Jeonnam Infertility and Depression Counseling Center Plays Key Role in Contributing to Emotional Stability

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[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The ‘Jeonnam Regional Infertility and Depression Counseling Center’ is playing a significant role in providing emotional stability to infertile couples.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 5th, the number of users of the counseling center reached 603 by the end of last month this year, a 21% increase compared to the same period last year (498 people).

This is analyzed to be effective due to the establishment of a psychological counseling cooperative support network between city and county health centers and the infertility and depression counseling center.

Since March, the province has been conducting infertility and depression screening tests for infertile couples visiting health centers, and infertile couples requiring treatment are linked and supported through the counseling center.

Also, starting this year, ‘non-face-to-face online counseling services’ are being provided to infertile couples who find it difficult to visit the counseling center due to long travel distances.

Taechulmin, director of the Jeonnam Regional Infertility and Depression Counseling Center, said, “Infertility treatments can easily cause feelings of depression and anxiety,” adding, “It is fortunate that we can accurately assess the condition of the subjects through screening tests such as the depression test (PHQ-9), anxiety test (BAI), and mental health scale (WEMWBS00), and provide more active psychological support.”

The counseling center has a psychiatrist, nurses, and clinical psychologists on staff who provide free professional psychological counseling for the emotional stability of infertile couples and pregnant women, and also operate self-help groups and mental health programs.

Face-to-face counseling hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and counseling is available by phone as well as online through the website.

An infertile couple in Mokpo said, “The infertility treatment was difficult, and we were about to give up on in vitro fertilization, but continuous counseling through the center gave us courage,” adding, “Psychological counseling has been a great emotional support by allowing us to express our difficult feelings.”

Yoon Yeonhwa, Jeonnam Province’s Population and Youth Policy Officer, said, “Supporting infertile couples and pregnant women in our country, which is experiencing a serious low birthrate crisis, is not just consideration but a responsibility of the community,” and added, “In the second half of the year, we will operate a ‘Visiting Infertility and Depression Counseling Center’ to contribute to the emotional stability and quality of life of women giving birth.”

Starting this year, the province is supporting Jeonnam-style infertility treatment costs for infertile couples to increase pregnancy success rates (200,000 to 1,500,000 KRW per session, twice a year), and has expanded the target of the traditional Korean medicine infertility treatment support project to include men.

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