Infertility Fatigue Syndrome

29 August 2010

Ever felt like you were going crazy? Maybe you are suffering from Infertility Fatigue Syndrome? That's my new self diagnosis. Here's a proposal for the next Diagnostic and Statistical Manual revision:

Infertility Fatigue Syndrome
Symptoms of IFS include a chronic intense sadness and fear coupled with episodes of hope and optimism. The symptoms are generally progressive over time and are cyclical in nature typically following a predictable 28 day cycle, however there may be some hormonal variability especially when fertility medication is being used. Although it shares elements with other diagnoses, IFS is complex and must be distinguished from generalized anxiety, situational depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder. It also manifests itself differently in the male vs. the female. Obsessive behaviour is very common feature in female patients. They may repetitively check their toilet paper for cervical mucous, purchase copious numbers of home pregnancy tests, and be found lurking on internet forums. Males may become dissociated and lose interest in sexual activity. Interestingly, while the difficulty becoming pregnant is the root source of the distress, IFS may persist beyond its original origin, into pregnancy or parenthood that follows.


It's time to truly take a break and get recharged. The 6 day kayak trip we have planned this week should do wonders for that. True to the diagnosis, I'll be obsessively checking in again when I get back next week.