Whether this is your first time embarking on fertility treatment or you have endured several cycles, being prepared before you start your treatment is essential. If you have never had any form of fertility treatment before it can be quite daunting not knowing what to expect. You can visit the clinic, ask lots of questions, and review the clinic’s success rates but until you’ve actually been through it, you’ll never know what it’s really like. Treatment takes its toll both financially and emotionally so the more prepared you can be before you start, the better your chance of success and, hopefully, the less likely you will need to repeat the experience. Here are some things you can do to help prepare for your fertility treatment:
Do Your Research
before going ahead with treatment do your research so you understand what is involved. Find out all the options available and get advice as to what might be the best type of treatment for you. Clinic success rates and fees are important but also think about what feels right for you. Although you may not be able to physically visit clinics at the moment, many are offering online open evenings which are worth attending to find out more.
Allow Three Months to Prepare for IVF Treatment
egg and sperm quality are not something that can be improved by fertility treatment. You want to be going into this with the best quality eggs and sperm to increase the success of your treatment cycle. It takes three months to prepare a healthy batch of sperm and mature an egg so this is the minimum amount of time you should be spending preparing for your cycle. If your diet could do with improving or you are not taking good quality prenatal supplements this should be a priority to improve egg and sperm health.
Make Lifestyle Changes to Boost Fertility
Smoking, alcohol and excess weight can all affect the success of fertility treatment. Improving these aspects of your health before you embark on treatment will not only have a positive impact on your treatment cycle but will help improve your overall health as well.
Manage Stress
Fertility treatment is stressful. There is no guarantee it will work, and there is a lot of uncertainty and waiting involved. Start employing techniques to help manage your stress. Find time every day to do something that relaxes you, even if it is just for ten minutes, this could be meditation, yoga, mindfulness or reading a book, but most importantly make sure it is something that you enjoy.
Allow for Flexibility
Treatment cycles may get cancelled or may take longer than originally planned, factor this in, and always make sure you ask questions and find out why timings have changed. Find out what flexibility you can get from work, does your employer have a policy on fertility treatment and what options are there for unpaid leave? You will need time off around egg collection and transfer and you may also find it useful to have some time away from work during the two-week wait.
Get Support
Your clinic should offer some form of counselling along with your treatment. Find out what this is and make use of what is available, even if you think that you do not need it. There are also lots of groups online which offer support such as Fertility Network UK.
Allow Time to Recover
Whether your treatment is successful or not, the procedure will have taken a toll on your body. Allow time to recover both physically and mentally and nourish your body, whether this is to support a pregnancy or to help prepare for another cycle.
