How to Treat Infertility and Its Effects on Our Sexuality

This article will address the issue of our sexuality as it pertains to our question of how to treat infertility.

Sexual intimacy between husband and wife was created for pleasure as well as procreation. When a couple is faced with the struggles of infertility, the pleasures of sex are often replaced with the schedules of sex. If a couple has realized that they are infertile, the first thing they often do is educate themselves. When the question of how to treat infertility arises, they quickly learn that there is truly a very small window during each cycle for a woman to actually conceive.

With this understanding under their belts, the couple moves forward with their ovulation predictor kits and thermometers in hand. Armed with these 2 simple tools, they quickly realize that their "window of opportunity" is very small indeed. It is at this time that their sexual intimacy diminishes because their desire to have sex is now based upon a certain waking temperature or a little plus sign on a pee stick. Sex now becomes something to work into their schedules and not something to share for pleasure.

You might frequently hear men joke that they feel like a "sperm donor" during sex. "My wife wanted my sperm and not me last night," one man quipped. The woman may also feel put off because of this need for scheduled sex because she is simply there for the deed, not the pleasure. In both cases, the man and woman's personal sexuality, how they feel about sex and themselves, can quickly decline.

Couples may also feel that sex and pregnancy are no longer related. This may be the case if the couple is going through inseminations or through assisted reproductive technologies. To this couple, sex may represent something that has failed them. "It seems pointless and indulgent" is a phrase I hear from couples who feel like their sex lives have changed. Women may also feel that their bodies are changed for the worse by the medications. Certainly, if you are having an ultrasound every morning and your ovaries are enlarged, you may feel less sexy or sexual than usual.

How to treat infertility and its effects upon our sexuality is better understood as we educate ourselves through the proper treatment options. The smart couple will realize that the times they are living are short and that includes this time in their lives. Being able to see beyond the immediate situation and keeping their focus upon the hope of the future (and normal sexual relations being restored) will allow the couple struggling with how to treat infertility above water. Swim together, don't let one another sink. Affirm your love for one another and tackle this struggle togther.