The Mind/Body Infertility Program

The ten-session Mind/Body Program is recommended for all local patients participating in infertility treatment. Research has shown this integrative approach to infertility treatment can increase resiliency, quality of life and pregnancy rate.

Mind/Body Program

The Mind/Body Program is modeled after the Behavioral Medicine Infertility Program at Harvard's Beth Israel Medical Center and designed to reduce the physical and emotional distress and isolation associated with infertility and infertility treatment.

Research has shown that women who experience infertility have heightened levels of depression, anxiety, frustration, isolation and anger.

Although some scientists believe that these negative emotions may prevent conception, it seems more likely that these feelings are the result, not the cause of infertility. In either case, a reduction in stress and tension clearly is beneficial for couples whether treatment is successful or not. Recent research has demonstrated that participants in the Harvard Beth Israel Mind Body Infertility Program experience significant improvements in depression, anxiety, anger, confusion and fatigue following completion of the program.

The relationship between participation in the program and subsequent conception is less clear. Approximately 44% of the participants conceive within six months of completing the Harvard program. It is not known if this conception rate is due to the direct influence of the program, a coincidence, or whether there is an indirect relationship, i.e., it is possible that participants feel more able to attempt high-tech treatments once they learn relaxation and coping techniques.

Mind/Body participants have enjoyed a statistically significant increase in pregnancy rates over those who did not participate in the M/B program.

Components

The program includes:

Elicitation of the relaxation response, a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (e.g., decrease in the heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension.)
Cognitive-behavioral strategies to enhance coping skills
Yoga and stretching exercises
Nutrition management
Social support, including effective communication and self-care with those who have been successful, failed or are actively trying infertility therapy.

Each session includes a 30 minutes of sharing and support time, a 20 minute relaxation exercise, pair and group discussion of progress and use of new skills, a lecture and group exercise..

Goals

You will be able to:

Increase your sense of control and well-being.
Reduce/manage physical symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, headache or abdominal pain
Examine factors or situations-lifestyles, diet, stress, or physical tension that directly affect health
Develop further understanding of treatment cycles
Develop skills to ease the treatment process

Who Would Benefit

All women having difficulty conceiving, including those currently enrolled in IVF or other Assisted Reproductive Technologies through BWH or other fertility practices in the Puget Sound region.
Participants will be 12-16 couples who are undergoing active treatment, past failed treatment or successful treatment for infertility.
Husbands/partners are invited to attend 3 of the 10 sessions.
Couples do not have to be active patients of BWH. If you are not currently receiving treatment at BWH, one 30 minute session with our planned group facilitator is required. This appointment serves to introduce non-BWH patients to the program and to help determine whether or not the group setting is appropriate for you. It serves as an opportunity to discuss you physical and emotional symptoms with the facilitator and to set some health care goals.

All patients at BWH are encouraged to participate prior to or during any infertility treatment.

When and Where

The Mind/Body Program includes:

Ten 2 ½ hour evening sessions, one 4-hour session, and one 6-hour Sunday session for couples for a total of ten sessions. We recommend that participants do not miss more than two sessions.
Registration will be available on-line in the near future. Please refer to this website for further details.

Costs