Fertility Coaches have been working with people like you and me to get pregnant because the fertility journey can be lonely, emotional, and costly. It’s an area of life that is important and assistance during this chapter of life is common, especially since we don’t live in villages anymore where the assistance is more built-in.
But are you itching to know ‘What can Fertility Coaches really do?’
Here are some FAQs to the rescue.
‘While your physicians are there to give medical advice, fertility coaches are there for everything else. They look at the whole person.’ They can… act as a sounding board when you need to make a…decision or need someone to explain exactly how an egg retrieval works. Some are more like therapists.’
Rita Kerslake, freelance writer on fertility and nursing.
Benefits of a fertility coach
A fertility coach should be like your ‘thinking partner,’ someone to talk you through decisions so that you’re clear and confident on your goals and decisions. It should be like the weight of all the responsibility and things to think of don’t just fall on you. They help share the load. Other benefits:
- Lower stress and anxiety – fertility coaches can help you with the emotional stress and make the unknowns ahead more known.
- Save time – Now that you’re not doing the whole internet search and search and search thing again and again it saves time you from reading the horror stories.
- Have treatments go smoother – By getting tips on the logistics, there’s less room for mistakes.
- Lower pain – You’ll learn techniques and tips to feel as comfortable as possible.
- Reach goals faster – coaches hold you accountable to the goals you set. This might get you your baby faster.
- Feel more positive – They can help pull you out of your negative thoughts. Usually you’ll think more negatively. Fertility coaches are experts who can be more realistic. When you have a Fertility Coach who is supportive and non-judgemental and gets you, you’ll feel better. Seriously. You feel more confident, less stuck in your negative thoughts.
When is a good time to explore fertility coaching?
- Anytime throughout your fertility journey.
- It could be deciding when to start, while trying at home or through treatment, exploring egg freezing, after a loss or losses, with primary or secondary infertility or in early pregnancy.
How much does it cost?
- It varies widely. You can find a coach for as little as $25 per hour, to a very experienced coach as much as $500 per hour.
- Discounts are common.
What should I expect with the services and packages?
- You purchase a set number of sessions or hours of phone calls.
- Sessions vary from 30 – 120 minutes long but most coaches will offer 45 min – 1 hour sessions.
- Experienced coaches will tell you the best results are made when you are coached over a minimum of 3 months and being coached weekly for 3 weeks, followed by a week off for integration, then repeat. Some coaches only do a minimum of 6 months, others 1 year.
- Buying a set number of coaching hours may be an option. These days people’s time is wonky and more limited due to the pandemic, so many coaches will give an ‘a la carte’ option of 3 to 10 hour sessions. It’s like buying a set number of hours or sessions to do at anytime.
- Some may include support groups, email and texts, and/or various tools and handouts.
- Look for the right fit for you. When you talk to someone who’s the right fit it can feel like you’re talking to a good friend.
- They shouldn’t be insanely expensive and shouldn’t apply much pressure to commit.
Should I be looking for specific certification?
- Yes. I recommend finding a coach accredited with an International Coaching Federation (ICF). It means they have an ethical obligation, report to an ethics body and have gone through appropriate training and exams. Because anyone can call themselves a coach. That said, if you are looking for a specific reason to have a coach that doesn’t include the above, then this matters less.
What should I do to learn more?
- Have a free conversation with any fertility coach whose website or social media appeals to you. At the end of the call they should tell you if you’re a good fit with them by either discussing another session or by keeping in touch. The coach should also discuss the services and program options if there is a fit.
- After there’s mutual interest in working together, then the next session is booked, payment dealt with and you’re off.
Who else can I learn about fertility coaching from?
Here’s an answer to what a Fertility Coach is in this Fertility Warriors Podcast by an Australian fertility and life coach. Also, this article in Healthline on what a fertility coach can do and gives a similar rundown as this, but an American perspective.
I wish you so much luck and laughter on your fertility journey, whether you work with a fertility coach or not! Book a call with me if you want to talk. It’s a no-pressure call.
