What is infertility?
Infertility during reproductive years is classified as ‘a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility may occur due to male, female or unexplained factors. Treatment of infertility often involves in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other types of medically assisted reproduction.’ (HFEA 2024)
Infertility can be a result of medical intervention or medication. Infertility is also a stage of the ageing process for women when they reach the menopause and lose the ability to conceive, and for men, when they reach an age when their sperm is no longer viable to create babies. There is however a physiological gender imbalance as for women, this stage can be much earlier in the life span than men. Navigating the physiological changes brought on by loss of fertility should not be underestimated as it can cause emotional distress in the readjustment when moving to elder years.
Infertility is categorised as either ‘primary’ or ‘secondary’. Primary infertility when a pregnancy has never been achieved by a person, and secondary infertility is when at least one prior pregnancy has been achieved.
In the latest WHO (World Health Organisation) report it was estimated that approximately one in every six people of reproductive age worldwide experience infertility in their lifetime. One third being diagnosed as male infertility, one third women and the remaining third unexplained.
What is Fertility Counselling?
Fertility Counselling can benefit anyone affected by the subject of fertility as they endeavour to have a baby and the struggles that can be experienced. Counselling could be helpful for individual women and men, same sex couples and transgender people considering storing eggs and sperm.
The mental health impact of in/fertility is a key element which is often overlooked. Counselling can help within a family group for relatives and friends who need to process the impact of infertility as they support someone affected. This is particularly important for those who need to use donor gametes to create a family and the complexity this evokes.
Fertility counselling is multi-layered and relational work is implicit in the support. Navigating infertility is one of the biggest challenges an individual and couple can face. In society it can feel a natural assumption that couples will have babies, but when this is difficult or impossible it is an extremely challenging time.
Our fertility counsellor is mindful of the impact that infertility has on a couple. Whilst working with the presenting difficulty of having a baby, attention is also focused on the relationship and the impact that infertility has on each partner individually and together.
Fertility counselling can be short or longer term, depending on the needs of clients. The focus is on the emotional impact of infertility for the individual, their partner (if there is one), close family members or friends and all this encompasses. The therapeutic process supports the client to process and come to an informed choice of the path they wish to take as they navigate through potential complexities.
Our Expertise
- Dealing with the emotional impact of infertility on individuals and couples
- Coping with unexplained infertility and the inability to conceive
- Accepting and processing a diagnosis and exploring the potential for fertility treatment and the complexity this brings
- Support for relationships and the wider family
- Loss and grief counselling for early miscarriage, neo-natal death and still birth
- Emotional management of physiological and medical reasons for infertility
- Loss of fertility due to medical procedures/treatments
- Consideration of social egg freezing
- Consideration of using donor egg or sperm
- Post menopausal support and the subsequent of loss of fertility
Our Fees
£130
Fertility Counselling 60 minute Appointment
£65
Fertility Counselling 30 minute Appointment
🎨 We’re delighted to introduce Amelia Mackenzie, our new Art Psychotherapist! She brings a wealth of experience and a compassionate, client-focused approach to her work with children, families, adults, and older adults.
💫 Amelia’s expertise includes supporting individuals facing anxiety, depression, trauma, neurodiverse challenges, and life transitions. She has worked across various settings, including the NHS, schools, and charities, and even implemented Art Therapy programs internationally. Her approach is warm, inclusive, and tailored to each client’s unique needs, helping them express emotions, build resilience, and foster self-awareness through the creative process.
💛 Welcome to Team TEP, Amelia!
👌Stress, anxiety, and insomnia are linked to tension in the body and a racing mind. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is associated with a reduction in these symptoms. As it requires us to focus on our breathing and body, it can be viewed as a form of mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is linked to a host of wellbeing benefits. If you practice PMR frequently, you can gradually become more aware of tension in your body and how to release it as you go about your day.
💪Here is how to do it. Find a quiet space where you won’t be distracted. Sit comfortably or lie down. Give yourself permission to put aside your worries. Focus on your breath. Breath in for 5 seconds, hold briefly, and breath out slowly letting tension be released from your body. Now focus on a muscle group. Begin by tensing your feet for 5 seconds while breathing in. Then breath out slowly, releasing the tension. Relax for 10 seconds. Pay close attention to how each part of your foot feels when tensed, released, and thereafter.
