Nutrition: I am now on Day 2 of taking birth control pills in preparation for our first IVF treatment starting in the end of May. I thought I would never have to take another one of these little, tiny hormonal pills. But here I am. I'm also taking a 81mg baby aspirin. This is apparently to increase the bloodflow to my uterus. I am back on the regimen of taking daily pre-natal vitamins. I've had a "prescription" for these for over 3 years, but haven't always been very consistent in taking them. I'm also cutting back on caffeine. My doctor didn't specifically said I have to do this, but what can it hurt? Also, I've said good-bye to alcohol and cigarettes/smoke. I'm no fun anymore!
Physical: Being underweight or overweight can hamper the success of IVF treatment. I am happy to report that after losing 25 pounds in the last 6 months, that I am now in the "good" zone for weight. I am working out about twice a week. I'll have to ask the doctor about what I can and can't do for exercise once we start the drugs, the retreival, and the transfer.
Mental: This has to do with the all of the emotional ups and downs that infertility brings. We have been 'dealing' with this for 3 years. Most have been emotional downs - another semen analysis, another ultrasound, another round of drugs, another IUI just to get another negative pregnancy test - and utter disappointment. These are the things that I have faced for a long time. Now, IVF gives me hope that pregnancy is still attainable for me. However, I don't want to get my hopes up too high - just to have them dashed if IVF doesn't work. I consider myself a "glass half full" type person, but on some level I feel you have to play mind games with yourself to prepare yourself against potential devastating news.
Financial: I added this section to IVF Prep 101. You have to know how you will pay for treatment. If you don't, this can affect the mental aspects of infertility. Many - if not most - states do not require insurance companies to pay for infertility treatment. My company pays for 50% of the cost up to $3,000 lifetime. Not terrible, but I've already used up everything but $750 as we go into IVF. Next year, I will not have any coverage. Therefore, a lot of our treatment will be straight out of our pocket. So faced with this harsh reality, my husband and I visited with our bank yesterday to apply for a Home Equity Loan. This is a nice way of saying that we need to take a 2nd mortgage out on our home to pay for a lot of our IVF treatment. We called it a loan for "debt consolidation" and "home improvement". We'll find out in the next week or two what we qualify for. Any bit will help, but if we can get enough to also get new windows out of the deal, at least that's a guarantee of something to show for our efforts!
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