How to survive IVF and thrive in life

The Beginners Guide to Surviving IVF and Thriving

/ In-Vitro fertilization, Wellness / By

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The Beginners Guide to Surviving IVF and Thriving

  • When a woman decides to go through IVF to get pregnant, they have undoubtedly tried to get pregnant on their own with no success. While some have experienced miscarriages some have not been able to conceive at all. This means that most women are already stressed out before they seek treatment. The reason for their stress are as follows: They have no idea why they are not able to conceive, They have experienced miscarriage or a series of them, The shame of societal perception and Simply exhaustion from trying to conceive.
  • There is relief in discovering why a woman is unable to conceive. However, when a person does start going through IVF one experience both emotional and physical stresses caused by the treatment. In this case, you will need more support systems. Though the IVF experience is different for everyone, more often than not women experience isolation from family and friends. Most people do not know how to react to infertility issues and it can be hard to seek support at times. In fact, If not well managed the stress of it all can affect the couple’s relationship as well. So is very important to establish a good support system on your journey.
  • You can get this support from friends, family, counsellors, your treatment team, or through a platform like this. I plan to use this platform to help provide support for women or couples who otherwise might not have one or just simply want a safe place to talk and connect with others on the same journey.
  • I remember when I went through my IVF journey. I felt lonely and ashamed at the early stage of my journey. I did not know how or where to get the support I needed to make my journey easier and more enjoyable. Honestly, I didn’t start feeling better until I started to open up to close friends and family that gave me that extra support. All of a sudden, I didn’t quite feel alone anymore. Instead, I was more positive and that little voice that keeps telling me that it might not work, it usually doesn’t work the first time disappeared. All I could think of was holding my baby. It became a more positive experience the moment I decided to open up to my close family and friends.
  • I learned a lot during my journey and continue to learn as I plan to embark on another baby-making journey in the near future. Please join me and learn from my experience and what I continue to learn. I will be writing about not just what I learned already but what I continue to learn.

How to get started with IVF

  • IVF is basically a form of assisted pregnancy where a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg are combined outside the body on a laboratory dish. If the egg happens to fertilize and start cell division then the embryo is transferred into the woman’s uterus. The aim is for the embryo to implant in the woman’s uterus.

Common misconceptions of IVF.

IVF is too expensive

  • Some believe that IVF is only for the rich as it is too expensive. This, of course, is not the case. Though it is not a cheap procedure, it is not too expensive that it is out of reach. In Canada, it costs between 10,000 to 15,000 thousand Per cycle Fertility drugs and consultation can push the price up to 20,000.

IVF has a 100% success rate

  • This is not the case. There is a higher chance of getting pregnant with IVF compared to two healthy couples conceiving naturally. In fact, it is important to know that the odds of a healthy couple conceiving normally are between 20%to 35% per month while IVF couples are looking at a 40% chance of conceiving. However, this success rate depends on other factors such as a women’s Age, Cause of infertility, biological factors, and hormonal factors.

Long hospital admission

  • No there is no long hospital stay when getting IVF treatment. You will not need to book work off for an extended long time.

Multiple children if it works

  • You and your doctor decide on the number of embryos that you transfer. If one embryo is transferred that is the number of children you will get

Zero control over getting Ovarian hyperstimulation

  • It does happen to some women taking IVF medication. Not every woman undergoing IVF treatment gets it. There are preventative measures put in place to prevent women from getting it.

IVF is the only form of assisted pregnancy

  • There are other forms of assisted pregnancy. What one ends up using depends on the cause of infertility. Other forms of infertility are Ovulation Induction(OI), Intrauterine insemination(IUI), Donor sperm(DS) Insemination(DI), Egg Donation (ED), Gestational carrier(GC), Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration(PESA) and Testicular Sperm Extraction(TESE)
  • Go to http://auroraivf.ca/ for more information on other forms of assisted pregnancy.

Higher risk of Abnormal babies

  • There is no difference between children in the general population as compared to IVF children. non-IVF babies have the same risk of birth defects compared to babies conceived from IVF. IVF medication causes Cancer: There are no studies that suggest that IVF medication causes cancer. There are mentions of a possible association with cancer but it is usually borderline ovarian tumour which by the way is a type of malignancy that causes little to no pain and has a good likely outcome with good maintenance of fertility. In Fact, it is safe to donate eggs up to six times.
  • For more information on IVF misconceptions, you can go to https://www.indiraivf.com

How to get started with IVF

Tips for Success in IVF

Common Questions/FAQ About IVF

Question 1 What is IVF

It is basically a form of assisted pregnancy where a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg are combined outside the body on a laboratory dish. If the egg happens to fertilize and start cell division then the embryo is transferred into the woman’s uterus. The aim is for the embryo to implant in the woman’s uterus

Question 2 Am I a candidate

You are a candidate if you have a blocked fallopian tube or you have none at all, low sperm count, Ovulation disorder, advance age, and unexplained fertility factors

Question 3 How long should I wait before I consult a fertility specialist?

The recommendation is that after a year of trying to conceive unsuccessfully you should see a specialist.

Question 4 How long does IVF take

IVF process takes between four to six weeks before egg retrieval. Since not all candidates are successful on the first try, this ultimately means a longer time period for an unsuccessful candidate.

Question 5 Will IVF increase my chance of having twins or triples

You and your doctor will decide how many embryos you will implant. If a single embryo is implanted the risk of multiple births is decreased. Is your choice on how many embryos you chose to implant in your uterus.

Question 6 If I am not pregnant, when can I try again?

Two to three menstrual cycle candidates are asked to wait. If an additional test is needed that might extend the wait.

For more information on commonly asked questions, you can go to https://www.myfertilitycare.com/

The Last Thing You Need to Know about IVF

  • IVF comes with a lot of side effects. Some of the side effects that you might experience from IVF medication are headache, bloating, mood swings, hot flashes, abdominal pain and on a very rare occasion some women may experience ovarian hyperstimulation with side effects such as nausea, vomiting, feeling of fainting, significant weight gain in a very short time, reduced urination, abdominal pain and bloating and shortness of breath. IVF is a good option for couples that have tried to get pregnant naturally but have not been successful. IVF is not for everyone it ultimately depends on one’s infertility issue.
  • If you make a decision to undergo IVF treatment. It is important that you do your own research, understand what is happening to your body and how it affects you both physically and emotionally and plan for how to deal with it so it does not affect your journey in a negative way. In other words, Get help when needed, and put a support system in place for those difficult times believe me you will need it.
  • If you really like this blog post, and if it was helpful to you please feel free to share it with your friends and family or leave a comment below I will really appreciate it. I love to hear from you

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