It is not easy to not let infertility consume your life. It all starts when a couple admits that there may be some fertility issues when they can not conceive naturally. This first step alone can be devastating and difficult to deal with. Infertility has not yet been fully accepted in many cultures and families. Therefore, if a couple suspects that something might be wrong, they may feel ashamed to seek help. These feelings can take over their daily lives and put a tremendous amount of pressure on them. The fact of the matter is that infertility is much more common than people expect. 1 in 6 couples can experience some sort of infertility in their lifetime. So, it is not that uncommon and there should be no guilt or shame in seeking help. Once couples seek help and are diagnosed with infertility, more challenges may arise. There will be a whole lot of decisions that they'll have to make. It may sound daunting and create even more stress but professionals are here to ease the process. All of us in this field are aware that the journey of infertility is not an easy one and so we are always available to help in any way that we can. It's important for couples to know that they are not alone. There are no stupid questions, we always have time for you and we will do our best to ensure you get the best possible treatment. It can be much easier to just let the team take over and guide the patients through the process. This way, the patients are able to relax and enjoy other aspects of their lives when not in clinic. This is of course easier said than done but the more relaxed the patients, the better the outcomes.
The importance of maintaining balance between infertility treatments and other aspects of life was brought to my attention when I reached out to Jenna Evans (@the_journey_to_baby_evans) on instagram. Their journey started 6 years ago, when they could not conceive naturally. They referred to the fertility department at their local hospital and completed some tests. From these, Jenna was diagnosed with one blocked tube, scarring, low AMH and PCOS. Their best course of treatment was determined to be IVF. Unfortunately they did not have any success with their first cycle and they are currently undergoing a second cycle. One thing she mentioned, that I have also realized when I started this blog, is that it's very difficult to explain how hard an IVF treatment can be unless someone has gone through the same thing. Getting these stories out there and sharing tips may help ease some parts of the process. Jenna started doing some research online before her first round of IVF and thought it could prepare her for what she was facing. She mentioned how no matter how ready she thought she was, the process was still very difficult. Her emotions were all over the place, and she felt exhausted. She also experienced mood swings and hot flushes. Her advice on how to deal with everything is to not let the treatment take over your life. Of course it is a big part of your daily life but being able to balance this with every other aspect of your life will help you cope much better. Jenna shared how during her first cycle, she barely put time aside for herself and mainly focused on her treatment. She now knows that this is not healthy and is trying to maintain balance for her new cycle. Another important thing she mentioned was to listen to your body, if you feel like you need some time off then make sure you take that time and give your body the break it needs. Take some time for yourself and do something you love that will calm your body and mind.
No matter how much some of us like to think of ourselves as superheros capable of everything, we are all human and we need to take care of our physical and mental health. These can be put at risk when starting an infertility treatment but maintaining a healthy balance can help ensure good overall health. I came across an interesting article which looked at the rate of depression, measured as prescribed antidepressants, associated with infertility related stress. The study suggests that as women experience infertility-linked stress, the likelihood of requiring antidepressants is almost doubled. There were some limitations with this study such as whether other negative life events could have caused the depression. However, it is clear that infertility is a stressful event and as shown with many other studies, stress is harmful. However, infertility-related stress can be managed with screening and support. It is normal to feel stressed and pressure with these types of treatments but it is also normal to seek help. Please reach out to me directly if you want more information or just need to have a chat. Hopefully we can stop the negative stigma associated with infertility and help each other learn how to better cope with every aspect of infertility.
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