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🌱Infertility

Infertility therapy covered by Ascension

"Every month is a cycle of hope and grief. Nobody warns you it's this hard."

Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples — the emotional toll is comparable to a cancer diagnosis.

See a specialist this weekPMH-C Certified TherapistsTelehealth · see anyone from homeAccepts Ascension
In network with
Ascension+9 more
Schedule a free consultation

No commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.

Using your Ascension benefits

Phoenix Health is out-of-network with Ascension, and that matters less than it sounds. You can still see a PMH-C certified perinatal specialist here; the difference is how the money moves. You pay us directly, and once a month we issue a superbill — an itemized receipt with the diagnosis and procedure codes your plan needs — which you submit to Ascension for reimbursement against your out-of-network behavioral health benefits. Ascension is a Catholic health system that sells plans mainly in the markets where it runs hospitals, and those plans tend to be narrow network, so how much comes back to you varies more than it would with a national carrier. We find out what your specific plan reimburses before your first session rather than after. Our clinicians treat postpartum depression, perinatal anxiety, birth trauma, and pregnancy loss, and sessions are FSA and HSA eligible whether or not Ascension reimburses them.

Does Ascension cover therapy for infertility?

Yes, in nearly all cases, and independently of whether Ascension covers fertility treatment. Therapy for infertility-related depression, anxiety, or grief is billed under your behavioral health benefit against a mental health diagnosis, which is a separate benefit from the fertility rider that governs IUI, IVF, and medication. Plans that exclude fertility treatment altogether still cover the therapy.

Phoenix Health is out-of-network with Ascension: you pay us directly and we issue a superbill once a month — not after each session — which you submit for reimbursement against your out-of-network behavioral health benefits. You pay Phoenix Health directly and we issue a superbill once a month that you submit to Ascension against your out-of-network benefits. Ascension Personalized Care plans are generally narrow-network products built around Ascension's own hospitals, so out-of-network reimbursement varies widely and some plans reimburse nothing outside the network. Confirm before you start. Sessions are FSA and HSA eligible regardless of what your plan reimburses.

Checking it yourself: Call the member services number on your Ascension card and ask: do I have out-of-network outpatient behavioral health benefits, what is my out-of-network deductible, and what share of the allowed amount is reimbursed? We run this check for you before your first session at no charge.

Your card might say any of these — all of them are Ascension:

AscensionAscension Personalized CareAscension CompleteAscension Smart Health

Out-of-network with superbill

You pay us directly, and we issue a superbill once a month that you submit to your plan for reimbursement.

Benefits verified upfront

We confirm your copay and deductible before your first session, at no charge.

Telehealth covered

Your plan covers virtual sessions at the same rate as in-person specialist visits.

You might benefit from therapy if…

  • You've been trying to conceive for months or years and the emotional weight is becoming hard to carry
  • You're dreading social events, baby announcements, or pregnancy reveals from friends
  • Your relationship has changed under the pressure, and intimacy doesn't feel like intimacy anymore
  • You feel angry at your body, at your partner, or at people who got pregnant easily
  • You're isolating from people who don't understand, and that isolation is making it harder
  • You're holding it together for work and family and you're exhausted from the performance
Dr. Emily Guarnotta

Dr. Emily Guarnotta

Psychologist & Founder

From our founder

Infertility is one of the most underestimated experiences in my practice. The cumulative weight of each month, each appointment, each negative test, is enormous, and most people are carrying it without anyone really seeing it. Therapy doesn't shorten the road. It does change what it's like to walk it.

What therapy looks like

Therapy during infertility usually combines CBT, ACT, and grief-informed work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps with the thought patterns that fuel rumination and shame. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is particularly useful because so much of infertility involves uncertainty you can't control. Grief work shows up because each cycle, each loss, and each missed milestone is its own loss that often doesn't get acknowledged. Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification, and several have additional training in reproductive mental health. Sessions might focus on coping during a treatment cycle, processing a recent failed cycle, decision-making around treatment options, relationship strain, or grief about a path that's taking longer or looking different than you imagined. Some clients work weekly during active treatment and then move to less frequent sessions during pauses. A typical course of work is 3 to 6 months, but many clients stay in therapy throughout treatment because having a steady relationship with someone who already knows the picture is itself part of the support. The goal isn't to make the pain go away. It's to keep your life from being entirely defined by the trying.

Our Infertility specialists who accept Ascension

Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification — the gold standard in perinatal mental health.

Book a free consultation

Stories that may sound familiar

These are examples, not client reviews. We don't publish our clients' words. What's said in therapy stays there.

"What nobody tells you about infertility is that it changes how you see pregnant people. I couldn't go to baby showers. I hid from social media. I felt like a horrible person for feeling what I was feeling. My therapist helped me understand that grief doesn't follow rules and that I was allowed to feel all of it without shame."

