Infertility Marriage Experience

In the midst of their experience of infertility, the wives began to search for sources of support outside of their family. They needed to connect with others, to feel an alikeness, a twinship experience. The wives sought out support from friends who were undergoing fertility treatment, very close friends who were empathic despite not experiencing infertility, the church and support groups and boards. Patricia shared, “I joined a board for infertile women that had the same condition that I had and it was just nice reading about their experiences and what they've tried or what worked, what didn't work.” The wives found these outlets to be comforting and normalizing. Adele explained, The more I opened up, I think others saw that I was able to open up and then they started talking to me about it a little more and I realized that “Hey, I'm not alone. I'm not alone in my circle of friends." Everybody was going through it but it was a handful of us enough that we were able chat about it. …show more content…
They became familiar with one another as they planned their weddings, sharing tips and ideas. The wives continued to stay in touch via the website after their weddings, keeping one another updated on personal events and milestones. While some shared birthing announcements, others began to open up and share their struggles with conceiving. As a result, a sub-group formed, where wives experiencing issues with conceiving began to share their stories and offer support to one another. This online female constellation of support served as a sounding board for the wives and where they turned for comfort and empathy. Adele went on to