Demystifying Fertility Treatments: A Guide for Doulas
Written for Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings
There are a variety of reasons that someone might seek fertility treatment, and they are not always obvious. 1 in 6 individuals worldwide experience infertility, and even more than that, 42% of people in the United States have accessed fertility treatments or know someone who has. The data speaks for itself: as a doula you will, inevitably, encounter folks who have accessed fertility treatments to conceive. In addition to those who are seeking fertility treatments due to infertility, solo parents by choice, queer families, and those using donor gametes will often utilize fertility treatments.
Whether or not you intend to ever offer fertility support as a part of your birthwork practice, it can be beneficial to understand a little bit about fertility treatments so you can meet clients where they are at, regardless of when you are meeting them in their journey to parenthood.
For folks navigating infertility, they will generally turn to the support of a doctor or fertility clinic under one or more of the following conditions:
They have been trying to conceive for 6-12 months without intervention and success.
They already know they will have difficulty conceiving due to a prior diagnosis or prior infertility
They cannot try to conceive at home (i.e., solo parents and queer families)
Keep in mind – people can get pregnant by the help of a known donor at home, but this piece will focus on clinical interventions only. While this piece does not constitute medical or clinical advice, we hope this overview helps you understand what your clients may have navigated to get to where they are now in their journey.