Fertility Counselling: A Guide for When You’re Not Sure Where to Turn
By Georga Gorrell, Psychotherapist
Fertility struggles can be disorienting. One moment you’re holding onto hope, the next you’re processing a difficult diagnosis, a failed cycle, or an overwhelming sea of information. Amid test results and timelines, it’s easy to feel like your emotional wellbeing has been left out of the conversation entirely.
In the UK, fertility clinics are regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which requires that counselling is offered as part of fertility treatment. This recognises that the process isn’t only medical, but incredibly personal and emotional. Fertility counselling provides a space to prepare for treatment, reflect on decisions, and process whatever arises along the way. It supports both the medical and the emotional parts of what can be an intense and often unpredictable experience.
This is where therapy can offer something different, a space that’s not clinical, but human. Somewhere you can pause, feel, speak openly, and begin to make sense of what this chapter is asking of you.
What is Fertility Counselling?
Fertility Counselling is a specialised form of emotional support for anyone navigating reproductive uncertainty – whether you’re at the beginning of your journey, undergoing IVF, considering egg freezing, or facing complex feelings after loss or unsuccessful treatment.
It’s not just about “talking things through.” Fertility counselling acknowledges how deeply personal, relational, and often identity-shaping this path can be. It allows you to explore emotions that may feel difficult to voice elsewhere: grief, shame, confusion, anger, guilt, isolation, and also the longing for hope and meaning.
Who is it For?
You don’t need to reach crisis point to seek support. Fertility counselling can be valuable if:
- You’re feeling overwhelmed by decisions around treatment or timing
- You’ve experienced miscarriage or a failed cycle
- You’re considering egg freezing and want space to reflect emotionally
- Your relationship is feeling the strain of fertility stress
- You’re navigating fertility as a solo parent
- You’re unsure what the next step is, or if you even want to take it
Whether you’re an individual or a couple, therapy can help you reconnect with your inner compass in a season that often pulls you in many directions.
What Happens in a Session?
Every session is led by your pace. There’s no pressure to have the “right” words or a clear plan. Together, we explore the emotional, psychological, and relational elements of your experience; whether that’s processing a recent loss, making a decision about treatment, or just finding the ground beneath your feet again.
Sessions are confidential, compassionate, and tailored to you. We might talk, reflect, work somatically, or use visualisation tools, depending on what feels most supportive.
How Can It Help?
Clients often say that therapy helps them feel:
- More grounded and less alone
- Emotionally clearer about decisions
- More connected in their relationships
- Better able to manage anxiety, grief, or uncertainty
- Seen, not just as a client, but as a person
We offer a holding space, one that honours your emotional experience with care, nuance, and dignity.
For some people, counselling becomes the safe space where to explore the emotions, the decisions, and the meaning of it all. It can also be a place to think through what certain choices might mean in the longer term. If you’re considering donor conception, surrogacy, or egg freezing, this might involve implications counselling, which gives time to explore the emotional side of those decisions before moving ahead.
You might also want to look at Individual Therapy or Couples Therapy if this process is affecting connection or communication. Therapy simply meets you where you are, and helps you find your footing again.
Finding the Right Therapist
Choosing the right therapist matters, especially when the journey you’re on touches so many emotional layers. At our practice, Fertility Counselling is not an add-on or general service, it’s a dedicated specialism.
Sessions are led by a therapist trained specifically in fertility and reproductive counselling, with further grounding in relational therapy, grief work, and emotional trauma. This work is tailored to meet the emotional complexity of this space.
We offer support for:
- Women, men, and couples
- Those in treatment or deciding whether to pursue it
- Those experiencing fertility-related grief or uncertainty
- Individuals exploring egg freezing, donation, or childlessness
Sessions are held privately, with warmth and online. There’s no expectation to be emotionally ready. Often, clients arrive unsure of what they need, and that’s more than okay.
This is a place to start wherever you are.
Wondering if Fertility Counselling is right for you?
If you’re not sure where to turn, know that you don’t have to have it all figured out to begin. Reaching out for support is often the first act of strength in a process that can feel incredibly vulnerable.
Specialist fertility counselling is available online across the UK, so you can access support wherever you are. Sessions are confidential, gentle, and adapted to what you need, whether you’re in treatment, thinking about it, or taking time to step back. You don’t have to know what you need before reaching out. Sometimes it’s enough to simply start the conversation.
Whether you’re in the midst of treatment or sitting with questions no one else sees, you deserve support that’s attuned to your emotional world. Fertility counselling offers a space to breathe, be heard, and begin.
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