Pregnancy Loss + Infertility

Struggling with infertility or the loss of a pregnancy? Are you finding yourself avoiding friends and family? Bursting into tears or fits of anger at inappropriate times? Struggling to be happy for others with growing families?

Although there is considerable variation in individual reactions to infertility and pregnancy loss, research is beginning to highlight the possibly traumatic nature of this specific life event and struggle.

Although too often not spoken of publicly, the ongoing stressor of fighting infertility can be brutal both physically and emotionally, leaving women feeling broken and partners feeling helpless.

For those whose pregnancies do not make it successfully to term, the result can be equally devastating. In fact, research now suggests that one month following pregnancy loss, approximately 25% of women will meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You do not need to suffer alone. The Banyan Tree therapists in Athens, GA can help you get to the other side of this.

Common Experiences We Support

The grief of infertility and pregnancy loss often comes with experiences others around you may not understand:

• The cyclical heartbreak of fertility treatments — the hope, the wait, the result
• Grief over a loss that some people minimize (“at least it was early”)
• Anxiety in any subsequent pregnancy, even years later
• Relationship strain with a partner who is grieving differently
• Avoidance of baby showers, friends with babies, social media
• Feeling broken, less-than, or like your body has failed you
• Religious, cultural, or family pressure that makes talking about it harder
• The unique pain of secondary infertility — wanting to grow a family you’ve already started

What Counseling Can Do for You

• Reduce stress and anxiety in the present
• Process and integrate the trauma rather than suppressing it
• Lift depression and the heavy fatigue that often comes with grief
• Reconnect you with loved ones (including your partner)
• Build coping strategies that hold up during fertility treatments or future pregnancy
• Create strength and balance for whatever comes next

Our Approach

Several of our Athens-based clinicians specialize in perinatal mental health, including pregnancy loss and infertility. Sessions are paced to your nervous system — we don’t push you to talk about anything before you’re ready. The work draws from trauma-informed and grief-focused approaches, including EMDR when it fits, somatic work, and traditional talk therapy.

If you’d like to talk through whether counseling could help, The Banyan Tree’s intake coordinator can match you with a therapist who has specific training in this work.