Failing to conceive can bring holiday heartache.

• Position: Pregnancy

The holiday season brings joy as families and friends gather together, but it also is a time loaded with high expectations and increased stress. It perhaps is the toughest time of year for those who are having difficulty starting a family on their own and have turned to assisted reproductive technology.

It is important for people to take control of the holiday for themselves in order to enjoy and not dread this complicated time of year, advise the clinicians at Attain Fertility, Purchase, N.Y., the nation's largest fertility center network, performing one out of every four IVF procedures in the country.

If your holidays include lots of family time, holiday parties laden with kids, and gatherings with people who are anxious to know whether you are pregnant, consider breaking with tradition. This is the year to take care of yourself. It is not about guilt or anger, but rather self-preservation.

If breaking with traditional gatherings, it is important to have an alternate plan; when visiting family, stay in a hotel instead of the home; rent a car in order to be mobile and make a getaway; or celebrate the holidays alone with your partner. Couples should discuss their plans and options, and make decisions that will support both of their needs.

Communicate in advance with family and friends and, whatever your plan, be sure to execute it in a...