I am an accredited member of the National Fertility society. I understand that finding out you have fertility issues and dealing with the roller coaster that is assisted conception can be a really difficult time for couples and individuals, especially if a cycle fails or your pregnancy ends in the heartbreak of miscarriage. All HFEA-licensed clinics have to offer you an opportunity to talk to a counsellor about the implications of the suggested treatment before you consent to it. Counselling aims to help you understand exactly what the treatment will involve and how it might affect you and those close to you – now and in the future.
Counselling on the implications of treatment is especially important if you are considering using donated sperm, eggs or embryos or surrogacy arrangements – all of which involve complicated issues.
You may need time to explore how you feel, to consider the needs and legal rights of donor-conceived children and to talk about whether this is going to be the right decision for you.
Counselling can provide emotional support before, during or after fertility treatment. If dealing with infertility leaves you struggling to cope with everyday life or causes you to revisit past problems, counselling can be very therapeutic.
By taking time with me I can help to put you at ease, through discussing your emotions, thoughts and fears.
Couples seeking treatment can attend together or by themselves if they prefer.
All sessions last approximately 50 minutes and are in person or you may request your counselling session via Skype/zoom from the comfort of your own home.
Implications Counselling
Implications counselling is a type of counselling for those going through assisted conception treatments involving the use of donor eggs, sperm or embryos.
It is also a requirement of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Association (HFEA) for couples considering surrogacy. The aim of implications counselling is to enable you to reflect upon and understand the proposed course of treatment for yourselves, your family and any children born as a result of your treatment.
At least one session of implications counselling is recommended before consenting to any proposed treatment.
The following may be discussed depending on your situation:
How each partner feels about the proposed treatment
The effects of the proposed treatment on any existing children
Who will you tell? The advantages and disadvantages of openness
Attitudes of friends and family to the proposed treatment
Thoughts & concerns about the future child where one parent is not the genetic parent
Openness, secrecy and what, when and how to tell a child
Short and long-term implications of known or anonymous donation
Short and long-term implications of surrogacy
The implications surrounding the legalities of egg and sperm donation and surrogacy, both in the UK and abroad.
Single women and same sex couples will also receive counselling on the child’s need for supportive parenting, as well as support within the family and wider social circle. The changing needs of a child, short and long term management for single parenthood.
Appointing a guardian, seeking legal advice and making a will.