ABSTRACT
Current estimates suggest that 48 million couples and 186 million individuals live with infertility globally. While healthcare providers may be the main source of treating this biological issue, infertility impacts individuals far beyond the physical realm. Infertility is a biopsychosocial crisis because it negatively impacts sufferers not only biologically but psychologically and socially as well. This diagnosis brings many types of grief. While some seek professional help to assist with the physical, emotional, and relational issues related to infertility, many do not because of the stigma associated with it. Therefore, helping professionals may not have the knowledge or experience needed to assist this population in the healing process. This chapter explores what the big deal really is about infertility in order to better educate clinicians, clinical supervisors, and counselor educators about the negative impacts associated with this challenging issue.
