Not to forget that those injections are creating big changes in the body, which are likely to cause less than pleasant physical sensations, along with the potential to mess with your head big time.
On the subject of your head being messed with, then there is the battle of how much you dare to hope vs. the odds that you've been given isn't there?
Factor in how much you are spending for something that may or may not be successful.
Well that's all a complete mind-fuck isn't it?
Alongside all of this most couples are carrying on their daily lives as if nothing big is going on at all. Emotionally it makes me think of watching a scene in a movie, in which a woman opens her front door with a smile on her face and tells the person on the other side that all is well.
When actually a man is pointing a gun at her husband's head.
Graphic I know but the emotional impact of IVF really is that huge and yet those going through it are generally hiding it, even from those closest to them.
Knowing that people are suffering in this way breaks my heart for two reasons: 1. Your feelings matter. Infertility in general and going through IVF can have a negative impact on your mental health and emotional well-being and you deserve to know how to mitigate the effect of this.
2. Your feelings may make a difference. There have been studies* that show that when women feel able to stay calm, confident and emotionally in control throughout their IVF cycle, along with using mind/body techniques to visualise what they want, that this has the potential to enhance their chances of pregnancy success.
*These studies have been small and should be seen as interesting and something to be explored rather than proof.
There is something that really annoys me in relation to this though and it is this.
There is not enough importance placed on the mental health and emotional well-being of those going through IVF or any assisted treatment. Or in fact of those going through a difficult fertility journey at all.
I am on a mission to change that and on a positive note there are some leading Fertility Clinics who are starting to recognise the importance of this. I will share about the Freedom Fertility Formula collaborations with them in a later post.
Having a Freedom Fertility Formula Specialist supporting you through your IVF treatment is like having a 'Best Buddy Who Gets It'.
Using a unique blend of Coaching, Counselling and Mind/Body techniques they will be there for you throughout your treatment.
You will be able to let your feelings flow in whatever way you need and whenever you need, to someone who knows how to listen and who can share ways to help you feel more emotionally in control.
They can help you lay out a plan of action for how you are going to manage your daily life alongside what's needed for your IVF Cycle.
You can work out together how you are going to handle certain situations, what you might say to people and how you can say it.
Along with working on specific ways to help your mind and body work together with your IVF treatment, which can enhance success rates and mitigate the potential of difficult side affects.
This support is available in sessions of course and the great news is that a Freedom Fertility Formula Specialist is also available between those sessions, by text and phone if needed.
There's no point having a 'Best Buddy Who Gets It' if you can't get hold of them is there?
It's hard to capture just how powerful it is to have this kind of support, so I am going to end this post with a run of messages I received from one of my clients as I was supporting her.
I had worked with Lucy previously to help her to reclaim emotional control of her fertility journey and start living life more fully again and from there she went on to have a successful round of IVF. The next time I worked with Lucy was to support her through her feelings after a failed IVF Cycle. After that I helped her through her third IVF Cycle and this is what I want to share with you now.
I supported Lucy via a number of sessions during which I shared with her a variety of techniques to use. I also gave her mp3s to listen to that supported the various stages of her IVF Cycle. We also had some phone and text conversations.
Before I share Lucy's journey though I want to say that I believe that everyone deserves support. Whilst it may not be quite the same as having a 'Best Buddy Who Gets It', I will always do my best to help those who join my Closed Facebook Support Group. Please do come and join me there if you would like to get some support either with your fertility journey in general or for your next IVF Cycle.
Take a glimpse now into how Lucy experienced her IVF Cycle with me 'by her side'. Also how that support continued once Lucy became pregnant, until the fabulous day Lucy got to share with me about her birth and breastfeeding experience too.
I hope as you read through Lucy's messages, that it makes you aware of just how important your emotional well-being is at this time. You deserve to feel like someone is there for you. This is not a journey that anyone should have to deal with alone.
Being a 'Best Buddy Who Gets It' doesn't end when the support part is over.
When I asked Lucy if it was ok to use these messages this was her reply.
" Hi lovely, of course go ahead and use them. I just read them and wow that brought back memories. Do you realise that this time last year I hadn’t reached out to you yet and a year later I’m up breastfeeding my two little stars! I can’t wait for you to meet them and to give you a massive hug xxx"
If you'd like to find out if working with a Freedom Fertility Formula Specialist is right for you, the best place to start is to book on to a Freedom Fertility First-Aid Session. You can find out more here.
You can also check out my posts on ‘How to Survive the Emotional Stress of IVF’, 'How to Double Your IVF Success Rate'. and the Top 5 Essentials When Preparing for IVF.