RMA launches new complementary care program for patients

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Renowned psychologist DR. ANDREA M. BRAVERMAN leads new RMA services in emotional counseling, stress reduction and other special needs.

Many individuals and couples benefit from special services as they move forward with infertility treatment. For instance, some couples find that speaking to a counselor can help them to address feelings of sadness, frustration or other emotional issues often associated with infertility. Others find that special techniques to reduce stress can be beneficial.

To help patients in these and many other important ways, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey is launching a new program called Complementary Care. This special RMANJ program will be led by Dr. Andrea M. Braverman, one of the country's leading psychologists and a renowned specialist in helping men and women to address the emotional aspects of infertility.

"Infertility can cause feelings of sadness and anxiety that affect family relationships, careers and even our physical health. And some recent studies have indicated that reducing stress helps patients better cope with infertility and even may have an impact on treatment success. At RMA, patients will have access to many services specially designed to help make treatment easier and more comfortable. And these services will be available from a team that specializes in issues associated with infertility," said Dr. Braverman.

Through the Complementary Care program, patients will be able to access services including individual and couples counseling and group support sessions. There will also be a range of services to help patients reduce stress and learn important coping strategies. In addition to training and services, the RMA team will help patients to learn about many other resources including books and educational materials that can help to make treatment easier.

"Every year there is new information and a better understanding of the factors that can affect couples experiencing infertility. Our team will use the latest information and techniques to help our patients face these challenges with greater confidence and better strategies every step of the way," Dr. Braverman added.

Dr. Braverman has conducted research and published numerous articles in medical journals about the psychological aspects of infertility, attitudes of parents of children born with the use of ART, issues involved in the decision to end treatment, and psychological issues involved in using third-party donors. Dr. Braverman's research on how parents adjust to parenting after infertility treatment confirmed results from other studies: There does not appear to be any objective difference in psychosocial development or parental attachment between families who used ART and families who conceived naturally. Parents in Braverman's study also did not appear to have any lingering doubt about the effect of ART on their children and viewed their children as accomplished and capable. They reported feeling that their children were more appreciated by them and their families. While they reported feeling intrapersonal and marital stress during the initial six months after the child's birth, most parents in the study believed that pregnancy improved their relationship with their partner.

Dr. Braverman is a licensed psychologist with a specialty in infertility counseling and third party reproduction issues. Before joining RMA, she spent 15 years at Pennsylvania Reproductive Associates and the Women's Institute for Fertility, Endocrinology and Menopause. She became interested in infertility while in graduate school and completed her dissertation on public attitudes towards donor insemination. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to writing many articles and book chapters about ART, Dr. Braverman has spoken before patient and clinician audiences around the world.

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