Understanding the Experiences and Counseling Needs of Black Women with Infertility

ABSTRACT

The lack of acknowledging infertility in the Black community often leaves women bewildered about their situations and the availability and influence of counseling support. In addition to these perplexities, counseling scholars have not fully documented the intersectional experiences of Black women experiencing infertility challenges. Utilizing an intersectionality approach, this study makes meaning of the interpretations surrounding mental health and Black women experiencing infertility challenges. The data analysis of 13 interviews captures how Black women reflect on infertility experiences, narrate mental health and coping responses, and explain counseling needs and barriers. Findings from this study suggest that self-concept and internal understanding may draw upon historical racial contexts of femininity and reproductive value and the societal expectation to shoulder personal responsibility for challenges. This study provides counselors with ways to conceptualize this population through race, gender, and feminist theory while sharing strategies to guide clients toward healing gendered and race-related challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• Black women
• counseling
• feminist theory
• intersectionality theory
• infertility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was sponsored by Walden University’s Research & Applications for Social Change Grant [RASCG].