One frustration that several of my friends have had is a lack of privacy while undergoing fertility treatments. One of my friends was mortified when she went to the bank and the bank teller knew details about her menstrual cycle and her husband’s sperm count. How did this near-stranger know this stuff about her? One of her relatives has a big mouth.
Unfortunately, many people love to talk about other people’s problems. They doubly like to talk about other people’s problems when those problems are not something experienced by most people. Friends and family get to be the knowledgeable ones who can enlighten the world about fertility issues. The problem is that many of us do not want to be known as “the infertile one” in every social circle.
While some people blab for entertainment purposes, others truly mean well but make bad choices about what information to share with others. Well-meaning people might be seeking information to help their loved ones who are hurting so badly. These people fail to realize that they are only heaping more pain by telling others about the fertility struggles.
Here are some suggestions for keeping your fertility struggles private:
- Select only a few close friends to talk with about your fertility challenges.
- Tell your friends in a very direct way that you are speaking in confidence and do not want this information discussed with others.
- Use good judgment about whom you can trust to keep their mouths shut.
- Talk with a pastor or therapist because these people are obligated to keep these conversations private.
- Discuss extremely personal information only with your spouse.
If you take these steps, then you will significantly cut down on the amount of gossip that goes around about your fertility challenges.
That being said, remember that some people will make up a story to fill a vacuum, so if you share no information at all, then some folks will simply spin their own yarn about what is going on. If you are okay with that, then don’t worry about it. However, if it bothers you for misinformation to circulate, then you might want to share a very limited amount of information, such as, “We are having some difficulties conceiving, but we have a very good doctor who is going to fix the problem. We will let you know when there is something to celebrate.”
Related Topics:
++++++++++++
For information/instructions on how to subscribe FREE to this blog, please visit this link.
Related posts:
