Experts say that one of the biggest mistakes parents make is not
resolving their own feelings about infertility. Unresolved grief
or shame can undermine family relationships in unexpected ways.
Psychotherapy, especially with a therapist who is familiar with
infertility and assisted reproductive technology, can be very helpful
in dealing with these issues both before and after your child is
born.
Annette
Baran, MSW, is a social worker and psychotherapist in
Los Angeles who has written extensively about adoption,
assisted reproduction, and their effects on families. She
says that it's critical for parents to examine their feelings
about how becoming involved in ART affects how they view
themselves. Here, she focuses on couples that used sperm
donation.
Similar
feelings occur in couples who use donated eggs or surrogate
uteruses, according to Hilary Hanafin, Ph.D., the
chief psychologist at the Center for Surrogate Parenting
in Los Angeles.
"And
he felt like a fraud through the whole pregnancy. And particularly
when everybody was congratulating him that his wife was pregnant.
And then finally when he was handing out cigars and it wasn't his
child. And it continued and upset the family system incredibly."
— Annette Baran, MSW
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Annette
Baran, MSW, is a social worker and psychotherapist in
Los Angeles who has written extensively about adoption,
assisted reproduction, and their effects on families. She
says that it's critical for parents to examine their feelings
about how becoming involved in ART affects how they view
themselves. Here, she focuses on couples that used sperm
donation.
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Transcript
Similar
feelings occur in couples who use donated eggs or surrogate
uteruses, according to Hilary Hanafin, Ph.D., the
chief psychologist at the Center for Surrogate Parenting
in Los Angeles.
Elaine
Gordon, Ph.D., a psychologist in southern California
who specializes in issues related to infertility, has noticed
the same patterns.