When you’re in the midst of infertility treatment, it’s easy to get a little lost.. Often, this is because trying “one more thing,” can easily outweigh the cost to your own well-being.

The following questionnaire appeared in my Emotionally Speaking column in Conceive Magazine a couple of years back. The Yes/No Questionnaire is a good thing to have on hand and for you and your partner to take at regular intervals. It can help you step outside yourself and assess whether it’s time to take a break, or even put an end to treatment and consider alternatives.

1. Do you often find yourself mentally and emotionally tired?

2. Are you losing hope about the outcome of your medical treatment? Do you assume failure to guard yourself against disappointment?

3. Does it seem as if your whole world has become about infertility and that little else matters?

4. Do you find yourself irritable and resentful on the days when you have a doctor’s appointment? Are you resisting following medical instructions?

5. Imagine that your doctor has just informed you that a new groundbreaking treatment has been discovered. Do you wish you didn’t know?

6. Are you feeling resentful that you have had to give up other things to pursue treatment?

7. Is there more tension, arguing, or just isolated silence between you and your partner? Has your relationship lost its energy and joy?

8. Are your money reserves getting dangerously low, putting you at financial risk?

9. Do you find yourself feeling desperate, pursuing treatment against medical recommendation, or willing to pursue pregnancy at any price?

10. Is the idea of being a parent becoming more important to you than being pregnant?

11. Does an end to the demands of treatment and a “return to normal” sound like a relief?
12. Do you look in the mirror and find it hard to remember who you were before, or hard to recognize who you’ve become?

If you find that you’ve answered ‘yes’ to a majority of these questions, it may be time for you to consider ending treatment and reassessing your goals. Even if you’ve only answered ‘yes’ to a few of the questions, you should see these responses as red flags signaling the need to take stock of where you are and strongly consider taking a break from treatment.

Marina

Learn more techniques to help you deal with the challenges of infertility in our book, I Am More Than My Infertility: 7 Proven Tools for Turning a Life Crisis Into a Personal Breakthrough.

www.IAmMore.net