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Infertility

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Coping with people’s insensitivity?

31 replies

Dodeedoo · 02/08/2025 17:47

How do people cope with comments from people such as ‘as a mother’ or ‘making mum friends’… these comments that come from people who know what you are going through? I know they are not intentionally trying to cause upset but the comments cut deep. I feel so lonely. I get these type of comments from most people I know as most are parents. Some have gone through infertility themselves. It seems like they have forgotten what it feels like.. one person sent me a video of her new born wriggling around in response to a message I had sent about how down I was feeling re my infertility. Just so fucking fed up with it all. Sorry for the rant. Nobody to talk to because nobody else gets it :(

OP posts:
Mrsplants · 01/09/2025 11:02

Don’t apologise @Dodeedoo it’s not your fault there’s some real weirdos out there x

AlmostTime · 03/09/2025 23:22

Ignoring the troll.

I have experienced similar from so call friends too.

The creme de la creme was cancelling my birthday meal as i’d had an early miscarriage (after a fair while trying and discussing the disappointment openly). Two friends said let’s go as a small trio when you’re feeling up to it, which I agreed to.

I should have known really as this particular friend is very OTT and has no self awareness. Just a month before she had hijacked a brunch I had organised to announce she was pregnant- handing out scan pics she had paid to have early to ‘make sure she could tell us’ before Christmas. I’d organised the brunch as Christmas is hard, and I wanted something that wasn't child centred look forward to….which she knew.

We had a nice time at the mini birthday meal, it was only a week later but I was still
bleeding. Just as we were leaving she thought it appropriate to share she was having a girl!!

CRUSHED me. Genuinely didn’t sleep or manage to hold the tears back for weeks. Heart palpitations, night sweats, muttering and taking to myself without realising just a total breakdown.

I have learnt to manage my response to other people in the last few years but it was hands down one of the darkest experiences.
I called her a few days later thinking that might help me heal a bit, she thought telling me in an ‘off hand way’ would be better than a text, fair enough- some thought had gone into it. But then she said ‘you didn’t seem that bothered about the miscarriage’ which was the true blow of no understanding or compassion whatsoever.

Needless to say I have given her a wiiiide birth since. Her daughter turned 1 a few months ago, I’m awaiting a FET next month.

The reaction from the fellow diner told me I wasnt being unreasonable, she was very supportive but has other friends who have suffered losses so has some lived empathy. Others within the friendship group have been less supportive ‘It’s her baby she is excited, she needs support’ —— erm, for one day, I think she’d cope keeping a lid on it. ‘She always been a bit extra’ and the best line ‘You’re just angry because she was a bridezilla’ - she was. But I fairly sure the two are not related. I have to laugh now, and I’m in a better place since having some CBT therapy and finally starting IVF last month but there are people in my life I will need to distance from as I will NEVER see them in the same way again!

Dodeedoo · 04/09/2025 08:33

Omg that woman sounds like a dickkkkkk!!! I’m so sorry you had to experience that ❤️

OP posts:
Stillhoping1990 · 04/09/2025 20:38

@AlmostTime this woman sounds horrendous. It’s almost like she wanted to rub it in your face and make you feel sad. What an evil thing to do. Definitely move on from this friendship group. It how stay brings out the worst in people. And I think just in general, most people these days are unaware, self absorbed and completely useless friends.

AlmostTime · 04/09/2025 22:19

Yup!

She has been one my closest friends for about 20years. On top of the upset of how she has been about infertility/ her pregnancy, I’ve also had to mourn the loss of a friend. It’s been a lot!!

PeonyPatch · 05/09/2025 06:03

She sounds horrible @AlmostTime
Sending you hugs and love. I was ghosted by a friend a couple of months ago after she sent me a baby scan pic when she knew I was going through fertility issues and completely brushed it off. It astounds me the lack of empathy women have for each other. I feel like many women take for granted their fertility and ability to fall pregnant easily. They just can’t relate or empathise. Life can be cruel and unfair.

I agree with others to distance yourself from her and some others in this friendship group. You don’t need people like this while you’re on your ivf journey. Wishing you the best of luck x

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