In a not-too-surprising finding, a study reported by Stockhouse has found that trouble getting pregnant can harm self-esteem for both men and women -- and can create problems in relationships. According to the report, 7 in 10 women feel "flawed" because of their infertility and 5 in 10 men feel "inadequate." Half of survey respondents said they found themselves trying to hide their feelings from their partners, and many reported that trouble getting pregnant had a large impact on the stress levels in their relationships.
Though this survey focused on couples experiencing infertility, I'm sure many of these findings apply to couples who have miscarriages too. One thing I've suspected in the past is that, for women at least, when we experience miscarriages that we blame ourselves even though we know it is irrational. It seems so unfair that everyone else in the world seems to have such an easy time getting and staying pregnant, and when we can't, we wonder whether it means we were doing something wrong -- it's easy to see why that would affect self esteem. But as is pointed out in the article, many support resources do exist, and it can help to network with others who are going through the same things so that you don't have to feel alone.
