Stress is your body’s way of getting you ready to either flee or confront danger. You’ve probably heard of the adrenaline response “fight or flight.” It causes you to breathe faster, your heart rate to increase, and your body systems to become hyperactive. Under the correct conditions, stress can be beneficial.
However, if your brain continues to send stress hormones and your body is continually in this hyperactive mode, it will take its toll on your body and impact you negatively. And the last thing you need as you embark on your IVF journey is persistent stress.
Have you decided to undergo IVF treatment by feeling loads of pressure and stress? Then this article is for you. Continue reading this article as we explore the emotional toll of IVF treatments and some of the tips you can follow to cope with this emotional ride.
Strategies for Managing Emotional Stress of IVF
While stress is unavoidable during IVF, there are steps you can follow to aid in your journey. You can use these solutions to cope with the process and maintain a healthy mind and body.
Take it one step at a time
The whole IVF procedure can be intimidating. Before beginning a cycle, there are numerous baseline appointments, conversations regarding insurance coverage, and treatment selections to be made. This is followed by a number of pills that you may need help understanding how to use, each requiring a unique preparation.
Unless you are a medical professional, using medications will most likely be a new experience for you, which can be tough to learn while dealing with the emotions related to fertility therapy. It is critical to complete the checklist one thing at a time rather than becoming overwhelmed by the number of actions required from start to finish.
Building a support network
Find your best 1-2 social supports, ideally others who are familiar with the stress involved in IVF treatments. IVF is a private process that can feel isolating. It may be beneficial to establish a small but dependable network of people who have gone through the IVF process.
While their treatment regimens and experiences may differ from yours, having a few individuals willing to listen to how you are feeling or give their point of view can be really beneficial to help you overcome this crucial period.
You can also feel hopeful and get positivity when they share their success stories and how they underwent their IVF journey.
Stay positive
As you already know, positive thinking has significant power, even during IVF treatments. You can improve your health and relationships by trying to be optimistic. It doesn’t mean that you should pretend to be happy when you aren’t, but being positive can help you manage stress, improve your immune system, increase your chances of IVF success, and even extend your life.
IVF, as you are aware, is not a guaranteed treatment. Positive thinking does not imply having unrealistic expectations. One of the benefits of being optimistic is that failures and disappointments will not derail you. It can give you the strength to accept the outcome even if the treatment ends in failure.
Self-care and stress management
Normal life usually continues during your IVF cycle, and it can be challenging to balance what is required for IVF with other stress factors. While studies indicate that stress has little effect on IVF success, it can affect your health.
It is very vital to make time for yourself before, during, and after the IVF cycle. What are your favorite pastimes? What makes you happy? What hobbies give you a sense of being loved and cared for? Make as much time as possible for these activities.
Make sure you take good care of yourself and be stress-free during the IVF treatments.
Seeking professional help
Find a therapist who gives evidence-based care to those with fertility issues. Specialists in infertility, pregnancy loss, and fertility treatment can be difficult to find, but they are the best professionals you can seek to help you during your IVF journey.
Suppose you cannot locate someone specializing in infertility and/or pregnancy loss. In that case, choosing someone who has received training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and evidence-based trauma therapies can also be helpful. You can also consider requesting referrals from your fertility doctor.
Emotional Stress During IVF is Normal
It is normal to feel overwhelmed if you are preparing to embark on an IVF journey. The treatment is riddled with pressures, such as worry about expense, the IVF process itself, and whether the procedure will be effective – all while juggling day-to-day responsibilities.
Your desire to undergo IVF could also be the result of substantial medical and pregnancy loss stress, as well as years of infertility. Coping with that trauma while starting an extensive medical treatment with an uncertain result can be difficult.
Conclusion
Navigating the IVF process is already tiresome enough. Worrying that your stress will result in a failed IVF cycle or endanger your pregnancy will simply add to your anxiety. While coping skills to reduce stress is beneficial, obsessing over your stress levels is not.
If you feel stressed, be kind to yourself and remind yourself that this is difficult. It’s normal to feel the weight of the struggle as you progress through the procedure. Stay calm and have your friends and family to support you throughout your IVF journey.
Frequently asked questions
Having IVF therapy can be a stressful experience for many couples. This is due to a variety of factors, including the duration of the process, the loss of work, the cost involved, the strain on relationships, the effects of the medication, and anxieties about the process.
Many women may experience anxiety and despair due to hormonal changes and drugs administered during IVF treatment. Furthermore, the process is time-consuming, and there is a danger of failure, making IVF a mentally exhausting experience.
While stress is an unavoidable aspect of the IVF process, there are solutions available to aid you along the journey. You can follow these solutions to help you cope with the process and keep your mind and body healthy and stress-free.
- Take it one step at a time
- Build a support network
- Stay positive
- Self-care and stress management
- Seek professional help
Fertility treatments can be a period of exhilarating hope and optimism, as well as a period of heartbreaking despair. You may go from feeling quite hopeful to feeling very pessimistic, with a lot of tension in between. Again, this is very normal when the results of your treatments are not always concrete.
