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WELLBEING

Dealing with uncertainty and feeling slightly out of control are often two of the hardest things when you’re going through IVF. Read about the support you can access with Care Fertility.

Wellbeing

Undergoing IVF can be an emotional and physical rollercoaster, filled with moments of hope, uncertainty, and anticipation. It’s a journey that demands a lot from your mind and body, which is why prioritising your wellbeing is essential. At Care Fertility, we understand that IVF is about more than just medical treatment—it’s about supporting the whole person, ensuring you feel seen, heard, and cared for every step of the way.

From the moment you begin your fertility journey with us, our compassionate team is here to provide the tools, resources, and personalised support you need to maintain your wellbeing. Whether it’s managing stress, navigating the emotional highs and lows, or finding ways to stay physically healthy during treatment, we’re with you at every stage.

Counselling

Not every patient will want counselling. But if you want someone to talk to before, during or after your treatment, every clinic has either an in-house or associated counsellor ready to listen.

Could counselling be for me?

At Care Fertility, counselling is available to everyone, and if you’re part of a couple you can choose whether to have sessions together or separately.

Our counselling sessions are an opportunity to talk through your thoughts and feelings, and can be really useful if you’re finding treatment stressful or if you’re feeling anxious. We offer both implications and support counselling; if you’re considering certain types of treatment we’ll encourage you to have implications counselling so you can make sure it’s right for you. No matter your treatment plan, we’ll make sure you have the support you need throughout your journey with us.

The first 3 counselling sessions per cycle are free, subsequent counselling sessions are chargeable.
What does counselling involve?

If you need any kind of emotional support during treatment, you can book a session with one of our support counsellors.

These sessions aren’t limited to fertility or treatment-related worries; you can talk about anything that’s troubling you, including any impact your treatment could be having on other areas of your life. Support counselling will be open to you at any time, wherever you are on your treatment journey.
Implications Counselling

If you’re using donated eggs, sperm, or embryos, we’ll strongly recommend that you have a session of implications counselling, where we’ll help you to explore the possible implications these kinds of treatments might have.

We’ll also offer implications counselling to our donors, where you can come and talk about your donation in a confidential, non-judgemental environment. It’s important to remember that implications counselling is not, in any way, an assessment of you or your choices – it’s simply an opportunity to talk through your proposed treatment with your counsellor. 
Genetics counselling

We also offer counselling sessions dedicated to genetic treatments.

They’re an opportunity to talk through pre-implantation genetic testing procedures including pgt-m and PGT-SR, and also a place to discuss any genetic disorders you have or that we’ve discovered during your tests. 
Confidentiality

Every session will be completely confidential, unless:

  • There are any concerns about the welfare of any children that might be born as a result of treatment, in which case your counsellor will speak to a member of our medical team with your consent
  • Your counsellor has reason to believe there might be a risk of harm to you or others

It’s a clinic requirement as part of surrogacy or known donation treatment (this applies to implication counselling only).
Session times

All of our counsellors have set appointment times that you can book through your clinic reception.

However, if you need a session urgently, can only do certain times, or want to book a session to coincide with a particular stage of treatment, we’ll do our best to work around you.

Talking through your thoughts and feelings is a useful way for you to process your emotions and feel more at ease when going through fertility treatment. Our Care Fertility counsellors are always here to listen and support you throughout your entire treatment – right from your very first steps.

Char Short-General Enquiry Team Manager
Char Short, Patient Services Manager

Self care

Fertility treatment can be an emotional and sometimes stressful journey, so finding ways to stay calm and care for your mental health is essential. While stress may not directly affect fertility, managing it can help you feel more relaxed and focused during treatment. Explore our tips and resources below to support your well-being throughout the process.

Stress management

Though there is some debate about whether stress directly impacts fertility, we want all our patients to feel relaxed during their treatment – though we know that staying relaxed is sometimes easier said than done!

It’s normal to feel a little stressed or anxious when you’re having fertility treatment, but some of our patients use alternative therapies like massage, acupuncture and hypnotherapy to help them to feel calm, and there are lots of other ways you can keep stress down and take care of your mental health
Complementary therapies

Therapies like acupuncture or hypnotherapy can help ease stress during IVF. While their effect on treatment success rates isn’t scientifically proven, they may help you feel calmer. Always consult your clinic nurse or doctor before starting complementary therapies.

Read our blog on acupuncture and IVF
Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a simple meditation technique that helps bring your mind to the present moment, reducing anxiety and stress. It’s easy to practice anywhere, and mobile apps or resources like the NHS website can guide you in getting started.
Healthy diet and exercise

Caring for yourself during treatment is vital. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and time for activities you enjoy can help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. If you’re unsure about any exercises, consult your clinic. 

Supporting a journey

If your partner, a friend, or a loved one is having fertility treatment, it can be difficult to know how to best support them, but there are lots of simple ways you can help and share their journey. By understanding their experiences, taking the time to listen, and keeping them relaxed and reassured, you can support them every step of the way.

Understanding their treatment

It might help to learn more about their treatment. We have lots of information about all our fertility treatments on our website, and we can also provide you with leaflets and other literature at your local clinic. You’re also welcome to come with your partner to appointments or join them at support counselling sessions.

Also, it’s important to remember that fertility treatments can sometimes be emotionally draining, and as a result they might need a little more patience and understanding from you than usual. Try your best to stay open and talk as much as possible, support counselling at Care Fertility may also help with this.

Lifestyle

If your loved one is having to make some lifestyle changes as part of their treatment, such as stopping smoking, reducing their caffeine intake, or drinking less alcohol, you can help them by joining in any changes they make. By making these small changes together, they might find it easier to get used to the new routine.

Looking after yourself

Guiding and supporting someone through fertility treatment can be difficult, and it’s important to look after yourself during this time. You might find it helpful to talk to others who are supporting their friends and family through treatment, you can use the Care Fertility Forum, or other popular IVF support forums.

You can also join your partner at their support counselling appointments, and you are also welcome to speak with one of our specialist fertility counsellors by yourself. These confidential appointments can help you both to talk through the way you’re feeling in a safe, confidential place, and our specially trained counsellors will support you. Many of our patients find that, by sharing their experiences and feelings, they feel closer and more able to deal with whatever they might face on their journey.