Hindsight is a wonderful thing. When I first started IVF I was eager, excited, nervous and looking back now, naive. IVF was a whole new world, with a new language and I suddenly had so many things to think about that had never occupied my mind before. Things I used to worry about before, completely took a back seat as I worried about what my blood tests results would show today, would the injections hurt, how would I feel after egg retrieval, will the transfer hurt and how on earth will I keep busy for 2 weeks waiting to see if it had actually worked and we were pregnant?
1) IVF kind of takes over your life, but only in the short term
IVF is practically a part time job. It is all consuming and requires you to be on stand by for tests, ultrasound scans, blood tests, doctor visits and injections any time of the day. Throughout the stimulation phase and prior to egg collection, most clinics require daily monitoring appointments. On day 7 of taking IVF medication, I was told I would need to come in twice daily for monitoring blood tests and a scan. Following the results I would then be called with my dosage of medication for my injections and when to do them. Although it is intense, the good news is this only lasts for around 2 weeks during stimulation phase and egg transfer.
I would recommend speaking to your boss and either coming to an understanding that you will require flexibility for these weeks where your IVF treatment takes priority or taking a few weeks off work. It is hard to give exact days, so by being open and honest about the process will make things easier for you. In terms of injections, once you have got into the swing of things, you can do the injections wherever you are, so you do not have to let this control your life, however trips to the clinic for monitoring, not knowing the date of your egg collection and embryo transfer can make planning for things pretty difficult. You’ll find that for some things life majorly hits pause during IVF, but the good news is it doesn’t have to stop completely. Enjoy the moments between the injections and know that you will make it through and life does move on, this is not your life forever.
My first of many IV drips at the clinic
2. The injections aren’t actually that scary
I was absolutely petrified of needles, honestly I still am but after 3 injections daily morning, noon and night, you kind of become immune. It took me 2 rounds of IVF and reaching my 2nd trimester to do the injections myself. My poor husband did ALL of my injections up until this point. It was not until I learnt to inject myself that I actually was okay with it. Yes they hurt temporarily (more like a burning sensation for a few seconds), and they bruise (which actually doesn’t hurt, just not the most attractive to look at). My number one tip for injections is to BREATHE through it, and do it quickly. Before you know it they are over. Trust me you will not be more scared of injections and blood tests than me, but honestly the more you think about it, the more anxious you get. Changing your mindset from ‘I am scared and don’t want this injection’ to ‘this injection is helping my body and baby’, will relax your body, the less tense you are, the less they hurt. I always found playing a relaxing song, having a bath and lighting my my candles helped chill me out.
You will feel like a human pin cushion (the bruising looks worse than it actually is).
3. You will feel like your on a hormonal rollercoaster
Quite simply, nothing will prepare you for how you feel on IVF medication, you will feel up, down and not know what to expect from one day to the next. Physically it is difficult and mentally it is a mind f**k. You are injecting hormones into your body and growing follicles in your ovaries. You will feel emotional, anxious and mood swings are inevitable. IVF is a rollercoaster, the highs will feel high and the lows will feel low. Nothing will prepare you for how IVF makes you feel and the exhaustion. Everyone reacts differently to IVF, so ask your doctor and the nurses, lots of questions over any concerns. And know this, once you accept how you are feeling, you will feel more in control and more in touch with your body.
Remember, your body is responding just how it should be. Listen to your body, rest, stay calm and relax especially before egg retrieval and transfer.
Post embryo transfer, officially PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise) with Milo
4. There is an amazing community of support
I didn't realise how many women were going through fertility difficulties and treatment until I set up an instagram account and started connecting with women going through IVF. No one I knew was struggling to conceive. In fact, many of my friends were falling pregnant easily so I felt pretty alone and isolated. Blogs and instagram accounts made me realise you do not have to face it alone. As I began to interact and engage online with other women walking the same path as me, being so open with their fertility journey's, it inspired me to share my journey. I am so blessed to have made friends with these women who helped me through some of the hardest parts of my journey including a failed IVF round, the day to day stresses and the dreaded two week wait.
Sometimes it is easier opening up to someone else going through what your going through
5. Good nutrition is essential
When your body is being pumped with hormones, it makes sense you are not really going to feel 100% yourself. Eating foods that nourished my body and mind not just helped me feel in control of how I was feeling but made me feel good. Anti-inflammatory foods helped reduce the inevitable bloating that comes with IVF. I suffered from mild OHSS during my first IVF round which was so painful so by researching foods to reduce bloating and staying well hydrated I managed to prevent this happening second time around. By fueling my food with lots of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, wholegrains and no refined sugar and processed foods I knew I was doing everything I could do to make sure I was as healthy as possible for healthy eggs, conception and implantation.
IVF brunch of dreams
6. You will get through IVF, no matter the outcome
As an optimistic person, I went into IVF thinking if I believed it, it would without a doubt work. Success rates of IVF can range dramatically depending on age, diagnosis and clinic, and most people end up needing more than 1 cycle to get the result they are hoping for. Please know that just because one cycle does not work, it does not mean it will never work. Your story is not over. When I first started IVF, I surrounded myself with positive stories of it working first time, I avoided listening to stories about failed cycles as I wanted to stay as positive as possible. Sure, I had heard of people needing a few rounds but did not for one second that would happen to me. Well, it did happen, we failed our first cycle and guess what? We picked ourselves back up again, went on holiday, took a few months to ourselves and picked ourselves up again for round 2. Even on the darkest days, just know this storm, like all will pass. No matter the outcome, you are strong and loved and you will get through this.
