For many struggling with infertility, the most important and comforting realization is: You are not alone. Infertility issues are more common than people realize. Only 15% of couples can conceive successfully in each cycle, despite being completely healthy. This success rate only increases to 35 – 40% with infertility treatment. Because these statistics are not broadly understood, women and their partners who are struggling to get pregnant may experience a huge range of emotion, including feelings of isolation, anger, blame, or guilt. Consulting with  doctors, reliable medical facilities, or reliable medical websites can greatly help. Still, having the facts doesn’t always make negative feelings go away.

With the help of fertility expert Dr. Ajanta Narvekar, we’ve put together five phrases to live by while struggling with infertility. These tips may not help you get pregnant, but they will help you face the issue more comfortably and happily.

How to stay sane while dealing with infertility

Look at infertility like any other medical problem.

One of the most common reactions to infertility is that partners become emotional and blame each other. A fertility specialist who explains the problem in medical terms can help to assuage these reactions. A specialist can also bring comfort to the couple by explaining the success ratio of each cycle and the impact that fertility treatment can have. Usually, couples who get these frank and realistic explanations from doctors are better able to manage the stress of coping with infertility.

Be patient throughout treatment.

Treating the problem is not as simple and quick as curing a regular cold or headache. Couples should not expect immediate results within the initial two or three cycles. A good specialist will set realistic expectations on timelines for the treatment.

Restrict who you talk to about your struggles and who advises you.

Infertility is very private; despite this, many couples are often pushed to take certain steps due to peer or family pressure. Curbing the number of people who know about the treatment helps to temper tension and anticipation. Any counselling with a fertility specialist should be restricted only to the couple, and should probably not be extended to other family members. Frequently, negative attitudes and input from family have a huge impact on the couple; this increases stress and friction between the couple and will certainly make dealing with infertility and the process to get pregnant more difficult.

Remember that fertility treatment is only a small part of life together.

Many great opportunities or plans are often overlooked by couples undergoing infertility treatment, as they feel it will be a roadblock to pregnancy. Making lifestyle changes or cutting out important aspects of normal life only builds stress and can lead to more disappointment if the treatment is not successful.

Maintain a positive outlook.

If one treatment does not work, there are other treatments that can have an equal or higher success rate for conception. A fertility expert can help couples explore other treatments that suit their requirements, physically and financially.

A healthy discussion and understanding between you, your partner, and a fertility expert, combined with patience and the appropriate treatment, will go a long way to smooth the course of infertility treatment.