Advice for New Fertility Patients

I am now, more than ever before, meeting many people / couples who are about to embark on their IVF journey and I can see it in their faces even before they confide that they are scared out of their wits! They have met with their fertility specialist and been given lots of information about possible treatment options. Thier heads are spinning and minds buzzing with the information they have just been given.

At this very early stage, it is virtually impossible for anyone (even your doctor) to predict what course of action will be taken. There are numerous tests which need to be performed to screen for any possible causes of infertility or underlying medical conditions that may have an adverse effect of reproductive heath of the patient. If it is a couple seeking treatment then both parties must be screened and tested.

There is an endless amount of information on possible causes of infertility and treatment options, that to say it can be overwhelming is an understatement. When I speak to people / couples in this early stage, I remind them that they need not to become overwhelmed by all this information.  It is so easy to get bamboozled by big words and medical jargon that you feel like a passenger on a freight train that is going way too fast to a destination unknown and there is no way off!.

My advices to new fertility patients is try to relax and just try to remain focussed on the objective. It is vital that you establish a good relationship with your doctor and feel comfortable asking question – no matter how trivial or silly they may seem. Have faith in your doctor and his ability to recommend the appropriate treatment options for the best possible outcome. Don’t stress out about things like injections or hospital procedures (if these have been brought up in conversation with your doctor), as this may not be necessary.

At the early stage, patients need to just focus on what is ahead of them, right now at this very moment. If you have been sent off for blood tests, then don’t spend the next week stressing about the results. If hormone injections have been mentioned, don’t freak out now about who is going to do them, how much they might hurt or what side effects you may have. Worrying unnecessarily about these things is not of any benefit.

Digest the information given to you as best you can. Be open with your partner and discuss your thoughts and feelings. I cannot stress enough how vital partner support is. Fertility treatment can seem very daunting, particularly at this early stage so it is important that couples can talk openly about their feelings. Lastly, be careful about information you come across in your own research – you don’t always know where the information came from or how accurate it is.

I know it is easy for me to write about this topic and give advice now that my IVF journey is well behind me, but let me assure you – I have been where you are right now. I have felt the same anxiety and uncertainty that you too are feeling, but rest assured it is COMPLETELY NORMAL! If you weren’t a little anxious or nervous about the uncertainty of what may lay ahead for you then you would be abnormal.

Jenni Salisbury, author of ‘Little Blessings’ – A story of her battle with infertility and the quest for a family.