Get Started on the Right Foot

The decision to do an IVF cycle is never easy to make, especially when you consider the financial cost and average margin for success. Here's a little secret that will increase your chances of conceiving: before IVF day one comes around, start priming your mind and body to produce healthy eggs and receive the embryos. The medication and procedures involved in the cycle can be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging, and studies show that stress can affect fertility and IVF outcomes. By educating yourself and preparing for what lies ahead, you'll be able to lessen the impact of stress, boost your body's fertility, and go through your cycle calm with a sense of calm that will increase your chances of a successful outcome.

Eat well

A well-nourished body is a healthy body. Eliminate junk food, trans-fats, and refined sugar from your diet and replace them with organic vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. It's important that you eat organic food as much as possible in order to avoid contaminating your body with pesticides, which can be passed on to babies and affect their development. Two months before the cycle starts, take a daily pre-natal vitamin to make up for any missed nutrients.

Guided imagery and visualization

When the IVF cycle starts, it is possible that you can become your own worst enemy. What do I mean by this? There will be times when you can drive yourself crazy with all sorts of many negative thoughts and what ifs. It's perfectly normal to worry about the outcome of the cycle, but giving into negative thinking will cause unnecessary emotional strain – not to mention that it may serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Guided imagery and visualization can help keep you optimistic, relaxed, and sane. This approach involves using your imagination and mental imagery to picture a desired outcome – the swelling of your follicles, the fertilization of several eggs, and the implantation of at least one embryo into your uterus. Studies show that using imagery releases neurotransmitters that tranquilize the body, lowering blood pressure and anxiety levels. Imagery has such a potent effect over the body that researchers noted that IVF patients who used visualization during the embryo transfer felt better prepared and more optimistic about the outcome.

Doing guided imagery is so simple –just imagine what it would feel like to hold your son or daughter in your arms. If you don't know where to start, you can purchase DVDs with a guide who can direct your thoughts in a more streamlined manner. Whatever approach you choose, be your own best friend by spending at least 15 minutes a day engaging in guided imagery to keep your thoughts and emotions in check.

Acupuncture

Among all the alternative treatments for infertility, acupuncture is perhaps the most highly recommended. This technique involves inserting needles into certain points in your body to improve the flow of qi, or life energy. According to acupuncturists, infertility is caused by blockages in the meridians or pathways to the reproductive organs. Stimulating certain points will get rid of the blocks and restore fertility. Acupuncture has been found to minimize the side effects of the fertility drug Lupron, prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and improve the blood flow to the uterus. It has also been found to increase pregnancy rates; studies show that women who receive acupuncture treatments on the day of the embryo transfer are more likely to get pregnant. Try not to be intimidated by the treatment's use of needles; fans of acupuncture say that it's just as relaxing as a full body massage.

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