Sometimes, Infertility can make you Feel Numb

Emotional numbness is a state in which a person may feel disconnected, detached, or indifferent to emotions that they would typically experience. It’s often described as feeling “flat” or having a sense of emptiness, where both positive and negative emotions are muted or absent. This can result in a person feeling isolated or unable to fully engage with life and those around them.

Feeling numb can be a natural response to the emotional stress and profound sense of loss that often accompanies infertility. Whether it's the immediate chaos of trauma or the seemingly endless process of struggling to conceive, infertility can leave you feeling emotionally numb. It’s a way for some people to cope with overwhelming emotions such as sadness, anger, guilt, or grief.

One study of 200 couples who visited a clinic found that more than half said that infertility was the most upsetting experience they have ever had in their life. Cleary, infertility is overwhelming and people are left feeling numb.

You know that funny, fuzzy feeling when your foot falls asleep? When you struggle with infertility, that funny, fuzzy feeling seems to land on your brain, making it hard to think, feel, and be present.

In this episode, Jesse and Doug explore what it feels like to feel numb during infertility. Where does it come from? How do we identify when we are feeling numb? What can we do when we feel numb? Will we feel numb forever? Feeling numb is tough; it's as if your emotions have collapsed and you are left struggling to feel anything at all, good or bad.

If you are in this position, we are sorry, and we made this episode for you.