IVF: What You Need to Do to Prepare Your Mind, Body, and Spirit for It

     Infertility is an experience that can take a huge toll on anyone’s life. Being able to reproduce is one of the most basic human needs and abilities so not being able to do that can not only largely impact one’s mental state but it can also be a big stressor in the relationship. Feelings of being inadequate or “broken” tend to overshadow the aspect that just because you may be having infertility issues, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to have kids.

     There are so many technological advancements that have changed the world of medicine but when it comes to infertility, IVF is the leading the way with innovative technology to give people the families they’ve always wanted. The funny thing about IVF is that despite its high success rate, people still use IVF as their last, best option, especially after years of trying the “old fashioned” way, which is okay.

IVF: What You Need to Do to Prepare Your Mind, Body, and Spirit for It
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     The great thing about IVF is that you will be just as educated by a doctor about the whole process as you would be if you conceived naturally. You’ll know about the health risks, the success rates, and see pictures of normal and abnormal embryos. The main thing is to make sure you’re educated about the process. 

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

• Believe it or not, there are myths behind IVF that scare couples out of getting the treatment done.
• IVF Myth 1: If you get IVF treatments, you’ll have multiples- WRONG
• IVF Myth 2: IVF treatments increase your risk for cancer- WRONG
• IVF Myth 3: IVF treatments can cause birth defects- WRONG

     If you are considering IVF treatments to help with your infertility issues, talk to a doctor first before hopping on the internet or talking to friends and family about it. IVF is a serious process that is meant to help couples conceive and the last thing you need is someone telling you mistruths about a process they’re not even knowledgable about.

Preparing for IVF

Get Accurate Information and Plan Ahead

     As mentioned earlier, you don’t want to get on the internet and look up IVF information until you’ve spoken with an IVF specialist. This is a process you want to make a well-informed decision about. Just like any other doctor visit, seeing a doctor about IVF can be stressful and anxiety-inducing and the only way to remedy those feelings is to get educated about the process from experts in the field. Once you have accurate information to look over, you can make a better decision on what you want to do and start planning from there.

Make Sure Your Mental Health and Relationship is in a Good and Positive Place

     Enduring the ups and downs that come with a long battle with infertility can take a huge emotional toll on not only yourself but also on your relationship. Before starting the IVF process, you want to make sure that your relationship is strong and solid and that you’re emotionally in a good place. 

     Although getting pregnant may seem like it’s the only thing to talk about, it’s really not. To keep your relationship strong and your mental state positive, try setting boundaries when it comes to talking about IVF treatments. Maybe spend 20 mins out of your day to talk to your partner about it and after those 20 minutes are up, talk about something else. You don’t want to lose yourself in the process.

Be Able to Identify What Stresses You Out and How to Cope With Your Stressors

     Each person has different things that stress them out and the way they deal with those stressors vary as well. It was mentioned earlier that the process of IVF can cause stress and anxiety, well if you can figure out exactly which part of it brings on your stress and anxiety, you can work towards finding ways to cope with it.

     Maybe the ride to the clinic stresses you out but once you get there, you’re completely fine. Or, maybe the injections scare you… the main thing is to find out what exactly stresses you about the process. If the car ride to the clinic stresses you out, maybe try playing calming music on the way there or having your partner tell you something funny. Verywellmind.com states that although developing a good sense of humor doesn’t come as easily as it does for others but finding ways to see the funny in stressful situations will help you better cope with those situations.

Anticipate Problems That Could Possibly Arise

     Just as anyone can have problems or complications with natural conception, the same rules apply with IVF treatments. You, of course, don’t want that to happen but you would be being unrealistic with yourself if you didn’t anticipate the possibility of problems to happen. There are indeed things that can go very wrong during the procedures, like having a bad reaction to the medication or no fertilization after retrieval but if you prepare yourself for the possibility of that happening, you’ll be able to handle it better.