The diagnosis of PTSD, until recently, has mostly been assigned to war veterans and victims of assault. However, the traumatizing struggle that many women and couples face when dealing with a diagnosis of infertility is ongoing. It’s not limited to an isolated event or circumstance. “Fertility PTSD”, by comparison to typical PTSD, subjects its patients to be re-triggered on a regularly repeating basis.

As fertility patients “hang in”, month after challenging month, they develop a range of symptoms that include: an inability to trust, difficulty feeling safe, anxiety and panic, insomnia, isolation and physiological symptoms such as palpitations and in some cases, sympathetic shock which arises as they approach routine ultrasounds and exams, procedures and protocols.

With each cycle attempt, they courageously tell themselves to “fight the good fight” and ignore bodily cues of dysregulation, in hopes of conceiving, staying pregnant and moving beyond the reproductive life chapter.

This episode with Maternal Mental Health Psychologist, Dr Ivy Margulies, explains the physiological connection behind the metaphorical phrase “The Uterus Is Our Second Heart”; as the powerful connection between our mind’s perceptionand our body’s physiology can no longer be denied in this vulnerable community.

Dr Ivy is an expert in the field of women’s reproductive psychology. She has dedicated her life to the mission of helping women during all stages of womanhood; including everything from infertility and childlessness, to loss of babies, infants and children, and including the grief that occurs due to the loss of their long held family building dream.

As Dr Ivy explained, “When you’re stuck in feeling, you’re not thinking (rationally)”.

This episode gives women (and their partners) a plethora of perspective, information, insights and effective strategies to better understand PTSD… as it pertains to baby-making and parenthood.

Dr Ivy Margulies is taking new clients, in-person and virtually. Visit her website www.DrIvyLove.com to learn more; or reach out directly via email to schedule: drivylove@gmail.com.

This episode was sponsored by SeedFertility.com, the original resource of online fertility education. For specific tools to reconcile pregnancy loss and grief associated with infertility, consider Healing After Loss — a course available inside SeedFertility.com that provides a downloadable workbook, a new perspective, and unique strategies to restore the hope that often gets lost along the way to motherhood. Use promo code BABYMAKERS and save 20%.

Executive Producer: Danica Thornberry

Associate Producer: Miranda Ogletree

Audio Engineer: Patrick Edwards