🧘🏽Progress to your calves and move all the way up and around your body – even your eyebrows, forehead, and cheeks! Try to find as many muscle groups as possible. Pay close attention to how they feel. If you get distracted, gently acknowledge this and return your attention to the exercise.
⚠️Caution! If you have current or historical physical injuries, consult your doctor before attempting progressive muscle relaxation. Tensing a muscle should not feel painful.
#ProgressiveMuscleRelaxation #PairedMuscleRelaxation #TheEdinburghPractice
Happy Friday, everyone! 🤩 This #FridayCheckIn, Nik is guiding us through TEP’s client satisfaction forms.
🙏 At The Edinburgh Practice, we truly value our clients’ feedback and are always looking for ways to improve our services. Your insights help us grow and ensure we’re providing the best possible care.
🌟 You can share your thoughts anonymously via the Viewpoint stand at our entrance, our paper feedback forms in reception, or our online survey— via QR code in the practice or through the link in our bio!
💛 We appreciate every piece of feedback—big or small!
#ClientFeedback #ClientSatisfsction #Quality #TheEdinburghPractice
❤️ We’re supporting Time to Talk Day! Talking about what is going on in our lives and feeling heard is crucial for wellbeing. Today is about everyone getting together to talk and listen.
🗣️Talking about mental health doesn’t need to be awkward. Everyone struggles with their mental health from time to time.
👂You don’t need to have all the answers to be a good listener. Sometimes a friendly ear and space to share is all someone needs.
🫶Open up, talk, and listen.
Get involved at https://timetotalkday.co.uk
#TimeToTalk Day #TheEdinburghPractice
🌼 We’re supporting #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek with @_Place2Be! This year’s theme is ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’, encouraging self-discovery and growth.
💛 This week is all about helping young people speak up and feel empowered to talk about mental health. It is about how we can build our resilience by understanding ourselves and recognising our emotions. By understanding who we are, we can find out what makes us feel happy, sad, anxious, or scared - or even all of them at once!
🌟 If you want to get involved, you can find more information and wonderful resources on www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk
#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek #Growth #Resilience #MentalHealth #TheEdinburghPractice
Mood journaling can be a useful way to improve self-awareness, emotion regulation, and problem-solving. If positive aspects are noted along with the negative, it may also improve wellbeing.
📔Mood journalling is easy! Along with paper journals, there are mood journalling and tracking apps. Write down your daily emotions, thoughts, and behaviours and the context in which they occurred. Do this regularly and you may notice triggers and patterns in your moods.
📝Note down the intensity of your emotions from 1-10. Add as many details as possible, for example: what happened, when and where; how you felt; what you were thinking; what you were doing; how you felt in your body; whether you were tired; what the weather was like; what you ate; who you were with; what you did to cope and whether it worked.
🧘🏽Try to be mindful - pay close attention to how things are without judgment. And be kind to yourself. Not only will this improve the accuracy of your journalling, but practicing mindfulness is linked to an array of mental health benefits.
😊 Don’t forget to note positive aspects of your day. It’s just as important to understand what contributes to positive moods. What’s more, positive affect journaling and gratitude journaling are linked to improved wellbeing.
🤔 Review your entries regularly. Over time, you may notice patterns and contributors to both positive and negative emotions. You can improve self-awareness and responses to anticipated stressors. You may also notice thoughts, behaviours, and environmental factors that can be changed to promote more positive moods overall.
Mood journaling is similar to mood tracking but is more in-depth. Mood tracking apps often offer quantitative information presented in graphs, while mood journalling allows for more detailed expressive writing. Both can be useful!
#moodjournal #mooddiary #moodtracker #journal #journaling #TheEdinburghPractice
👋 Today we’re checking in with Nik, our new Assistant Psychologist for Children and Young People. Nik joined us following previous roles in mental health support and research.
🤔 Find out why Nik wanted to join the team, his favourite quote, restaurant, what he does to relax, and his favourite thing about The Edinburgh Practice!
#AssistantPsychologist #TheEdinburghPractice #FridayCheckIn
We’re so excited to welcome Ella Davies, our new Art Psychotherapist to Team TEP! With extensive experience and a deep belief in the power of creativity, Ella supports individuals in exploring and expressing their emotions through art. Whether it’s painting, drawing, or other creative outlets, Art Therapy can help uncover thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to express in words.
