4 Ways to Prepare for IVF
If you have recently been diagnosed with infertility, it can feel difficult, but just know that you are not alone. Over 10% of women in the United States have reported having difficulties conceiving, or remaining pregnant. In the past, issues with infertility could cause major stress on a young family that is trying to conceive. Luckily, medical advancements have allowed for families struggling with infertility to have many options if they want to try and have a child.
If you are beginning to explore the possibility of using fertility treatments to have a child, it can be a confusing process from the outset. To help navigate the world of fertility treatments, we have put together this quick guide that will help you prepare for any situation that may arise. Here are four ways that you and your family can prepare for IVF.
1 Get Properly Examined
Every person's infertility journey will be different. Some families have issues conceiving, but their problem does not actually require IVF to be used. There are plenty of reasons for infertility, so getting examined by a doctor who specializes in fertility and pregnancy is a great first step to take to ensure that you are going down the right path.
A question many people ask is, when should I make an appointment with a fertility specialist? In the medical community, they state that if you and your partner try conceiving naturally for one year and have no success, then it is time to meet with a doctor. In your first consultation, the doctor will likely run through a list of basic questions for you and your partner. These questions are intended to see if you are truly suffering from infertility, or if there is another root cause.
Things like anxiety, stress, and certain medications could all be reasons for you and your partner's issues with getting pregnant. If a doctor can identify this early, it will save you money and time in the long run.
If there appear to be no small issues causing your infertility, then your doctor will order up some fertility tests for you and your partner to take. Just note, that these tests can be pricey and oftentimes, insurance will not cover the full cost. Both you and your partner will be given physicals, tested for STDs, and involved in other blood and reproductive tests. For men, this means just giving a sperm sample and some blood work, but for women, the tests are much more varied. Different sonograms, scopes, and specific blood work around your menstruation cycle will all be conducted to identify the cause of your family’s infertility.
2 Change Any Unhealthy Habits
Just because you and your partner have decided to try IVF does not mean you are on your way to a guaranteed family. There are still obstacles along the way, and IVF is not a surefire thing. There are steps that you and your partner can take to better improve the odds of your IVF treatments working.
Maintaining your health, both mentally and physically, will boost your chances of getting pregnant. Before beginning IVF treatments, doctors generally recommend that you and your partner:
Cut out smoking and drinking. During the IVF cycle this seems obvious, but doctors recommend that both partners cut back on drinking and smoking before they even begin treatment.
Improve your diet. Eating healthy can help many facets of life, but it can actually improve your fertility as well. Including more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins in your diet can improve the overall health of your reproductive system. Studies have shown that too much red meat and trans fat can negatively impact fertility.
Relax as much as possible. Stress and anxiety can play a huge role in impacting your whole-body health. If you or your partner are overstressed then it can lead to issues with fertility. Consider partaking in stress relaxing exercises, such as yoga or meditation, to get into the best mindspace as you begin your IVF journey.
Try to be as healthy as you can during the lead-up, and through your initial IVF treatments.
3 Organize Finances
IVF is not a cheap procedure to go through. The average round of treatment in the US can cost upwards of $10,000. With results not guaranteed, this can feel like a big risk for families who may want to have children but do not have an extra $25,000 laying around. To best mitigate the financial burden of IVF treatments, experts suggest you do a few things first.
Call your insurance company. Maternity and newborn care is covered by most insurance companies as essential care, but infertility issues may not be covered. Being a somewhat new process, IVF is still picking up more mainstream coverage amongst insurance companies. Call your insurance provider to get a comprehensive breakdown of what they will cover. Some agencies will cover all of IVF, some will cover the fertilization process only, and some will only cover the infertility diagnoses.
Settle previous debt. If you have any previous medical bills or expenses it would be best to consolidate and pay down these bills now. Freeing up credit cards will allow you to be more flexible if your insurance doesn’t cover enough of the IVF treatments.
Look into financing options. Certain clinics and fertility facilities will offer flexible payment plans for their patients. Be sure to ask your care team if that is something that they offer. If they do not offer financing at your doctors, it may be wise to look into a personal loan for help. You can learn more about personal loans here, but in short, they are rather flexible loans that can be used towards just about anything. In medical situations like this, personal loans are often what families turn to instead of draining their savings.
Start a second savings account. If you don’t already have an account set aside for your upcoming child, consider opening one, because if you do conceive you will have to pay for not only your IVF bill but everything you need once the child is born, too. The sooner you build up a side savings account the better.
4. Continue Familial Self-Care
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Anytime you and your partner are planning to bring a child into the world it will be a stressful time. Throw in the added stress of having issues to conceive and it can cause more issues than you would like to admit.
Take the time to care for both yourself and your partner during these high-stress periods. Doing anything to take your mind off the process can help. As already mentioned, mindful exercises such as yoga, meditation, and exercise can reduce stress and anxiety.
Besides these mindful exercises, try to live life as you normally would. Take mini-vacations to rewind and get away from the endless appointments and doctor visits. Oftentimes, relationships can be strained during these health events, so putting some extra time aside to care for the mental health of you and your partner will be important.
Also, celebrate the quick wins when you can! The path to conception can feel like an uphill battle, so anytime you get good news from your doctor or care team make sure to feel positive. Harness this positive energy into planning for the baby. Being optimistic about the arrival of a child can make the process feel more normal and will have you and your partner on the right mental track.
There will be bumps along the way to conception, but that is okay! Millions of people are going through the same issues that you and your partner are going through. Thanks to medical advancements in the world of fertility, more families than ever before will be able to have a child of their own.