Two years of treatments and nobody talked about what it does to your relationship, your identity, your sense of self. I felt like my body had failed me. My therapist helped me separate my worth from my fertility, and helped my husband and I find each other again in the middle of it. Still trying. Feeling more like myself than I have in years.

My emergency C-section left me with nightmares and panic attacks. I couldn't talk about the birth without shaking. Therapy helped me process the trauma and reclaim my story. I'm pregnant again now, and I actually feel ready.

I had stopped telling people we were trying because I couldn't handle one more well-meaning comment. My therapist understood the language and the timing, and I never had to explain a single thing twice. After six months I felt like I had my life back, even though we were still in treatment.

Book a free consultation

In-network with
Ascension.

Most clients pay less than $20 per session.

Accepted Insurance Networks

Ascension
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield
UnitedHealthcare
Cigna

Your rights under federal parity law

Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), your insurer cannot impose more restrictive limits on mental health coverage than on comparable medical or surgical benefits.

See full coverage map →

Ready to start Infertility therapy? Here’s how it works.

The whole process takes about 5 minutes. We handle insurance — you just show up.

  1. 1

    Book your free call

    A quick 15-minute chat to hear what you're going through, answer your questions, and make sure we're a great fit for your needs. No cost, no commitment.

  2. 2

    Get matched

    We'll pair you with the right specialist for your specific situation. We'll also check your insurance, so you know your exact cost per session before moving forward.

  3. 3

    Start your first session

    Meet your therapist from the comfort of home. No commute, no waiting rooms, no judgment. Most clients notice a real difference within just 2 to 3 sessions.

Book your free call

No commitment · Most insurance accepted · Available this week

Common questions

  • Yes, in nearly all cases, and independently of whether Ascension covers fertility treatment. Therapy for infertility-related depression, anxiety, or grief is billed under your behavioral health benefit against a mental health diagnosis, which is a separate benefit from the fertility rider that governs IUI, IVF, and medication. Plans that exclude fertility treatment altogether still cover the therapy. Phoenix Health is out-of-network with Ascension: you pay us directly and we issue a superbill once a month — not after each session — which you submit for reimbursement against your out-of-network behavioral health benefits. You pay Phoenix Health directly and we issue a superbill once a month that you submit to Ascension against your out-of-network benefits. Ascension Personalized Care plans are generally narrow-network products built around Ascension's own hospitals, so out-of-network reimbursement varies widely and some plans reimburse nothing outside the network. Confirm before you start. Sessions are FSA and HSA eligible regardless of what your plan reimburses.
  • It helps. A generalist may inadvertently say things that don't land well. A therapist trained in reproductive mental health understands the medical timeline, the language, the relationship strain, and the specific kind of grief that infertility produces.
  • Yes, and it's also something therapy can help with directly. Infertility puts couples under sustained pressure, and partners often process it differently. Individual therapy can help, and sometimes couples work added in is the right call.
  • No. Setting limits on what you can attend is a reasonable response to grief, and your therapist can help you figure out how to communicate that without losing relationships you care about. It is not a moral failing to take care of yourself.
  • Therapy is not a fertility treatment. What therapy does is reduce the stress, isolation, and depression that come with infertility, which improves quality of life during a very hard chapter. Some research suggests that lower distress may have modest effects on treatment outcomes, but the primary value is in how you live, not in the outcome.
  • PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certification) is awarded by Postpartum Support International (PSI) to clinicians who have completed advanced training in perinatal mental health — covering postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, birth trauma, and related conditions. It represents the gold standard of specialization in this field.
  • If you're struggling — with your mood, your thoughts, your relationship, or just how you're coping — that's enough of a reason to talk to someone. You don't need a diagnosis. A free consultation is a low-commitment first step.

From the Phoenix Health resource center

Articles and guides about infertility

The Emotional Weight of Infertility: What the Mental Health Impact Actually Looks Like

Infertility is a medical condition, but its mental health impact is often more disabling than the physical experience. Understanding what's happening psychologically, and why it's so hard, is the first step toward getting the right support.

Read article →

When Infertility Starts Damaging Your Relationship

Infertility puts enormous strain on couples, but the signs aren't always obvious. Here's how to recognize when the stress has become something more.

Read article →

Does the Grief of Infertility Get Better? What Recovery Actually Looks Like

Infertility grief does shift over time, but what \"better\" looks like depends on where you are in the process. Here's what recovery actually looks like.

Read article →

Trusted by leading voices in parenting and mental health

OBs, doulas, and pediatricians refer their patients to us because we specialize in maternal mental health.

  • Parents.com
  • Postpartum Support International
  • Healthline
  • HuffPost
  • Fatherly
  • Choosing Therapy

The sooner you start,
the sooner you'll
feel like yourself again.

You've been surviving. It's time to start healing.

No commitment · Covered by insurance · Available this week

Learning resources

🌱Read our Infertility guides →

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