Introduction

It is well known that infertility, pregnancy loss, and other adverse reproductive experiences are associated with psychological distress with many patients reporting these experiences as being traumatic in nature. It is also well known that the majority of people presenting to REI clinics for care have likely previously been exposed to one or more traumatic events (e.g., physical/sexual assault). It is unsurprising that adverse reproductive experiences in REI clinics may be emotionally triggering of past traumatic experiences given the nature of fertility care in particular, the history of medical abuses and discrimination in obstetrics and gynecology and healthcare in general, the stigmatization of infertility, the history of victim blaming women for their experience of infertility and loss (e.g., blaming women’s stress for their infertility/loss), and the risk of new medical traumas (e.g., pregnancy loss). Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a model of patient-centered care which realizes the frequency and sequelae of trauma, recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, and organizationally and individually responds to patients in a way that avoids re-traumatizing/further harming them and provides effective support of patients (e.g., integration of mental health professionals into REI clinics). TIC also benefits healthcare professionals and staff by realizing the risks associated with exposure to patients’ trauma(s) and non-work trauma(s) (e.g., burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma), recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress in health care teams, organizational responses that effectively mitigate distress (e.g., addressing imbalanced demands and resources), and striveing to avoid the re-traumatization of health care team members.