Scary! Fertility Treatments Could Cause PTSD
Between tracking ovulation and undergoing treatments, trying to conceive can be a strenuous and stressful situation, especially if you aren’t successful. It can even be so emotionally taxing that women undergoing the process can even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a recent study, researchers surveyed 142 people who had undergone fertility treatments. Of the participants, 46 percent met the criteria for PTSD, meaning they could be diagnosed with the condition. Compared to the eight percent of the general population that suffers from PTSD, that’s quite a jump. Some of the common symptoms were feeling upset at reminders of their infertility, such as seeing commercials for baby diapers, feeling distant or cut off from people, or feeling hopeless.
The study’s lead researcher, Allyson Bradow, hopes this leads to a change in definition for PTSD and more discussion about the issue.
“The definition of trauma should be expanded to include expectations of life,” said Bradow, who went through fertility treatments herself. “Having children, expanding your family, carrying on your genetic code — that’s an instinctual drive that we have as human beings. And when that is being threatened, it’s not necessarily your life being threatened, but your expectation of what your life can be or should be like.”
Bradow believes that anyone undergoing fertility should be required to attend counseling. After all, the stress of infertility takes a psychological toll as well as a physical.
Do you think women who are trying to conceive should be provided therapy?
Plus more from The Bump:
Undergoing Fertility Treatments? You May Need to Try, Try Again
How to Deal When Everyone Else Is Pregnant (and You’re Still Trying)
How Much Fertility Treatments Cost
The Knot Blog
The Nest Blog
Offered the option of councelling? Yes. REQUIRED to go to councelling?!? Absolutely not!! Those of us who have gone through ART already have enough constraints on our time, money and energy. Being forced to go through another unnecessary process would be a hardship, especially since we already feel like our lives and bodies are unfairly out of our control.
I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in this article. As a psychologist, I conduct diagnostic evaluations on a daily basis. PTSD is a specific constellation of symptoms and does not result from every experience of trauma. The statement, “The definition of trauma should be expanded to include expectations of life,” said Bradow,” is not only disappointing to hear but factually incorrect. The actual criteria A for PTSD is a)the person witnessed or was confronted with an event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others and b) the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror (direct quote from the DSM-IV-TR). THIS is the criteria for PTSD and as much as Bradow would like to change the criteria and expand it to “life expectations” she does not have the authority to do so. That would be like a medical doctor deciding that he/she wants to change the criteria for cancer or the flu. There are other conditions that might aptly capture what women going through fertility treatments are experiencing – something like Adjustment Disorder. But studies/articles like this serve to only overpathologize us rather than accept that as humans we have a full range of emotions – and some of those emotions are really unpleasant. I do agree with one point and that is that women who are going through fertility treatment should be encouraged to seek counseling/therapy – it’s always good to have someone to talk to when we are going through rough times and having someone who objective and not so emotionally tied to the situation can be especially helpful. Sorry for my “rant” but I think that people should be informed – PTSD is a very serious diagnosis and unfortunately it seems that mental health diagnoses in general are being applied to people without much thought to the actual criteria for diagnosis.