After experiencing infertility and going through the IVF process I have become very passionate about becoming your own advocate . During this process I learned a few things that really made doctors appointments more enjoyable and wanted to share that all with you, so you can start the process off strong and feeling like you know what you are doing!
Tips For IVF Appointments
Create A Support Group
Talk to your friends and family and let them know what you have coming up. Being open about infertility can be hard, but trust me…. you want your support group around to cheer you on! I went to all of my first years of infertility appointments and first IVF appointments on my own. After I did the water ultrasound I realized I didn’t want to go to any more appointments by myself. This can be hard if you don’t live by family like myself, so I talked to friends to see if any could come with me to my next appointments. My husband was also super great and talked to his work and let them know what was going on. His work was super understanding and gave him permission to get off work to come to all our future appointments. If there are up days or down days, you will want your support crew by your side! (Or get a dog, they will love on you lots during all of this fun too 🙂
Call Before Appointments
Before each appointment call a day ahead and talk to your IVF coordinator. Ask them if there is anything you need to know before your appointment. I have found in this journey, if I didn’t ask questions, sometimes I felt lost in the process. The nurses are really great about sharing info and letting you know things, but with so many patients, it’s important to take charge and call ahead so you feel good about moving forward with things. I was so glad I called before appointments because there were several times it was a good idea to take an aspirin before!
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Keep A List of Questions
During the later days in IVF you will be talking with your coordinator pretty regularly. At that point I would recommend keeping a open note in your phone with a list of questions that pop up. Each time your coordinator calls with updates you can ask them those questions.
At appointments you also ask the nurses questions as well. I would tell the nurses, “Can you act like I have no idea what is going on and walk me through whats going on today?” I got a lot of questions answered I didn’t know I had by doing that.
Remember in this situation whether you are paying out of pocket or insurance is helping; this is your time, energy, and future on the line. It’s important to feel good about where things are at, and get your questions answered.
Regularly Thank Your Doctor & Staff
Trust in your doctor and their staff. Thank them every time you see them for their help. Let them know you care about them and appreciate what they are doing for you. It’s important to believe this all can work and that you are in the best hands ever! When you are open with the staff and ask your questions, the doctor and their team will also be invested in you. You will be seeing them all a lot so take a few minutes to get to know everyone so when you go in for appointments you feel like you have friends on your side!
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Day Of Appointments
Day of your appointment wear cute comfy clothes. I liked to wear a top and bottom since you usually undress from the bottom down. It’s nice because you can wear a cute top and still hopefully feel cute. I would always wear my Hello Kitty Converse high tops to each appointment because they put a smile on my face. They aren’t the easiest shoes to take on and off, but they made me happy so that is what I wore. The reason I mentioned “comfy clothes” is sometimes I got bloated after appointments. It was nice to wear stretchy jeans/pants and be comfortable for the ride home.
After Appointments
Do something that will be meaningful to you after every appointment. Have something you can look forward to. You most likely will feel good after your appointments, but incase you feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or whatever it is, have a game plan. For me all my appointments were around 11, so after I liked to go to lunch. My favorite was a Jimmy Johns turkey avocado sub wrapped up in lettuce. It was something I would look forward to big time! If my I was to tired, or I was short on time I would go through the drive though and get a sub for later. I know not everyone works from home like I do, so if you have an appointment head back to work, just plan in advance. Pack a fun breakfast, wear lucky socks, online shop for some new shoes. Do something that will put a smile on your face that day! You could even have a special song you like to listen to in your car to pump you up! Whatever it is, find something that works for you and your schedule.
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Research
I hesitated writing this one because if you like to research a lot you can find some not great things out there on the internet. During the IVF process, I think it is important to be informed for your appointments on things you care about. For me, I wasn’t someone who was interested in side effects or negative experiences people had so I avoided all of that stuff like the plague. During this time it is so important to fill your mind with positive things, so I would research IVF success stories. It was neat to see others experiences and realize everyones it totally different! When you have down time hanging out relaxing, this is a great time to do a little happy research.
By reading peoples success stories and asking everyone I knew that had gone through IVF, I found out about several things I would of never known about and would of missed out on during this process. For instance doing Acupuncture. When I heard about others doing acupuncture, I called my IVF coordinator and asked if they thought it would be a good fit for me. I am so grateful I did because not only was talking to the acupuncturist therapeutic for me, I feel it really helped in our process of getting pregnant. Neopoguen is another thing I found out about from IVF success stories. Those 2 things really made a huge difference for us. I would of not found out about them if it wasn’t for doing some research!
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Take Time To Rest
Give yourself time to rest and recover. Yes this can be a luxury if you are working full time, have several kids at home, etc. but find time to rest regardless of your schedule. When we did IVF I literally cleared my schedule as much as I could and didn’t commit to any extra activities. We started right in the midst of all the holidays and Jake and I really took that time to hang out at home. We had quite a lot of fun binge watching holiday movies next to Christmas tree.
Day By Day
Take everyday by day, remember this time will all pass. Even if this process is taking years…. just remember it will eventually all pass and a new phase of life will be there. In the IVF process there are days you might feel on top of the world and other times frustrated, but just remember tomorrow is a new day! With IVF it’s crazy just how over night things can change for the good!
Really though! There was a time we were doing injections and went in for an appointment to check on how our follicles were doing. After the appointment I was so sad because our follicles were not even close to where they should of been at that time. That night when my coordinator called, things weren’t as bad as I thought, and everything all worked out over the next few days. Just keep calm, and push forward and remember tomorrow is a new day!
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Keep A Positive Outlook
This process is exciting and super neat! Fill your head with positive messages, fun adventures with your loved ones, and all around happy thoughts! Believe in the process and that it can work! Keep your head up high and go for it! You can do this, you got this, and you are strong!
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Thanks for stopping by today for some tips for doctors appointments during infertility treatments. If you are going through infertility or IVF let us know! We would love to cheer you on in your journey!
Want to see more of our IVF journey? You can check out all our vlogs here and blog posts below:
Cristiane A Santos
May 10, 2019What an inspiring post All the best to you both Love the tips here and how to deal with it. xoxo Cris
https://photosbycris.blogspot.com/2019/05/grayson-monae-because-looking-and.html
Jennifer
May 11, 2019These are great tips!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Katie
May 11, 2019These are such good tips! I was so lucky I was able to talk to my partner and my parents during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and I found it hard not telling anyone
Katie xx
http://www.katienor.com
Margot
May 19, 2019Such an interesting post !
Theses tips are amazing.
And I love how positive you look in all the pictures. When I’m about to have a doctor appointment and have my blood take out I can’t smile like you haha.
I’m so happy for you two.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Briana Parker
February 20, 2021Hey Kelsey! I had a question, I asked our fertility coordinator about Neopoguen. She really didn’t want us doing it, because we hadn’t had any failed ivf in the past. What would you recommend? My husband and I took out a loan to pay for part of ivf and do t think we could afford to do it again so we would really like to make this count. Thanks!
Oh also I called a acupuncture place and they acted like I shouldn’t do it, because our infertility is because of my husband’s low sperm count, not because of anything wrong with me. I still think we could benefit from it, but I just wanted to see what you thought. Thank you!!