Your journey through IVF treatment will most likely be a rollercoaster of different emotions, from joy and hopefulness through to anxiety and concern. However, the most nerve-racking time for many women is the embryo transfer process, as it is the final step of their treatment and the final hurdle to becoming pregnant. Throughout this time it is important that you remain as calm and stress-free as possible in order to get the best results from your treatment
Once the process of transferring the embryos to your uterus has been completed, you will have to wait for a few weeks to see if the pregnancy is beginning to progress, so let’s look at a few ways you can help improve your chances of success with First Fertility.
Relaxation and personal time
The official word is that there is no definitive proof that bed rest itself has a direct impact on your embryo transfers success rate. But it’s important to know that you must keep yourself as stress-free and relaxed during this time, and what better excuse do you need to do that than potentially conceiving a new life? In other words, you need to find a way to relax and keep calm during the anxiety-inducing two weeks that you will need to wait before you take a pregnancy test.
Don’t feel at all ashamed or embarrassed to take a few days off to recuperate and collect yourself by watching your favorite movies or TV shows, meeting up with friends or relatives, or any other passive, nonphysical activity that you enjoy doing. Remember that your emotional and mental wellbeing can have a drastic effect on your pregnancy and should be kept as stable as possible.
Keep your cool
While it may be tempting to run yourself a nice hot bath with plenty of bubbles, this could potentially be harmful to your chances of a successful embryo transferal. In fact, large bodies of water or high pressure and heat like those found in saunas and Jacuzzis are not recommended due to the heightened risk of catching an infection.
Diet
Making sure that you eat healthily and within the acceptable amounts is one of the most important things that you need to remember. A pregnant woman needs a whole different variety of vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates, and in different quantities than usual. Eating fresh healthy foods and avoiding fatty, salty or sugary treats is going to be beneficial in ensuring your body has the materials it needs to build your baby.
Try to also avoid high mercury fish, such as tuna or swordfish, and also soft cheeses like brie and camembert and ensure that you discuss vitamin supplementation with your chosen medical professional. It is also important that you make changes to your lifestyle, particularly to avoid smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, or eating excessive amounts of junk food as this will have a major impact on your IVF treatments success.
Folic Acid
Folic acid has become known as a commonly prescribed supplement for pregnant women, however, it is also very beneficial to those undergoing IVF treatments. So much so that the Boston School of Public Health conducted a study which showed a direct link between folic acid intake and an increase in live births from IVF participants.
Increasing your intake of citrus fruits like grapefruit, oranges, and lemons, as well as eating more leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Beans like chickpeas, kidney beans, and red beans are just a few things that the experts at First Fertility would suggest.
Drinking enough water
As you are most likely aware, water consumption is paramount for the proper functionality of your organs and every cell in your body. This includes your reproductive system and the embryo cell’s implanted into them, and in order to keep them in the best possible condition, you need to keep properly hydrated whilst trying to conceive.
You should be drinking around 8 to 10 standard glasses of water a day in order to keep your embryonic cells hydrated and cervical fluid at a normal consistency.
Do not Excessive too much
Many of us enjoy keeping up a healthy and active lifestyle, and whether we go to the gym or participate in a sporting activity, most of us perform some amount of regular exercise. However, overindulging in these activities can be a detriment to your IVF treatments success.
You can maintain most regular day to day activities like going for walks and working provided you do not perform an overly physical job. However, you’re weekly HIIT Training or any kind of vigorous and energetic exercise is not recommended due to the chance of triggering uterine contractions.
Get the right amount of sleep
Not sleeping enough at any time can be an extremely frustrating and physically tiring process, before you even consider the mental impact! Naturally, not getting enough sleep during your embryo transfer process is essential to your success and health of the embryos.
When lacking the required amount of sleep your bodies levels of melatonin will become unbalanced and you can put your mind in a constant state of alertness, known as a fight or flight response. This can put undue pressures on your body and reproductive systems.
The Link Between Acupuncture and IVF?
While not everybody is up to date or interested in the world of alternative medicine, acupuncture has a number of notable effects on IVF treatments.
Acupuncture increases oxygen flow around the body and many different studies have been conducted in order to conclude why this has such a great effect on IVF treatment success rates.
Whatever route you decide to take with your IVF treatments, the highly trained and qualified staff at First Fertility can help guide you through. They provide couples from around the world with the support, knowledge, and guidance they need in order to make their treatments as successful as possible given their personal circumstances. With their state of the art facilities, they provide the highest quality and most professional IVF treatment in Bangkok.