Have you and can you afford to do accupuncture or massage?

Accupuncture really helps me relax. Massage is also another great option.

Pam

I just started accupuncture as I have heard that it is relaxing and can help with fertility. I plan on going 1x per week until I have the IVF. I have heard you go the day before and the day of transfer, but I am not sure.

Don't be so hard on yourself! You shouldn't blame your personality for infertility--there are plenty of highly stressed people who conceive all the time. I'm only pointing that out to remind you that blaming yourself is not the thing to do!! :) That being said, IVF is stressful and you will have to just take things one step/one med/one shot at a time. Also, DS tip: if you post things in "discussions" you tend to get a lot more responses. Good luck!!

I totally understand I just completed my first IVF cycle and I felt the exact same way and had have had so much disappointment with my fertility. I am a total spaz..running around working, etc. With my shots I just looked at it totally positively like.."let me get this done so I can go on with my day and make some $ at work, etc so I can relax after the embroyo transfer." I turned my thinking around and it started to make me feel more womenly and empowered. After my egg retrival, I took it easy AND after the embroyo transfer I followed all my Drs advice to the letter (he had me on 3 days of bed rest). I agree with the other girls and I got accupunture once a week. It was my time to quiet out the noise and relax and breathe. I tried to look at this as an adventure and I also treated my self to a few more mellow nites watching movies, a nice latte on the way to work and sometimes a yummy dessert. I also tried to laugh as much as I could and I really bonded with some women staff at the fertility office (asked them about their lives, brought them little goodies to my appts)..it made it so much more enjoyable because I meet some really nice people in the process. You CAN do it! And you will be great. I know everyone says dont be concerned with the outcome and you gotta believe it can and will happen for you at some point. Wishing you all the success. EMail me ANYTIME you have questions,
Erica

I too was freaking out about IVF, and have recently started my first cycle. My first huge fear/source of anxiety were the injections, which were a bit scary the first couple of times, but get easier each time you do it--I have even managed to give them to myself.

Then I was worried about the side effects and worried my high-stress, anxious personality would make them worse, but it has been a bit easier than I thought, which instantly helped me relax.

Each time you face a fear, conquer a moment, or move forward with a path you've chosen, it builds confidence and a certain comfort level.

I'm still very nervous about the retrieval and of course if I'm lucky enough to get pregnant, I know I'll be the type to stress out about losing the baby. My infertility specialist told me that stress is not usually the cause of miscarriage and/or infertility, just one of many factors, so if you look after yourself, try to spend time relaxing and doing things that calm your down or help you enjoy life, and pay attention to the meds/protocol you are on, I think you'll find you will be able to take it day by day...at least that has been my experience so far!

good luck and keep us posted.

One of my DS friends had the best advice for IVF...one day at a time, one shot at a time. It is highly stressful, but I tried to not look ahead.

I agree with the other posts. Maybe try acu or massage. It was helpful for me to clear my schedule as much as I could, rented movies I'd wanted to see for a long time, read a book I'd been putting off.

I know other women who feel less stressed when they have more social time with friends/family.

I think most of us will tell you that we were at least nervous, if not totally scared about all of the shots. And I'm sure most of us will tell you that while it's not fun, it's not NEAR as bad as you think it will be.

I found some great videos of women mixing meds and giving themselves shots on "you tube." Made me feel better to see it done.

Just spoil yourself for the next several weeks! Good Luck!

I know it is scary, but once you get going, it will just become routine...one thng that helped me relax is that when I got my IVF schedule from the coordinator, I made sure to let work know I was going to be taking some time off. A couple days before ER and then I worked from home in bed for a week after. That helped reduce stress for me. I did try acupucnture but it hurt me and I think I wasn't going to the right person. I may do it again but change accupucturist. I also got a massage the day before ER.
I hope this helps and good luck!!!!!

I was really freaked out at first too. Especially a few weeks before I started, I couldn't sleep and I was depressed and crying. I tried to compartmentalize each step and the nurses were sure not to tell me too much at once because they know people get overwhlemed by it all. So I would only think about one step at a time. The shots really scared me, but they were way easier than I thought.

I also got a few massages along the way that helped a lot. Just take it easy on yourself.

Let me tell you your more anxious before you start ,but it's incredible how you develop a routine with the shots,monitoring and meds. Have you check out the reasons for your miscarriges.

I am also very high strung, I do a stress relief yoga practice, 20 min a night right before bed. Helps to turn the brain off. I have a successful IVF, so the yoga might help (but lost the pnut at 9 weeks :(