Most people take for granted the idea that they can have a baby if and when they are ready. For many couples, however, the path to parenthood proves much more complicated. Fertility issues can have a devastating impact on prospective parents, throwing their lives into turmoil and affecting their self-identity, personal relationships and career. 

There are a range of factors that can cause infertility, and just as many kinds of emotional reactions to its challenges. Some of those can include: denial, grief, confusion, guilt, anger, loss of control, uncertainty about the future as well anxiety about the future. One prospective parent said her journey of infertility was “a rollercoaster ride between hope and despair”. 

There is no right or wrong way of coping. 

Self-care is important. 

Finding people who understand what you’ve been through makes a big difference too. 

Rather than offering you advice or solutions - as many well-meaning family members and friends sometimes do - Sands parent supporters will simply listen to you express your feelings and respond with the empathy and understanding of someone who knows intimately what it’s like to grieve for the future you imagined.