infertility, miscarriages, and losses can feel very isolating, scary, and filled with confusion.
The grief that comes from loss is never simple, and often looks very different from one person to the next. The pain you experience after a loss can be both emotional and physical. Sometimes friends or family might not have known that you were expecting, which can contribute to feelings of loneliness or isolation. No matter what type of loss you have experienced, River Root Counseling is committed to supporting you and your mental health every step of the way after your loss.
Infertility
Infertility is defined as a condition where a person is unable to become and/or stay pregnant after one year of trying to conceive. While there are many possible causes of infertility, some couples are unable to determine the cause. Treatment for infertility can often be long, invasive, expensive, stressful, or painful. For some, the treatment of infertility can be a multi-year long process, creating a dynamic of many ups and downs in emotional functioning. Experiencing infertility can feel uncertain and scary. Many families experience grief alongside infertility, and that their hopes and dreams feel out of reach.
Types of Reproductive Loss
Miscarriages are defined as a loss that occurs before the 20th week of pregnancy. The emotional pain that comes with experiencing a miscarriage can be very traumatic for many families. Experiencing a miscarriage can increase anxiety in future pregnancies. After experiencing a miscarriage, families may often feel anxious in future pregnancies, and like the joys of pregnancy have been ripped from them. Approximately 10-20% of known pregnancies will end in miscarriage. This number is likely higher, due to many miscarriages happening before people may realize that they are pregnant.
Stillbirth
A stillbirth is defined as a loss that occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy. For many parents, experiencing a stillbirth is shocking and unexpected. This can lead parents to feeling anxious, and that they have no control over something so important to them. Stillbirth affects about 1 in 175 births. Each year, approximately 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.
Neonatal Loss
Neonatal loss is defined as a loss of a baby that occurs post-pregnancy within the first 28 days of life. For some parents, the cause of the loss is unknown, which can contribute significantly to grief, trauma, or emotional distress.
Our Approach to Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss Counseling
One of the biggest and most important aspects of infertility, miscarriage, and loss counseling, is providing you with a safe, zero judgment, compassionate space to process your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The clinical team at River Root Counseling will primarily focus on supporting you as you intellectually and emotionally process the loss. In grief therapy, there are no timelines, as grief can often look different from one person to the next.
If you are experiencing any symptoms of anxiety, panic, depression, post-traumatic stress, or something else in the aftermath of your loss, River Root Counseling will utilize evidence-based therapies in combination with grief therapy.
Not sure if you are ready for counseling yet?
We get it – therapy can feel both overwhelming and intimidating! At River Root, our therapists are big supporters of coming as you are, whether that be in your sweatpants or with tears streaming down your face. Whether we are meeting in our office in Uniontown, Ohio or via telehealth, know that we understand the value of your time, and will help you with practical tools for you to feel better and have symptom relief. Therapy is an investment in yourself, and a process in which you will learn and grow as an individual. Whether you recently experienced a loss, are currently navigating infertility, or something else, we are happy to support you and provide effective, fun, and compassionate counseling for you and your concerns. We can set up an appointment for you to begin infertility, miscarriage, and/or loss counseling today, no matter where you reside in Ohio.