The Weight of Hope and Heartbreak: Part One

Understanding the Emotional Toll of Infertility

Infertility is so much more than a medical condition—it’s an emotional journey, one that can feel profoundly isolating. During Canadian Fertility Awareness Week, we invite you to pause, take a deep breath, and acknowledge the full weight of what you may be carrying.

Infertility often feels like an endless cycle of hope and heartbreak. One moment, there’s the spark of possibility; the next, the crushing realization that another month has passed without the answer you’ve been longing for. This journey doesn’t just challenge your body—it can challenge your identity, relationships, and sense of self-worth.

Maybe you’ve felt the sharp ache of grief opening yet another baby shower invitation. Maybe you’ve experienced the burn of shame when someone casually asks, “When are you having kids?” Or maybe you’ve wrestled with a pang of jealousy you didn’t expect when someone else shares their joyful pregnancy news. These feelings can be overwhelming, but they are also deeply human. They don’t make you weak—they make you real.

The silence surrounding infertility can make it feel even heavier. Many don’t know how to approach the topic, leaving you to navigate this deeply personal struggle alone. But you don’t have to. Sharing your story with someone who understands can be the first step toward healing. Connection is the antidote to isolation, and you deserve to feel seen and supported.

Laura Moore, MPsy., is an integrative therapist at the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships (CFIR) in Toronto, specializing in providing compassionate support to individuals and couples on their fertility journey. With expertise in relationship dynamics and the emotional complexities of fertility, Laura creates a safe space to address challenges such as fertility treatments, grief, loss, and maintaining connection in relationships. She also supports clients navigating intimacy, infidelity, separation, and rebuilding after trauma. Laura is dedicated to helping you feel seen, understood, and supported as you move through this deeply personal experience.

Maintaining and Building Healthy Relationships Virtually During COVID-19

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the whole world changed rapidly and drastically, which can invoke feelings of fear as well as uncertainty. A particularly crucial yet psychologically difficult element associated with COVID-19 is the worldwide efforts of socially distancing to limit the spread of the virus. As human beings, we have a fundamental need and drive for interpersonal connections and relationships. During social distancing, it can be common to feel loneliness and disconnection from others. However, with modern technology, we can build and nurture new and existing relationships that have evidence-based findings to improve our mental health and overall wellbeing. Healthy relationships are linked to reduced production of stress hormones such as cortisol, a greater sense of purpose, and healthy coping behaviours.

During times like this, it is crucial to utilize the psychological benefits of social relationships by:

  • Scheduling times to connect via FaceTime, Skype, or virtual platforms. This activity can serve as a wonderful substitution for face to face interaction. 
  • Sharing our thoughts, feelings, concerns, and experiences with friends and family. Doing so allows us to feel heard, understood, and increasingly connected to others.
  • Create time for individual hobbies and self-care; however, include scheduled time for family activities such as game nights or think of some creative ideas on date nights you can create with your partner at home.
  • Reconnecting with friends or relatives that we haven’t had much time or opportunity to connect with as frequently in the past.
  • Keeping in touch with colleagues or employees during these uncertain times and offering support.

Clinicians at CFIR are offering confidential, secure video therapy or teletherapy therapy, which can help support you with maintaining social relationships during COVID-19 as well as working through feelings of loneliness, loss, or uncertainty, amongst others.

Edgar Prudcoi, B.A. is a therapist at the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships (CFIR) in Toronto and is near completion of his Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at the Adler Graduate Professional School. He supports individual adults and couples to deal with difficulties related to emotion (e.g., depression, anxiety, anger), the effects of trauma, loss and grief, conflict resolution, and relationship functioning.