Managing your anxiety before an IVF treatment cycle for positive Pregnancy

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IVF can be an emotional stress giving process of infertility treatment. Both partners should be prepared to respond to a variety of emotionally stressful demands as they undergo IVF. Despite the stressful consequences of infertility and IVF, the vast majority of patients adjust well emotionally. To minimise the stress level during treatment one should gather information about the treatment and plan ahead, prepare for decision making and identify stress giving things and find the ways to cope up with it. The 10-14 day waiting period between transfer and receiving the pregnancy test results is often described as the most difficult stress giving part of the cycle.

IVF - Preparing for Emotional Considerations - Coping with the Emotional Roller Coaster Ride in IVF - Coping with IVF Cycle Outcomes - Emotional Effects of Infertility on the Couple’s Relationship - Learn to reduce IVF stress with Specialist at Blossom Fertility Centre - IVF, Infertility Clinic, Fertility Clinic in Surat, Gujarat - Coping with the IVF stress - How to cope up with IVF Fertility Treatment Stress - Stress Doesn't Impact Success of IVF -Manage IVF Stress in simple way with Blossom Fertility Centre - Nurture Your Relationship during Fertility Treatment - Infertility, IVF and Stress - Stressful Fertility and Infertility Treatment - The emotional stress during IVF Journey Handful tips to cope up Stress during IVF - Minimise stress during the Two Week Wait of IVF Cycle - Emotional Impact of Infertility - Stress Doesn’t Hurt


Chances of Success with IVF - Fertility centre, IVF clinic, IVF Surat India, In Vitro fertilization In Vitro Fertilization is a one assisted reproductive technology (ART) commonly referred to as IVF. IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish, and then transferring the embryo to the uterus. Other forms of ART include gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). IVF can help you get pregnant if you have problems with ovulation or egg quality, blocked fallopian tubes, or endometriosis; if your partner has problems with sperm count or motility; or if you're using donor eggs to become pregnant. It takes about four to six weeks to complete one cycle of IVF. You have to wait a few weeks for your eggs to mature. Then you and your partner spend about half a day at your doctor's office or clinic having your eggs retrieved and fertilized. You have to go back again three to five days later to have the embryos inserted into your uterus, but you'll be able to go home that same day. Finally you have to wait till the pregnancy test is taken.

To have own children is insatiable human need. This strong natural urge exerts tremendous pressure on couples unable to have a baby. And the pressure to reproduce becomes increasingly acute as couples grow older and become more aware of their own mortality. The introduction of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) more than 30 years ago has made parenthood possible for millions who otherwise would never have been able to conceive. Learn more about IVF procedure, ivf treatment, ivf cycle, its success rate and everything about ivf at http://www.blossomivfindia.com/ivf The biggest decision an infertile couple will ever make in regard to IVF is whether or not they really want to become parents. An IVF procedure requires an enormous emotional commitment at each level of the treatment, whether or not IVF is successful. Stress is one of those paradoxes of living with infertility. Both partners should be prepared to respond to a variety of emotionally stressful demands as they undergo IVF. It turns out that stress and tension, while detrimental to overall health, may have little impact on couples’ chances of getting pregnant with in vitro fertilization. ONE in five couples who give up fertility treatment does so because of the psychological and physical burden of the process, rather than the expense, according to a major study of assisted reproductive technology. While researchers once thought that stress caused infertility, more recent studies do not make this connection.


While general assumptions may be made about stress levels during IVF, the experience for infertility patients will be personal and unique--each patient will experience the stress differently based upon his or her own personality and life experiences.

Unexpected Challenges The treatment of IVF stressful and affect all parts of couples life - marital, social, physical, emotional, financial, and religious. Time is stressful, both in the time commitment to an intense treatment which leads to disruption in family, work, and social activities, and for some, in long waiting periods for treatment services. Couples also may find themselves stretched financially, paying for the high cost of IVF treatment with a somewhat limited probability of success. Dealing with the medical staff and with the side effects or potential complications of medical treatment has its own stress: hot flashes, headaches, mood fluctuations, injections, sonograms, future health concerns, and decision making about embryos, their disposition and multiple pregnancies. IVF is more stressful if dealing is with third party reproduction. The first treatment cycle of IVF is more stressful for patients, with the possibility of high levels of confusion, bewilderment and anxiety. This is because of the new experience with an unfamiliar medical process, medications and treatment protocols that can change during the cycle, and possibly working with a new team of healthcare professionals. In one complete cycle of ivf there are different stages of treatment like monitoring, oocyte retrieval, fertilization, embryo transfer, waiting period, and pregnancy test stages. The level of stress, anxiety, and anticipation rises with each stage, peaking during the waiting period. Amongst all the stages waiting to hear the outcome of the embryo transfer is the most stressful, followed by waiting to hear whether fertilization has occurred and then the egg retrieval stage. Patients are aware of the importance of these key phases in the IVF process, and the uncertainty of the outcome is often highly distressing.


