I feel that speaking open and honestly about my fertility struggles and pregnancy journey, is one small thing I can do to help other women best prepare for their IVF cycles and hopefully pregnancies. When I was undergoing IVF 2 years ago I did not feel there was enough information from women who had been through it first hand. So here are my tips if you are going to be embarking on IVF this year. I truly hope they help you best prepare you for the exciting journey ahead.
1. CONNECT WITH OTHER WOMEN GOING THROUGH WHAT YOU ARE
A big turning point for me when embarking on my first round of IVF was setting up an anonymous instagram profile to connect with other women undergoing fertility treatment. I picked up so many tips from these women going through what I was going through and it gave me so much hope and strength hearing their stories. It helped me realise that struggling to conceive was not something that I was just going through alone. It can feel incredibly lonely when friends are falling pregnant naturally and you have no one in your immediate family or friendship group to talk to who understands, and I mean really understanding the heart aching pain of wanting your own baby. Someone who doesn't just say, 'relax and it will happen', 'be patient', 'you could always try adopting'. I love social media for the power it gives us to connect. Finding a support network of women who understand what your going through first hand, and are going through the same, can really help process your feeling and pick you up when your feeling low to give you strength.
2. ASK QUESTIONS AND GET ORGANISED
There is no such things as asking too many questions. Use a notepad or the notes section on your phone to write down questions as they pop in to your head, and bring these along to all of your appointments and consultations. It will help you feel better prepared. Embarking on IVF is a big deal so do not be made to feel that you are asking something silly, ask about procedures, costs and timings - anything that pops in to your head. I found that starting a new journal (pocket size that fitted in my bag) at the start of an IVF cycle was was always useful as it meant I had somewhere everything was written down that I could find easily rather than scrolling down my phone. The more you feel better prepared and have a good understanding, the more confident you will feel approaching IVF.
Taking your journal with you to your appointments and using it to write down advice from the doctors and nurses as well as keeping it close at home for when the clinic call with instructions will mean you are well organised. There is a lot to remember from the names of medicines to timings of when to do your injections and when your next due to visit the clinic for a blood test or scan, being organised is essential to not getting overwhelmed with the process.
3. NOURISH YOUR BODY
Trying for a baby taught me the importance of nourishing my body. Many of the women I speak to on a daily basis know a lot about eating to lose or maintain a certain weight but actually very little about eating to enhance their fertility. Saying goodbye to processed foods, alcohol and refined sugars as well as reducing caffeine will help better prepare your body. There is no better reason to be healthy than to prepare it to grow and nurture your future baby. My A - Z of Fertility Nutrition is the perfect guide to educate you on the nutrients you and your partner need to maximise your chances of conceiving in preparation for your IVF cycle. To get your copy email me directly at fertilityism@gmail.com.
4. DO YOUR AFFIRMATIONS
Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. You live most of your life inside your head, so it is important to make it a nice place to be. For many of us, getting to the point of needing IVF has meant trying for a baby for some time, getting here can feel like a long and tiresome process, and leave you doubting whether IVF will work. An athlete does not prepare by telling themselves they cannot reach that milestone, they believe in themselves. You have to start believing in yourself. Our mindset and mental attitude has a huge influence on our overall mood and health. Practicing positive affirmations once or twice a day in the morning, upon waking up and the evening, before bed can truly have a big impact to how you think and feel. Feeling positive will help you feel better prepared for IVF.To learn more about affirmations, read my blog post here on the power of positive affirmations.
5. DON'T FREAK OUT ABOUT THE INJECTIONS
This may not be a factor for you but something I personally spent a lot of time worrying about before and during IVF were the injections. All of that worrying really did not help me. I wish I invested my energy on something that would have actually benefited me. I would hype myself up about the injections to the point where I would feel anxious, stressed and genuinely dread having them. Not ideal when you need them everyday - morning and night. The turning point for me was when I listened to a mindfulness meditation about IVF and accepting the drugs in to my body as they were helping me to grow and nurture my future baby. Instead of seeing the injections as a negative, I welcomed having them as something to support my body to get and stay pregnant.
Funnily enough doing the injections myself actually made the process a whole lot easier. For months I made my poor husband do all of my injections for me, it was not until my second IVF cycle I started doing my own injections and because I was doing them to myself I felt a lot more comfortable as I knew if I was nervous and anxious I would only mess up the injections. My injection tips would be to pick a good time each day and stick to that time to do your injections based on your doctors advice, put on some relaxing music, sit in bed or on a comfy sofa and plan what you are going to do after the injections, before you know it they are done and you can move on with your day or night :)
6. SCALE BACK WORK
Working full time whilst undergoing IVF is hard work. Mainly because it is so difficult to plan and you need more flexibility. Speak to your boss about what your going through and either scale back work to part time or take a few weeks off as a mini brea. This will give you the support and flexibility you need to attend appointments, collect medication and schedule in your procedures as well as time just to rest up when you need to listen to your body without feeling guilty that you should be working. You are spending a lot of time, energy and for many of us money having IVF so give it the best chance of success by reducing stress of work and multi tasking to focus purely on what you are going through one day at a time.
7. SCHEDULE ACUPUNCTURE
There are many benefits to acupuncture particularly when it comes to getting your body reading for a baby, it can help regulate your menstrual cycle and hormones, it can especially effective alongside IVF. It is recommended to have acupuncture during the stimulation phase, before and after your egg transfer as well as pre and post transfer. One study found;
a pregnancy rate of 42.5% in the group of women who receive acupuncture before and after IVF
a pregnancy rate of 26.3% in women who simply underwent IVF and had no acupuncture
I embarked on IVF during both my cycles, to read more on the benefits check out my Q & A with fertility acupuncturist, Justine Hankin here. My advice would be to see an acupuncturist that specialises in fertility either located close to home or your clinic so it is easy to tie in visiting alongside your cycle.
8. REDUCE STRESS
To give yourself the best chances, prioritise yourself. If someone or something in your life is causing you unnecessary stress or worry cut ties with it. You are not going to want to feel stressed in pregnancy so use this time to reduce your stress levels now. The more stressed we feel, the more our bodies release the 'stress' hormone cortisol which can affect our heart rate, blood pressure and hormones. Don't get me wrong IVF is certainly not a relaxing experience but working on reducing your overall stress levels and taking one day at a time will help you feel mentally and physically strong and help improve your chances of success.
9. MAKE TIME FOR THINGS YOU ENJOY
Make time everyday to do something for you. Whether it is watching an episode of a tv series, your favourite film, cooking, painting, reading, going for a walk, playing an instrument or learning a new hobby - take time to zone out from IVF and getting pregnant. Even if its just for an hour a day, I really think it is so important to tune out and do something you enjoy for you as well as with your partner. Try to connect with your partner by remembering who you both were as a couple before trying for a baby. Plan a date day or night where you make a pact not to talk about IVF or babies and focus on connecting with each other.
10. A WORD OF ADVICE
Remember IVF is a rollercoaster, a heavily medicated one, you will have ups and downs, this is inevitable so remember to take the rough with the smooth. Your hormones will be elevated so just be kind to yourself throughout the process. On the tough days, speak to someone about how your feeling, get outdoors for a walk to clear your mind and have an early night. Trust your journey and have faith that better days are coming. You are stronger than you think and this experience will make you an even more amazing mama.
Sending strength and positivity,
Lisa x
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