How to take care of your mental health during IVF?

Couples seeking fertility treatment are grappling with infertility, pregnancy loss, and other complicated clinical diagnoses. All of this could take a mental toll and infertility can significantly affect patients’ mental fitness. Studies suggest sufferers present process infertility treatment has an elevated probability of being recognized with a psychiatric disease, including generalized tension sickness or primary depressive disorder. 

Some facts and figures

A recent study has a look at 352 girls and 274 guys seeking remedies for infertility and found that a majority had full-size signs of tension and depression. Sufferers also can feel that there may be a stigma related to infertility. 

This could make it tougher for couples to open up to their normal aid machine. A Swedish look at patients undergoing in vitro fertilization showed that almost 50% of men and 15% of girls did now not speak about their infertility remedy with their friends or family. 

So here we the team of Eichhorn bought you some best tips you can apply to deal with mental health issues during the whole  IVF procedure.

Support from caregivers

Support from caregivers is important during IVF treatment. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sister, a best friend, or anyone else, it makes my heart lighter when I share and talk about how I feel about my tough days. You always decide if you want to share your feelings with someone or if you need time to share your feelings. It can be stressful when you don’t want to talk to anyone, so take a break.

Colleagues

It's difficult to share problems with colleagues because you want to keep your work and personal life separate. Sometimes, you may need to take time off or work from home for treatment or medication. They are also often in a bad mood and focused on themselves. 

Some women are reluctant to share their private life issues with someone and instead apologize every time they have to take off for IVF treatment, especially if they’ve gone through multiple cycles. Maintaining good relationships with your colleagues will benefit you in the end, so they will understand your problems and try to help you in difficult times. 

Women tend to find it more difficult to handle emotions

IVF treatment is like a roller coaster for every woman. In doing so, they go through it not only on an emotional level but also on a physical level as their bodies are going through some changes. Even if she is under additional pressure because she has to wait for Partner support can help in this situation. Communication is the only key to a successful relationship. It is important to communicate your feelings to each other. What worries you and what can help you during this time?

Try to talk to your partner as much as possible. Some strategies are social gatherings, events, and small outings that work for you.

Give Yourself Quality Time

It is important to focus on yourself during your IVF journey. is. Taking care of yourself helps you stay in the right state of mind and overcome any obstacles you may face or will encounter. Self-care plays an important role when IVF doesn’t give immediate success. During fertility treatment, you will experience many normal emotions, such as sadness, anger, frustration, and confusion. Additional self-care will be required during treatment.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking. CBT teaches us that our thoughts can influence how we feel and act.

A CBT therapist will teach you how to challenge automatic thought patterns such as ‘I can’t have children and ‘Infertility is my fault.

By learning to challenge these thoughts, you learn to examine them and replace them with thoughts that you can nourish.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation Techniques significantly reduce anxiety levels in women undergoing fertility treatment. We offer a variety of relaxation techniques. Try the techniques in the list below to find the one that works best for you.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is described as bringing one’s attention to the present moment without prejudice.

Mindfulness is becoming an increasingly popular therapeutic tool. It teaches you to first notice your bodily sensations and then expand that awareness to regulate your emotions and thoughts.

Mindfulness can help manage the stress of fertility. A 2020 study found that mindfulness has shown better results than other fertility treatments because it affects a wider range of psychological problems.

Yoga

Yoga has been used for thousands of years for healing purposes has been used. We combine poses and breathing techniques to provide a meditative and relaxing experience.

Guided Imagination

Think of this as a kind of fantasy

A therapist or recording person will guide you through relaxation exercises using pictures. The images are about breathing in certain colors and being in a quiet and relaxing place.

Unlike mindfulness, there is little research supporting the success rate of yoga or guided imagery.

Expressive Writing

2017 clinical study of men and women undergoing IVF or ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) treatment investigated the benefits of expressive writing.

Expressive writing included journaling exercises and a daily gratitude journal. The researchers found that while anxiety and fertility-related stress were not significantly reduced, participants in the expressive writing group had fewer symptoms of depression.

 For staying healthy, a 2012 study found that men prefer verbal information to written treatment information. They also prefer emotional support from an infertility doctor to a mental health professional, support group, or friend.

The bottom line

You may experience many emotions during fertility treatment. It doesn’t matter how you feel. There are things you can do to relieve some of the stress you may be experiencing. - meditation, journaling, and taking part in activities that bring you joy are just a few of how you can help.

If you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, or other difficult emotions, you need help. Sharing your feelings with your partner, doctor, other health care professional, or psychiatrist can be helpful.

You don’t have to go it alone.