The Girlfriends Guide To Surviving IVF

Let's face it, IVF can be taxing.  It uses emotional and financial resource - often more than we expect.  Most women enter the process having been successful at controlling their lives - careers, relationships and health. However, with IVF you lose the ability to control the outcome.  With a proactive plan and a support system to get you through, you will be ready to begin on this journey!

1. Pick your team – You cannot do this alone!  You cannot do this alone!  You should not do this alone! So whether you are are single, married or partnered, find someone to help you.  You may need emotional support, a ride from your retrieval or help picking up medications.  
2. Be your own project manager - there are a lot of moving pieces in an IVF cycle.  There are appointments, consents, medication orders, procedures, and endless decisions to be made.  Keep a master file of everything from your calendars to your receipts.  
3. Dress for success - hormonal injections result in bloating and weight gain.  Most women gain somewhere between 5-10 pounds during their stimulation.  And since the goal is pregnancy this weight will likely not go away.  So put away the skinny jeans and pull out the maxi dresses!
4. Just say no! ... To everything else.  An IVF cycle takes all of your focus and energy.  So, while you are in the process give yourself permission to say no to all of the other commitments in your life.  It is the wrong time stress and be pulled in too many different directions.  Sit down, put your feet up and surround yourself with positive energy.
5. Hire a housekeeper – OK, not really.  And if you are like most people going through IVF, you are already stretching your budget.  But instead do plan ahead.  Prepare food in advance, do some extra laundry and get your partner or friends to pitch in and help you.  

What worked for you?  Share your tips with our readers.

Author

Dr. Danielle Lane Danielle E Lane, MD, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist