Doctor: Infertility is a shared pain, not just one person's burden
Physician-psychotherapists Paula Kovaļevska and Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis explain that infertility affects both partners and brings deep emotional grief. They spoke about the topic on Latvian Radio's programme "Vai tas ir normāli?"
Infertility is often seen purely as a physical condition, but specialists say it also carries a heavy emotional dimension. Speaking on Latvian Radio's programme "Vai tas ir normāli?", physician-psychotherapist Paula Kovaļevska and psychotherapist Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis explained that loss is not always something tangible or visible.
In the case of infertility, what is lost is not a physical object but hopes and dreams of building a family. This kind of loss can trigger grief similar to mourning an actual loss — bringing pain, distress, anger and a strong sense of helplessness.
Affects both partners
The specialists stressed an important point: infertility is not the pain of just one person. It affects at least two people — both partners in a relationship who share the hope of becoming parents. This means the emotional burden must be carried by both, even though each may experience and process it differently.
According to the doctors, recognising this shared experience is important so that couples can better support one another through a difficult period, and so that society gains a broader understanding of infertility's emotional side, not only its medical aspect.