Coping Strategies Despite the stressful consequences of infertility and IVF, the vast majority of patients adjust well emotionally. Further, there seems to be no long-term impact on the marital relationship and individual functioning. In fact, some research has shown that the crisis of infertility may actually improve marital communication and emotional intimacy. Couples may learn coping skills and communication patterns that provide life-long benefit. Those individuals who do develop uncomfortable anxiety or depression symptoms should opt for counselling. IVF has the potential to be an emotionally, physically, and financially exhausting experience. If you are a patient about to begin an IVF cycle, here are some tips to help you get ready for IVF while minimising stress level during the process of IVF: 1. Gather information and plan ahead: Good decision-making involves being well educated and informed about your body, the IVF process, and your clinic/treatment program. IVF is an anxietyproducing experience, and one of the best antidotes for anxiety is information and knowledge. The more you know and understand about the process, the less stress you may feel. Look for articles and other reading materials about IVF. Take advantage of resources from your treatment centre, talk to others who have been through IVF and consider seeking their support. 2. Prepare for decision-making: It is important to anticipate decisions that may occur during IVF and discuss your options ahead of time. Sometimes these decisions may have moral and religious implications that you will need to consider and discuss. You will need to decide, along with your physician, how many embryos will be transferred while maximizing your chances for pregnancy and minimizing the possibility of multiple babies. You will also need to decide what you will do with extra eggs and/or embryos, i.e. freeze, dispose of, or donate them. If there is a possibility that donor gametes (sperm or egg) will be used in the cycle, it is important that you carefully discuss the issues involved in raising a donor-conceived child before starting the cycle. Counselling can assist you in exploring these issues and is recommended in the treatment guideline of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.


3. Tend to your psyche and your relationships: A long struggle with infertility may have taken a toll on how you are feeling about yourself, your marital relationship, and/or your relationship with others, causing distress and isolation. You will want to be in a good place emotionally and have your relationship on solid ground before starting an IVF cycle. Facilitate communication with your partner by setting a limited amount of time to talk about IVF, such as 20 minutes a day, and then putting infertility talk aside. Discuss ahead of time your hopes and expectations of each other during the cycle. For example, whether you want to be together at appointments, on the day of the pregnancy test, and when you are expecting a call from the doctor. Counselling can be very helpful when you and/or your partner are feeling depressed, unusually anxious, emotionally stuck or in a rut. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so get help early before problems arise. Know in detail about IVF cycle, embryo transfer, two weeks waiting period and much more from IVF specialists at http://www.blossomivfindia.com/pages/ivf-specialist 4. Garner your support: Friends and family can be your best support or they can be your worst. Decide in advance whom you will like to inform about your treatment and seek support and whom you will not be telling. It’s better not to disclose to many as it sometimes adds to the pressure. Let everyone know when you are ready to inform about what is going on. In addition, look outside your usual support network to those who truly understand other infertility patients. Consider joining an IVF support group, or check out other infertility self-help organizations. The internet also is a ready source of infertility support and information, through various websites and chat rooms. A great deal of healing can come from others who understand. 5. Identify your stresses and your coping mechanisms: Each person experiences stress in different ways, so it is helpful to identify where yours may come from. For some, it may be in just getting to the clinic in the morning for monitoring, for others it may be injections. Anticipating ahead where your stresses may come from will help in developing coping strategies. Know yours and your partner's styles for dealing with stress and what has helped in the past. It is not unusual for each member of a couple to react differently to stress. For example, women may need to talk and receive support, while men may prefer to be involved in an activity or hobby to cope. Stress management classes, listening to relaxation tapes and other mind/body techniques used regularly can help in handling these feelings and dealing with treatment procedures. Of course, all of the above applies to single individuals undergoing IVF as well.


6. Decide what you have control over and what you don't: To help eliminate any unnecessary stress, you will want to make you life as simple as possible during the cycle. This is not a time to make important decisions or changes in your life, such as a move or job change. If at all possible, avoid major undertakings at work that can add stress to your life. In addition, you will want to think about how to deal with other daily life challenges on the job, at home, and with family and friends. You do have control over the choices you make in your daily life while how the treatment course progresses is usually out of your hands. 7. Anticipate problem areas: Plan for possible changes and difficult times during your cycle, such as the waiting period after transfer and the day you will get the results. Expect the unexpected, as changes are frequently made in the cycle because of everyone's unique medical situation. There are possibilities for failure at every step of the cycle, from a poor response to medication to no fertilization after retrieval.

The 10-14 day waiting period between transfer and receiving the pregnancy test results is often described as the most difficult part of the cycle. During the IVF cycle you are constantly on monitoring with your ivf specialist and once the embryo is transferred, you have to wait for your pregnant test. This period is very stressful as you are filled with lots of anxiety, fear and hope. One has to be ready for all the possibilities- positive pregnancy test or negative pregnancy test. The IVF process is stressful and since in general per egg retrieval, there is at least as great a chance of not being successful, it is essential for IVF patients and their partners to be realistic about the prospects – to be guardedly optimistic but to prepare themselves emotionally so that they are not overwhelmed by failure in case IVF does not succeed.


Both partners should be prepared to respond to a variety of emotionally stressful demands as they undergo IVF. The decision to pursue fertility treatment is never easy. That is why you need a fertility centre with the proven ability to succeed – a trusted partner that delivers results to thousands of patients every year. Blossom Fertility and IVF Centre is deeply committed in helping patients become parents. Our expertise in fertility treatment and cutting edge technology has helped majority of our patients achieve pregnancy and has made us the most successful fertility centre in Surat, Gujarat. The IVF treatment is a complex and stressful process. The team of IVF specialist at Blossom Centre understands the pain, stress and agony faced by the couples undergoing the treatment and hence offers them all possible help from information about the ivf process, no. of embryos to transfer, when to go for egg and sperm donation and most importantly offer them support and counselling from the experts about dealing with stress and anxiety during the whole process. When needed, we advise our patients to seek help of professional independent counsellor. You can contact our fertility experts at any time to know about IVF cycle, the treatment process of IVF procedure and the success rate involved at http://www.blossomivfindia.com/

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