If you are having trouble getting pregnant, you are not the only one. About 11.9% of all women (that amounts to 7.4 million women) in the United States will seek out services for infertility. About 12% of married couples, or one in every eight, has a hard time becoming pregnant or carrying the baby to term. Many of these couples turn to help from an in vitro fertilization clinic. If you are looking into going to one of the fertility clinics around the nation, there are some things you can do for a better experience.
- Try to do less. Women who are used to being on the go all of the time often find it really hard to take a load off. Not only is today’s lifestyle fast paced but many women like to get some serious exercise to reduce their level of stress. The best thing you can do to have success at the in vitro fertilization clinic is reduce the amount of exercise you get in a week. Most experts say that women who are looking to get pregnant should make sure they get no more than four hours of strenuous exercise in a week. The more exercise a woman gets in her lifetime the harder it will be for her to get pregnant.
- When you do exercise, try lower impact activities. If you run, make the switch to walking. There are a lot of ways to get decent exercise that are not as hard on your body and come with fewer risks for your chances to become pregnant. Yoga, tai chi and pilates might be better for you during the time you want to become pregnant and during your pregnancy.
- Get yourself prepared to take some time to not work out at all. There will be a time in your pregnancy when you will have to give up some activities and there will be times during the process of your treatment at the in vitro fertilization clinic when you just will not feel like doing some of the things you like ot do normally. Listen to your body during this time and you will be ok. Your fertility doctor will have you on medications that may make you more tired, you may be bloated and you may experience some discomfort from it the week you have your egg retrieval taken care of.
- Work on ways to reduce your stress. That can be a lot easier said than done. The entire process of going through fertility treatments is inherently stressful but there are a lot of things you can do to reduce your stress level. Yoga, again, be really helpful here, as can some low impact forms of exercise. Additionally, meditation can be very beneficial for stress at any time in your life but especially during this process. Make sure you take time for yourself and perhaps you can take up a hobby you always wanted to try or catch up on your reading.
- Keep your eye on the prize (so to speak). It may feel really hard to give you some activities that you like a lot but it will be worth it in the long run when you are able to conceive a child and carry that child to term. The time you spend not working out or playing a certain sport will see like a small drop in the bucket compared to all of the time you get to spend with your child.
- Talk to a counselor or go to a support group. This is a hard time in your life but you do nit have to go through it alone. If you are in a committed relationship, you may think that you have the support you need but this can put a lot of strain and stress on you both. Going and getting support from other people who have been through the same thing you are going through can make it a lot easier to handle. The people at the in vitro fertilization clinic should be able to help you find the support you need.
For a great many couples, in vitro fertilization clinics are wonderful. The experience is trying but you can make it through.