Why Summer Can Feel Surprisingly Hard When You're Trying to Conceive
Last night, while picking lettuce from the garden for dinner, I found myself thinking about several conversations I’ve had in clinic recently. Different people, different stories, yet they all came back to the same thing: this summer has been surprisingly hard.
I've been reflecting on what it is about this season that can make it feel so unexpectedly tender for people trying to conceive.
Summer is often thought of as a season of lightness and possibility. The days are longer, gardens are overflowing, and calendars fill with vacations, weddings, backyard BBQs, and evenings spent with family and friends.
Children running through sprinklers at the park. Families building sandcastles at the beach. Pregnancy announcements that seem to appear one after another. Social media feeds filled with family holidays, adventures, and memories being made.
Although these moments are often full of joy, when our own future feels uncertain, they can quietly touch the places within us that ache with longing.
Perhaps that's what feels different about summer. Life is simply more visible. It's lived outdoors, shared more openly, and celebrated more often. Everywhere you look are reminders of families making memories together while our own story still feels uncertain.
It's no wonder the mind keeps reaching ahead. We replay conversations, calculate timelines, imagine how different life might feel by next summer, and find ourselves searching for certainty wherever we can. When something matters this deeply, of course our minds try to plan for what can't yet be planned.
The warmth of the evening sun. The familiar sounds of the neighbourhood settling into the end of the day. A garden that still needs tending. Food waiting to be prepared.
As I headed inside to make dinner, I found myself thinking about how life continues to unfold, even when so much feels uncertain. The waiting is still here. The longing is still here too. And alongside it all is this ordinary summer evening.