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FERTILITY PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
Considering Evaluations with Firefly
When beginning fertility treatments, it is generally required that all patients have a psychological evaluation with an outside therapist. This one-time appointment will provide your medical team with the assurance that you are informed and psychologically prepared to navigate the complex journey of fertility treatments ranging from fertility preservation to assisted reproductive technology.
It can be very exciting to begin fertility treatments, and simultaneously be very triggering. Survivors of sexual abuse are more likely to struggle with infertility than non-survivors; an unfair and often unexpected consequence of trauma that may have happened many years before. As a result, survivors who wish to have children often pursue medical treatments to realize this dream. This endeavor is complex and emotional for most women, and particularly so for those with a trauma history.
Regularly required tests, monitoring appointments, and procedures are invasive, unpredictable, and often involve working with a large medical team for an unknown period of time. The best way to manage emerging or heightened trauma symptoms during such treatments is to prepare for them. Our fertility evaluations provide clients with concrete tools to navigate this experience in a positive way.
Common Questions for Fertility Evaluations
What treatments are fertility psychological evaluations generally required for?
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Egg donation
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Egg preservation
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Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
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In vitro fertilization (IVF)
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Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
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Use of donor eggs or sperm
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Gestational carrier/surrogacy
What does a fertility psychological evaluation assess for?
A fertility psychological evaluation assesses a woman or couple’s readiness for upcoming treatments and all possible outcomes. This appointment will explore the following areas:
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Relevant psychosocial factors
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Emotional readiness
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Coping skills
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Understanding of the process and related ethical concerns
What happens in a fertility psychological evaluation appointment?
In this appointment, therapists conduct a comprehensive intake which encompasses a client’s history and current state of mental health. Therapists talk with clients about their expectations, support systems, trauma histories, and preparedness for the unpredictable journey ahead. Any unresolved grief related to pursuing fertility treatments can be be processed. Additionally, ethical concerns stemming from complex medical decisions are explored to help clients make emotionally-informed decisions about their treatment.
Therapists provide clients with personalized, practical strategies to help manage the psychological impact, and often emotional rollercoaster, of navigating fertility treatments.
Why use Firefly?
All clinicians on our all-women team operate from a trauma-informed perspective. We understand that fertility treatments can be triggering and difficult to move through, even when all goes well. Our expertise in PTSD and mindfulness will help ensure that clients have the tools to help them stay grounded and cope with the emotional impact of this process.
Firefly Therapy supports all types of families and all paths to parenthood.
Let's discuss your next step
Schedule a free consultation to find out if Firefly Therapy is the right practice for you. We'll help you learn more about our services so you can find what suits you best.
Trauma Therapy
Meet our licensed therapists
We specialize in sexual assault and abuse, and intimate partner violence. Our therapists have expertise in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the many ways trauma surfaces in our bodies and our lives.
A message to our survivors: We hear you. We believe you. We will help you move forward.
Skilled, experienced therapists- providing education and support on your journey to well-being.