“Was I With You at Sinai?” The Influence of Fertility Challenges on Mother-Child Relationship: When the Halachic (Jewish Legal) Status of the Embryo/Child is Unclear

The Gefen Mind-Body Fertility Center offers support to women undergoing fertility challenges. Our goal is to accompany women throughout their journey from the initial shock of failing to conceive, the stress of fertility treatments, the anxiety of a precious pregnancy and birth and ultimately becoming mothers.

We know that not only does stress, anxiety and depression affect women’s ability to conceive but it also affects the way they perceive their relationship will be with their child.

Gefen offers emotional support including CBT and Mind Body therapy groups, fertility yoga, individual emotional support immediately prior to embryo transfer ("Transfer with Tranquility") and "Fertility Chevruta" a supportive workshop based on Jewish and biblical sources. We want this difficult and often traumatic period to be supported in many different ways in order to meet the individual needs of these women.

In our groups we address the following issues:
• How best to manage a precious pregnancy and the potential influences it could have on mother-child relationship.
• Feelings toward Egg/Sperm donation from the perspective of the child.
• How to interact with the child in the context of the extended family.
• How to talk with their children about their biological heritage.

The goal of this presentation is to share the techniques we use to help women cope with their fertility challenges and ultimately have a healthy mother-child relationship.