Individual support
Talk about uncertainty, identity, grief, repeated treatment, waiting periods or difficult results. A therapist can help you identify what support would be useful.
RCA Fertility · Resources
Counseling & Fertility Therapy
Fertility counseling offers room for uncertainty, loss, relationships and decisions. Egg donors and intended parents also benefit from dedicated conversations about donor conception, consent and long-term family relationships.
Explore the guide ↓Educational content updated October 9, 2026
Support at your pace
Space to talk. Support to move forward.
Counseling can help you make room for complex feelings and practical choices. You do not need to wait for a crisis to ask for support.
Partners & relationships
Create space for different coping styles, intimacy, communication and decisions. Partners do not have to feel the same way to work together.
Family-building decisions
Explore values, boundaries and the paths you are considering, including donor conception or a decision to pause. Support should leave room for your own choices.
Support for every family
A conversation that includes your perspective.
Single intended parents, couples and LGBTQIA+ families may bring different experiences and questions. Ask for a provider who respects your family structure, culture and needs. An RCA support conversation can help you identify the next resource.
Know the difference
Education, counseling and therapy.
RCA team support
Coordinators and clinical staff can explain process, answer program questions and help route a request. That support is distinct from mental health treatment.
Psychoeducational consultation
A dedicated conversation about donor conception, expectations and longer-term implications. A qualified professional with third-party reproduction experience can guide this discussion.
Licensed fertility therapy
Psychotherapy with a licensed mental health professional can address distress, grief, anxiety, relationships and other concerns. Ask about experience, confidentiality, fees and availability.
Egg donation
Different roles. Room for each conversation.
For donors
Discuss motivation, informed choice, emotional readiness, support and expectations about future contact. Screening and psychoeducation have a different purpose from ongoing therapy.
For intended parents
Explore donor conception, disclosure, feelings about genetic connection and the interests of a future child. Include future contact and the limits of anonymity in the conversation.
For known-donor arrangements
Ask about separate and joint sessions, relationship boundaries and expectations. Legal and counseling discussions should complement one another, with appropriately qualified professionals.
Connection
You can carry different feelings together.
Make room for conversations that are not only about appointments. You may want companionship, a listening ear or help deciding what to share with others. Support is not a requirement to stay positive, and it is not a test of commitment.
Between conversations
A place for your questions.
If writing feels useful, note the concerns you want to bring to a session. Journaling is optional and is not a substitute for therapy. Choose the format that helps you express yourself, including speaking, writing or simply taking time.
- What feels hardest right now?
- What would make the next few weeks more manageable?
- Which decisions need time, information or support?
- Who would I like involved in a conversation?
Getting started
Ask for the right kind of support.
Name your request
Ask for a counseling referral, donor-conception consultation or licensed therapist with fertility experience. You can explain the type of help you want without sharing private details on a public form.
Clarify the fit
Ask about licensure, reproductive-health experience, approach, confidentiality and how clinical information would be shared with your permission.
Confirm the practical details
Check availability, location or telehealth eligibility, costs, insurance and whether sessions are individual or joint. Referral options can change.
Common questions
Support does not require an explanation.
Does stress mean I caused my infertility?
No one should be blamed for infertility or a treatment outcome because they are distressed. Stress support focuses on wellbeing; it cannot promise pregnancy.
Will staff in these photographs provide psychotherapy?
The scenes illustrate supportive care. Ask RCA about a referral to a qualified licensed mental health professional; the photographs do not establish therapist credentials.
Is donor counseling the same as ongoing therapy?
No. Donor-related screening and psychoeducation have defined purposes. Ongoing therapy addresses personal mental health and emotional concerns over time.
Sources & next steps
Continue the conversation.
This guide is general education. Your clinical team and appropriately qualified professionals help you decide what fits your situation.
ASRM patient education: psychological support ↗ASRM: gamete and embryo donation guidance ↗ASRM patient education: stress and infertility ↗
Source links checked October 9, 2026. Guidance may change.
Your next conversation
Bring your questions to RCA.
Ask about nutrition review, appropriate complementary support or counseling referrals. Use the public contact route for general questions; share medical records and private details through your approved secure care channel.
Talk with the RCA team →