Why an infertility coaching group for men only?
The impact a diagnosis of infertility has on you, the male partner in a relationship, is a matter that is generally disregarded in the world of infertility. Also overlooked is the impact of ensuing fertility treatments on men.
Some men carry guilt, anxiety and shame because “they are the reason” their significant other can’t get pregnant. They carry the weight of knowing that their spouse is suffering emotionally and physically because male factor infertility is the cause. Is this you?
Other men struggle because they perceive they are now living with a spouse who is over-consumed with the desire to have a baby. Infertility seems to encompass her entire life – she doesn’t have much left to give to the significant other in her life. All that it seems she needs you for is intercourse during ovulation or to take a sperm sample to the clinic.
The life of the relationship is gone. Spontaneity is gone. Adventure is gone.
Does this seem too familiar?
Has it become increasingly difficult to know “just the right thing to say” to her? Have you wondered how to be more supportive? Or why what you are doing isn’t working? Are you confused about what exactly it is she needs? It may be especially difficult to know what she needs because it seems to change every day.
Why is this? Is it the treatments? The medications?
One thing is for sure: As her spouse, you will feel the brunt of all this emotional, physical and mental change. What’s a man to do about this?
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What you can expect in an infertility coaching group for men only.
This group provides an incredible opportunity to receive support – support in many different forms.
Focused, relevant, timely support. Sound, compassionate, valuable advice.
You will have many opportunities to ask questions relating to the medical procedures that you and your spouse will encounter. The fertility nurse can answer your questions and coach you through important considerations, options and implications.
| In a Men’s Group, you will have the opportunity to: |
| - Ask questions about the treatments your spouse is undergoing or the medications she is taking. |
| - Ask questions about the physical and emotional impact of these treatments and medications. |
| - Voice concerns regarding how aggressive or not aggressive you and your partner are in perusing fertility treatment. |
| - Learn what questions you should/could be asking of the physician and nurses you’re working with. |
| - Benefit from the experiences, wisdom, challenges and insights of other similarly-situated infertility patients. |
| - Discuss your experience and explore the impact it is having. |
| - Ask questions; get answers and perspective. |
| - Be educated on what’s ahead in your fertility treatment process, and receive insight and direction on your path forward. |
It is essential that men receive support along this journey – whether it be from your coach or from other men who are going through the same experience.
This group is the perfect way to get connected!
This group will lend itself to the formation of deeper relationship and greater vulnerability. As a group that meets only by phone, you will have the greatest possibility to talk openly about what’s going on for you and in your relationship with your significant other, and how it’s impacting you. In this group, you can maintain complete anonymity.
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Space for open communication and helpful feedback.
This coaching group provides a space to talk openly about the conflicts and feelings that are arising in this process. It is a safe place where there will be listening and empathizing ears. There will also be opportunity to receive powerful and supportive feedback, whether from patients who too know exactly the tensions you’re experiencing or from the fertility nurse who has coached many other men through this same experience.
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A knowledgeable and caring coach familiar with every facet of the process.
| This group will provide you a great deal of opportunity to interact with a fertility nurse coach. You will be coached by a seasoned fertility nurse who has worked with thousands of patients. She is thoroughly familiar with all the tests and procedures that you and your spouse will be undergoing. She has over 10 years of wide-ranging experience in the field of infertility. This means that she is thoroughly knowledgeable of: |
| - All the medical terminology. |
| - All the testing and procedures that you’ll face. |
| - All the options and implications that lie ahead. |
| - All the decisions that you’ll have to make. |
| She will coach with your best interests in mind. She will ask questions. She will listen well. She will share a wealth of professional knowledge. Your fertility nurse will: |
| - Help you maximize the time you have with your physician. |
| - Help you work through the roller coaster of emotions that typically accompany this process. |
| - Explore with you the options and their implications and guide you through the difficult choices that lie ahead. |
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A strong, powerful and supportive community.
Another valuable form of support you will receive is support from others in the group. Your fellow group participants are moving through the same experiences as you. They may be at the same point or at a different point in the process. You will benefit from their support, encouragement, wisdom, challenges, ideas and responses.
Participants at different points along the journey can offer insight, dispel fears and lend guidance. They will provide you a valuable view based on the process, decisions and outcomes they’re facing.
| There is much to gain from others in the same situation as you: |
| - Feedback as to what worked well and what didn’t work so well and what could be done differently. |
| - Insight from what other physicians may have recommended to other participants. |
| - Guidance from the questions others have asked their physicians and from the ways they have engaged their health care providers. |
| - Direction from the measures others have taken to ensure they were comfortable with their treatment plan. |
| - Counsel from participants who have successfully ensured that their relationships (with spouse and/or others) haven’t broken down. |
| - Advice from others regarding what areas in their relationships were more apt to break down and why. |
The value of community at this time in your life cannot be overstated. We are not meant to engage these times in our life alone.
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What are the logistics?
The group will comprise no more than 10 men.
We will meet by phone for 1.5 hours every other week for a 16 week period.
After your payment is received, you will be sent a phone number and pass code. Just prior to each designated group coaching time, simply call the phone number and when prompted, dial the pass code. You will then be connected to your group.
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Learn more.
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