by Michelle Stein posted in Pregnancy

Negative pregnancy tests. Little X's marked on the calendar. Countless doctor's visits. Injections. The ache of attending friends' baby showers. More negative tests.
Infertility affects more people than you might think -- 1 in 8 couples in the U.S., according to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, this can have an enormous emotional impact that is often overlooked.
"When diagnosed with infertility, many individuals and couples may no longer feel in control of their bodies or their life plan," Elizabeth Grill, Psy. D, a RESOLVE board member and professor of psychology at The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Cornell, told BabyCenter. "Feelings of isolation and social separateness begin to develop when the individual/couple realizes that others seem to conceive and bear children effortlessly. They at once feel different and alone. The need to insulate oneself from the emotional pain brought on by others? curiosity or by social celebrations is acute. To avoid this pain, many infertile individuals and couples tend to withdraw, to isolate themselves from family and friends with children or avoid activities that include children. The resulting feeling of isolation can significantly affect self-esteem. The infertile individual or couple thus feels different, impaired, and prohibited from being part of a larger, childbearing society." American Greetings is shining a spotlight on the heartbreak couples st...