Body image and infertility are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain infertility, and infertility frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Infertility
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives infertility
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary infertility trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as infertility
How Infertility Affects Body Image
Infertility can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Infertility Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by infertility
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and infertility