Fertility – Stress and Overwhelm

Struggling with fertility can be overwhelming, and the stress is real - studies even compare it to the impact of a major medical diagnosis. In this episode, we dive into the emotional toll, what happens when stress tips into overwhelm, and the coping strategies that help. 

As you'll see, in the excitement of it all, we even get the name of the podcast wrong  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Episode Notes

2:32 - definition of stress
2:46 - definition of overwhelm
3:07 - the reality of dealing with infertility/ IVF
7:15 - IVF without NHS funding & big career moves
9:27 - financial funding / packages
10:54 - the impact of stress and infertility
14:34 - being everything to everyone
16:54 - when stress tips into overwhelm
17:38 - not fit for human consumption days 
18:26 - effort doesn’t always equal reward
20:25 - fertility burnout 
21:33 - infertility is like running a marathon
23:33 - draining your stress bucket
25:20 - grabbing moments of self-care 
26:34 - telling other people you’ve failed
28:43 - supporting your mind as much as your body
29:57 - control and giving yourself permission to hope
31:23 - trust and communication with your partner
32:08 - being stressed about being stressed
36:35 - infertility is a unique stress
37:19 - coping mechanisms and creating space for yourself
39:04 - reconciling with the idea that it’s not working
40:52 - wallowing in the darkness when it all gets too much 
42:33 - talking about feelings with your partner
46:29 - the stress of disenfranchised grief 
48:30 - opening up and finding your tribe
50:40 - motherhood is a gift
57:06 - recap of coping mechanisms

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