Ella is passionate about creating a safe and supportive space where clients can use art as a tool for healing, growth, and self-discovery. Stay tuned for a future post, where we’ll share more about how Art Therapy works and the incredible benefits it can bring.
#ArtPsychotherapy #TheEdinburghPractice #WelcomeToTheTeam
Happy Monday everyone! This Monday, ‘M’ is for Mindful Parenting 🌱
💫 Mindful parenting encourages us to slow down, truly listen, and connect with our children on a deeper level. The mindful parenting method teaches us that children’s behaviours and expressions are often reflections of their emotional state. This can then enable us, as parents, to approach situations with empathy and curiosity, to balance guidance and discipline, with a genuine effort to understand the child’s perspective.
💛 Remember - parenting isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being present.
#MindfulParenting #Mindfulness #BeingPresent #MentalHealth #TheEdinburghPractice
Your values are the beliefs and principles that you believe are important. Values can guide the way you live, act as a compass for decision making, inform your interactions with self and others. Values can be the foundation of leading a meaningful life 🌟
Remember, values aren’t goals to achieve - values are guiding principles to help you navigate life’s decisions and challenges.
Take a moment to check in: Are your actions this week reflecting what truly matters to you? If not, that’s okay - every day is a chance to realign.
What’s one small way you can honour your values this weekend?
#FridayCheckIn #Values #LiveYourValues #TheEdinburghPractice
⛈️ Due to the red weather warning, the practice building will be closed on Friday, January 24. All appointments will be held remotely. The Edinburgh Practice can be contacted by telephone or email, as usual.
Please keep yourselves safe!
#theedinburghpractice #stormeowyn
Feeling the January blues? You’re not alone! 🌥️
❄️ It’s completely normal to feel a little low during the winter months. Many people report experiencing low mood, sadness, lack of motivation and tiredness at the start of the year. If you are experiencing this you are not alone, here are some tips for how to tackle the January blues!
🌟 Remember, these feelings will pass, and brighter days are ahead!
#JanuaryBlues #SeasonalAffectiveDisorder #MentalHealth #SelfCare #TheEdinburghPractice
This Monday, ‘M’ is for Meditation! Meditation is a great way for us to clear our minds and be in the present moment. In a busy world, it gives us permission to pause, breathe and reset.
Meditation doesn’t always come easily for everyone, but there are many mental and physical benefits to incorporating this into our daily routines. Try to go through these 7 steps to learn how to start meditating!
You can also find helpful guided meditations on the @headspace app - these can be a great way to start meditating!
#Meditation #Mindfulness #TheEdinburghPractice
Happy Friday, everyone! 🌟 This #fridaycheckin, we’re focusing on checking in with our sensory needs.
Did you know we have 5 main senses:
👁️ Sight
👃 Smell
👅 Taste
👋 Touch
👂Hearing
Plus two additional senses:
🧍♂️ Proprioception (body awareness)
⚖️ Vestibular (balance and movement)
Sensory needs can vary, we can be:
* Hypersensitive: Easily overwhelmed for example by bright lights, loud noises, or strong smells
* Hyposensitive: May seek extra stimulation for example from strong flavours or textures
Tuning into and meeting our sensory needs helps to soothe the nervous system, promotes wellbeing and reduces distress 🌈
#SensoryNeeds #SensoryProcessing #TheEdinburghPractice
💛 Struggling with fertility can be emotionally overwhelming and can raise a number of distressing thoughts and emotions. You don’t have to face it alone, at The Edinburgh Practice, we’re now offering fertility counselling to support anyone navigating the challenges of infertility. Whether you’re an individual, part of a couple, or a family member providing support, we’re here to help.
🌸 Fertility counselling covers a wide range of issues including; managing the emotional toll, the impact on relationships, and making informed choices about your next steps. From coping with unexplained infertility to exploring options like IVF, donors, or egg freezing, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
💻 To learn more about TEP’s Fertility Counselling Service or to submit a referral, visit our website (link in bio)
#FertilityCounselling #Infertility #FertilitySupport #TheEdinburghPractice
