It’s no secret that the emotional aspects of IVF can be challenging, but it's essential to acknowledge these feelings and find ways to cope throughout your treatment. At Care Fertility, we’re here to support you through your IVF journey. We want you to feel seen, feel heard, and feel supported. We’ve put together a quick guide on how you can manage the emotional ups and downs of IVF – including things that we know have helped our clients through their IVF journey:
Going through IVF treatment can bring up wide range of feelings and emotions, all of which are completely normal
Hope and Excitement: The possibility of achieving pregnancy.
Anxiety and Stress: The uncertainty of the outcome.
Doubt: Wondering if what you’re doing is the right and questioning your choices.
Disappointment and Sadness: When cycles do not result in pregnancy.
Exhaustion and Overwhelm: With lots of medication, injections, hormones, and visits to the clinic.
Feeling any, and all, of these things is totally normal, and everyone goes through them. However, what we don’t want are these feelings and emotions to cause pain and suffering. Finding ways to cope and allowing these moments to be felt and to pass will help you to manage during the IVF process.
Family and friends: Share your feelings with trusted loved ones. All too often we see clients who shut down and stop sharing. It’s not until they start talking again do they see how much it can help lighten the load.
Support groups: Sometimes a loved one might not be the best person, and we might really need to speak with people who really get what we are going through. There are lots of IVF or fertility support groups to connect with others who will understand your experience and offer a different type of support.
Look after yourself: The process of IVF can really take its toll. In between all the appointments, the scans, taking medication and injections, and trying to keep your lives going it can be easy to forget to prioritise yourself. We know from years of experience that one of the best things you can do throughout the process is look after yourself.
Set boundaries: It’s okay if there are things, events, or even people, you struggle with now you are going through IVF. It’s okay to have boundaries with friends and family and to start saying no to things. Putting you and your partner first is one of the best things you can do.
Sleep: Sleep is not only important physically, but also incredibly important for mental wellbeing. With its ups and downs, IVF can often leave people exhausted and burnt out. Going to bed at a good time, sleeping at least 7-8 hours, and keeping a regular sleeping pattern is just one simple thing you can do to support yourself.
Try to eat well: When we are going through a hard time, we all reach for our favourite foods for comfort, but it's important to keep a balanced diet. So, eating well most of the time is going to support you better, giving you more energy to deal with the day to day of IVF.
Mindful moments: We know from our clients that things like meditation, journalling, breathwork, and even yoga, have helped them to manage the very intense emotional side of IVF. When things feel out of your control, finding something that allows you to tune out the noise and tune in with yourself could help guide you through.
Counselling: Consider talking to a therapist specialising in fertility issues.
Care Fertility Support Services: Take advantage of our counselling services and support groups.
Remember, there are two of you on this journey, and you’re not alone – you're in this together. It’s so important to have open and honest communication and talking with one another will help you to understand how each other are feeling – it's probably more similar than you think!
Share Your Feelings: Talk about your emotions and listen to each other’s concerns – just talking can make everything feel so much better and really put things into perspective.
Stay Connected: Spending quality time together outside treatment is something that is often neglected by many couples going through IVF. Remember to spend time together, plan a date night, or even just a regular check-in with each other can do you both the world of good.
Set Realistic Goals: It’s important to understand the IVF process and the success rates – this will help you to be better prepared for your treatment and help you to manage your expectations. IVF can take several cycles – it's not your fault and is completely normal.
Be Informed: Knowing the ins-and-outs of the IVF process can be so empowering, and many of our clients' become experts in their own right on all thing's fertility! The more you know, the more you’ll be prepared for treatment and what it entails.
Learning how to cope with the emotional aspects of IVF is such an important part of your fertility journey – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a positive experience too. At Care Fertility, we're here to provide the support and resources you need. Remember, it’s okay to seek help and lean on those around you.
If you’re on a similar journey, know that you’re not alone. Explore our resources and find the support you need at Care Fertility.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help make your dreams of a family possible.