Prep-Work

On October 31st I went to my fertility center to officially begin my third cycle of IVF. I’m currently doing 14 days of birth control pills so that everything can be set and timed perfectly. I have been using this 14 day period of time to prepare myself physically, mentally and spiritually for the grueling few weeks ahead.

Before I started my second round of IVF I discovered a book called “Fully Fertile.” It is written by three women who started a holistic fertility center. I absolutely love the book and it is very helpful for anyone who is struggling with infertility.




Physically- Although I try my best to eat fairly healthy all of the time with little cheats here and there, I do make an effort to be even more conscious of my nutritional intake during my IVF cycle. I also cut back on my caffeine intake as well as any other beverages that contain high amounts of sugar. I try to take walks a few days a week for exercise and stress release purposes. I also complete a yoga routine almost everyday. The routine is outlined in the Fully Fertile book and the stretches are to help loosen and relax specific muscles, improve circulation and help reduce stress. The authors of the book encourage that to have good fertility you must have good circulation, respiration and elimination (of toxins from your body).



Mentally/Emotionally- This time around I’ve been working very hard on staying positive. We have now been doing various fertility treatments for two years. One IUI, two “fresh” IVF cycles and one frozen embryo transfer. None of which have worked and as we get ready to try another fresh cycle it has been harder this time around to imagine that the outcome can be different. I need to spend a lot more time relaxing and reminding myself that it could happen this time.

Spiritually- The only thing that I work extra hard on is making sure that I spend time everyday expressing gratitude to God for all of the wonderful things currently in my life that He has blessed me with. . I have a list of Bible verses that I have written in a notebook that I read every day and of course I pray, A LOT, especially during the 48 hours after the embryo transfer when I have to be on bed rest and I’m home with my own solitude and feel peaceful, hopeful and quiet. It is also encouraging when others let you that they are praying along with you.