Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Why Infertility Can Feel So Lonely
52 Plays1 month ago
Why does infertility feel so isolating, even when you know you’re not the only one going through it?
In this mini moment, Katy Encalade, CEO of Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, unpacks Kelli Johnson’s powerful words on loneliness, fear, and the emotional weight of infertility.
Katy shares what she sees every day working with intended parents, how isolation quietly shapes not just how you feel, but the decisions you make during your journey.
As we recognize National Infertility Awareness Week, this conversation is a reminder that support isn’t optional, it’s essential.
You are not alone in this.
Recommended
Transcript
Isolation in Infertility
00:00:00
Speaker
So often people are like, well, I don't know anyone else in my life who's used to surrogate or who's used a donor and they feel so isolated. So how do you find community during an infertility journey when it feels like no one around you truly understands what you're going through?
00:00:16
Speaker
Because this is one of the most isolating experiences i see people walk through. Infertility truly has a way of making you feel like you're the only one, even when you're not, even when statistics say otherwise.
00:00:30
Speaker
even when the people who love you are trying to
The Complexity of Hope
00:00:33
Speaker
support you. And what most people don't realize is how quickly isolation can change how you think and how you decide.
00:00:40
Speaker
And most people don't have language for it while it's happening. There's sometimes a quiet feeling of no one else really gets this. It's grief and hope and living in this space. hope feels really scary and it's easier to just set myself up to expect the worst again because the worst has already happened to us. That's such an honest statement. Hope feels scary, especially if you've experienced loss or cycles that didn't work or moments where you heard, I'm sorry, more times than you ever expected
The Importance of Support
00:01:11
Speaker
to. Hope can start feeling dangerous. And when hope feels dangerous, you start protecting yourself. You share a little bit less. You hold your breath a little more. And over time, that kind of bracing can feel very lonely. And isolation doesn't just affect how you feel.
00:01:29
Speaker
It affects how you make decisions. Because when you feel like no one understands your situation, you're more likely to move forward without the support and perspective you actually need. That's why more than a alone matters so much. You can have a plan in place and still feel emotionally untethered. You can be moving forward with a surrogacy or egg donation and still be grieving the version of parenthood you once imagined. Those feelings don't cancel each other out.
00:02:00
Speaker
They can exist together. One of the things I've learned in this space is that support cannot be optional. It has to be built into the process because building a family is not just physical, it's deeply emotional. If you're in the middle of infertility right now, if you're navigating surrogacy or egg donation, if hope feels fragile because you've been hurt before, you are more than your journey. Support exists. Organizations like Resolve and the National Infertility Association offer support groups and resources to help you navigate this journey. The right support doesn't just make you feel better. It helps you make better, more informed decisions along the way. You are not alone and you shouldn't have to navigate something this complex without support, clarity, and people who understand what you're walking through.