My Journey with Cushing’s disease
At 30 years old, I was fit, healthy and naturally a size 8–10. I knew my body well, which is why, when it started to
It’s an experience that many American women know all too well. According to data from the Pew Research Center, about 33% of U.S. adults say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is also responsible for over 1 million babies since 1996 in America. That’s about 2% of all U.S. births.
Thus, understanding what the experience is like can help you prepare, both physically and mentally. This is precisely what we’ll be exploring in this article.
Your initial contact with fertility care may be through a gynecologist, primary care provider, or fertility specialist. The early stage usually involves understanding your reproductive history and looking for possible reasons why conception has been difficult. Depending on your circumstances, this may involve hormone testing, ultrasound scans, ovarian reserve testing, semen analysis, and other investigations.
A fertility specialist, often a reproductive endocrinologist, will assess the results and discuss possible treatment options. Nurses can become particularly important at this stage because they often help explain how the tests will be conducted, answer practical questions, and prepare patients for what comes next.
The quality of this early care can also influence whether someone continues with treatment. Data shows that 22% of women discontinued infertility care within 3 months of unsuccessful CC/gonadotropin treatment. The research noted that dropout was more likely for:
What was interesting is that even with free treatment, 1 in 4 women dropped out ‘very early’ if treatment was unsuccessful.
Fertility treatment can involve considerable emotional strain, particularly when a cycle does not produce the hoped-for result. Look at the findings of one study from the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. It found that clinics often provide insufficient emotional support, with perceived support averaging at 4.3 out of 10.
This score dropped to 3.2 following a failed fertility treatment cycle. During these moments, patients rated their emotional state at just 1.7.
The factor of emotional support is thus critical and can come from several members of a care team. Nurses tend to be a major source since they become familiar faces who answer questions between appointments. Likewise, counselors and social workers can provide more specialized support when treatment begins affecting someone’s mental well-being or relationships.
For women who have experienced this type of emotional gap in care, the experience can inspire a desire to help other women. Nursing offers one way to turn that motivation into a career, particularly because fertility nurses remain closely involved with patients throughout treatment.
So, someone who already holds a bachelor’s degree and wants to make that transition into healthcare may, for example, explore direct-entry MSN nursing programs as a route into the profession.
According to Elmhurst University, they can also be done online, which makes them ideal for working professionals. The fact that you don’t specifically need a bachelor’s in nursing also helps.
As treatment progresses, you may interact with a larger group of professionals, particularly if you move through different phases of ART.
As the CDC notes, 435,426 ART cycles were performed on 251,542 patients across 457 American clinics in 2022. ART cycles include methods like in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo banking, and donor eggs. These ART cycles resulted in 98,289 babies being born that year.
As a patient, this translates into many individual appointments and decisions. A fertility nurse may teach you how to take medications and explain monitoring appointments. They also help you understand instructions before procedures such as egg retrieval or embryo transfer.
You may also encounter financial coordinators, scheduling staff, or other specialists who help manage the practical side of treatment. Knowing who to approach with a particular question can save considerable frustration.
For example, medication questions may be best directed to a nurse, while specific questions about embryo development should be addressed by the embryology team.
This collaborative approach means your experience can extend well beyond the doctor’s consultation room. It can be chaotic at times, but if you keep calm, you’ll see there’s an order and methodology behind everything that’s happening.
Look for a clinic with qualified fertility specialists, clear communication, and a strong track record with the treatments you may need. It can also help to ask about success rates, costs, monitoring practices, available emotional support, and how easily you can reach your care team.
Start by accepting that fertility treatment can bring a mix of hope, anxiety, disappointment, and frustration. Talk openly with your partner or someone you trust, consider counseling, and learn what each stage involves. Having a support system in place can make difficult moments easier to handle.
There is no universal number of IVF cycles that works for everyone. Age, ovarian reserve, previous treatment results, embryo quality, finances, and personal preferences can all influence the decision. Your fertility specialist can review your individual circumstances and help determine whether another cycle is worth pursuing.
| Babies born in America through ART since 1996 | Over 1 million |
| American adults who say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments | 33% |
| Approximate share of all U.S. births attributed to ART | 2% |
| Percentage of women who discontinued infertility care within 3 months of unsuccessful treatment | 22% |
| Women who dropped out of treatment very early despite treatment being free | 1 in 4 |
| Babies born following ART cycles in 2022 | 98,289 |
| Perceived emotional support provided by fertility clinics | 4.3/10 |
| Perceived emotional support after a failed fertility treatment cycle | 3.2/10 |
| Patients’ self-rated emotional state after a failed treatment cycle | 1.7/10 |
Fertility treatment can involve a surprisingly broad network of professionals, from reproductive specialists and nurses to embryologists, counselors, and administrative staff. Each person contributes differently, and understanding those roles can make the process feel more manageable.
Likewise, it’s important that you find a clinic where you know who is responsible for different aspects of your care. Likewise, try to read reviews and find out how supportive the staff is, as things can get stressful and frustrating at times. Remember, treatment can involve uncertainty, particularly when a cycle is unsuccessful, so having professionals who communicate clearly really helps.
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