Another IF Lurker - IVF Prep

jbasore1123 · August 2013

Hi ladies,
My RE gave us a pamphlet about their clinic, the procedure, and medication info. It also has a very small section (ie., three sentences) on how to prepare, which is unfortunately lacking. All it said was to stop drinking any alcohol with the cycle you start birth control, take vitamins (I'm assuming prenatals??), and take one baby aspirin a day (it doesn't say when to start this).

Is there anything you ladies have done, or are doing, to prepare? I've read a lot about acupuncture on the IF board, which I'm considering (although my RE believes that 15 minutes a day of quiet meditation does the exact same thing).

Thanks! And congrats on your pregnancies! I hope to be joining you soon

kz's_girlygirl · August 2013

I was taking prenatal, CoQ10, baby aspirin, bee pollen, royal jelly and evening primrose oil. I also did yoga for fertility (it is offered at my clinic) and cut back on strenuous gym time. I did acupuncture right before and right after transfer, and have gone twice since. Who really knows, but I feel like the acupuncture definitely helped. My clinic offers it on site so having that time to relax before and after was great.

GL and hope to see you here soon!

luvboston · August 2013

You start the baby aspirin when you start BCPs typically.

BlueEyedDreamer · August 2013

I understand (and totally remember) the feeling that you need/want to start "prepping" for this big ordeal. But beyond what your doc has recommended, there's not much to do. Ultimately, I ramped down my workouts a little bit and tried to just be healthy, relax, and enjoy myself before stims started. I also followed doctor's recommendations in cutting out alcohol and taking a prenatal. There's not much else you can do, so just try to enjoy this time and take care of yourself!!

Best of luck on your upcoming cycle!

afsalinas · August 2013

I did acupuncture and have continued throughout my pregnancy. My clinic requires patients to take folic acid and pre-natal. i also took fish oil, though not required. When you go in for ER you can't wear jewelry or anything with fragrance (perfume/ lotion). I'll write again if I can think of anything else. Good luck!

ForevAAROSE · August 2013

Def get an RX for prenatals, they are mumuch better than OTC. I didn't drink caffine nor alcohol any time I started meds or 1 weeks before. I wasn't on baby asprin. My best advice that my nurse gave me was drink 2L of water a day, it gets the blood circulating around the ute. Eat well. No alcohol. I cut back on workouts to just walking. I had one failed cycle but the second -now - is what I did all ththis with. I also did laser acupuncture before n after my transfer. Its harmless, u don't feel a thing. Wish u the best. And speak with someone from your clinic, its better to be on the same page with them. Hope to see u here soon.

BrideJackie11 · August 2013

I basically just cut out alcohol and caffeine and followed medication and physical activity restrictions. Just follow what your doctor recommends. Good luck!

jeannaqueena · August 2013

I 100% remember this feeling. You want to do something and everything to create success for IVF especially if you are spending the money OOP like we were. I did a lot of what the PP said, you can read my "secret IVF blog" link in my siggy below. I was confused and wanted to see how the medications laid out and could never find a good example so I documented EVERYTHING! Each day you can see what meds and dosages I took plus when my appointments were. I hope it helps you! The only other vitimain I took was D4 (I think that is it) it was to help with egg quality. My RE threw the book at me (his words). Hey it worked here I sit at a day shy of 33 weeks!! Good luck to you.

PurpleIris30 · August 2013

I made sure to take my prenatal vitamin starting several months before and really focused on eating a healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, nuts, plenty of protein, limit soy), and I basically stopped alcohol and caffeine once on Lupron (I did continue to have some tea until ER/ET). No acupuncture and no special supplements.

I do have a dairy allergy and some level of gluten insensitivity. After reading studies about the link between those two things and immune responses impacting implantation rates, I also went dairy and gluten free for a couple of months before cycling. I'd only do that if you know you are allergic, though. I felt better, even if it didn't impact success one way or the other.

BzeetyD · August 2013

Echoing others about ramping down workouts. Cutting down or totally eliminating caffeine (I don't drink at all but) ramping down or eliminating alcohol. I also cut out sodas (both regular and diet, although I don't drink diet sodas ever). Taking prenatals and other vitamins. Eating well balanced meals & drinking enough water. I did do acupuncture weekly and also did it before and after each transfer (we got PG 3 out of our 4 IVF attempts).

I really liked Cir.cle & Blo.om's IUI/IVF CDs/MP3s. They have 3 or 4 to listen to before you start your cycle. Sometimes there are some deals for $$ off. I loaded them onto my phone. Overall I think they help with stress relief, even if nothing else. I felt very calm in all my cycles and used them for all four.

ANDOPANO6 · August 2013

First time IVF success here. I just took OTC prenatal vitamins, I cut out caffeine a couple weeks before stims. I did drink alcohol until I started stims, and probably had two glasses of wine during stems. Doctor said it was fine and help relax me. I DID do acupuncture starting 2 weeks before my stims throughout first trimester. I'm a firm believer that acupuncture helped ensure my success. Even if it was all mental, I don't care. At the end of the day, if I was investing this much physically, emotionally, and financially, I wanted toile sure I covered all my IVF bases. G

afsalinas · August 2013

Ditto PP about eliminating alcohol and caffeine about 1 month before starting Stims. I'm a firm believer in acupuncture. My RE, who herself underwent Ivf, said that she's seen it work miracles.

jbasore1123 · August 2013

Thanks ladies, I appreciate all the help.

I tried calling my doc but I couldn't get ahold of any of the RN's

LuClo · August 2013

Same as what everybody else said.

I also recommend looking ahead at the next 8-12 weeks on your social calendar. If you have any baby showers or children's birthdays during that time go out and buy the gifts now. Come home, wrap them, put them in a closet somewhere out of sight. Fingers crossed that this cycle works for you. But if it doesn't the last place you want to be after a bad beta is standing the the baby section at Target. This way you can just grab-and-go, or send the gift with someone else if you're not up to going. I hate being a pessimist, but sometimes preparing for the worst-case makes me feel like it's less likely to actually happen.

sunnysmile25 · August 2013

I did a Reike session focusing on infertility about a wk before the transfer. I didn't do a lot of other stuff really besides the prenatal and no alcohol, and eating healthier

Want a personalized experience?

Another IF Lurker - IVF Prep

Re: Another IF Lurker - IVF Prep

Choose Another Board

Search Boards