Fertility treatment such as IVF can be both physically and emotionally demanding and of course anyone going through fertility treatment will want to do all they can to improve their success rate.
So often the emotional side of the process is not ‘treated’ as important as the biological side. One study demonstrated that emotional distress was the most common reason people didn’t continue with treatment, more so than medical prediction of success rate.
Other studies show that utilising mind-body techniques can not only increase fertility treatment success rates, they can double them! So surely the mind and emotions are just as important as the ‘medical’ treatment?
Mind-body techniques can help with both the physical/medical aspects of the fertility treatment as well as emotional. You want your body to respond as positively as possible to the medication. You can help this process by visualising your body doing just that. Working in harmony with the medication, sending your body a clear message as to what you want it to do at each stage; to feel what it would be like knowing it is doing just that. Visualising each stage being a success in whatever way you imagine that to be.
Some people experience side effects to medication. Mind-body techniques can alleviate these as you guide your body to respond positively to the medication and let go of any internal imbalance. Reproduction, including IVF, is all about having the right delicate balance of hormones in your body at each stage of the process for success to be achieved.
Then there is the emotional roller coaster of fertility treatment. Most people can see how utilising mind-body techniques can help you let go of stress and be more relaxed during the process. Being more relaxed throughout the process can improve your chances of success with fertility treatment.
One study demonstrated that performing relaxation techniques during Embryo Transfer improved treatment success rates. In fact, hypnosis was the most successful of all such techniques (including meditation). So if you do anything, I suggest you take an mp3 player and listen to something deeply relaxing or utilise one of these relaxation techniques during the process.
You can utilise the mind-body link to do more than relaxation. You can use visualisation or hypnosis to guide your body to do what it needs to do. This can help you feel more in control during a process where most women say they want to feel they have no control.
Then comes the ominous 2 week wait for IVF. For a lot of women they say it is the worst 2 weeks of their life. Having had the support and care of the clinic, suddenly they can feel alone. There is nothing more the clinic can do. However, there is plenty more you can do. For a start you can recognise from the moment of embryo transfer, that you are pregnant. Celebrate that fact. Keep visualising your body welcoming the embryos. Feel how it would feel imagining them embedding safely and securely. Plan lovely things for yourself during these 2 weeks. Special things just for you!
Wishing you every success.
With love
