I’ve been asked this a lot when I connect with anyone who is about to start their IVF journey or start another round. I will get straight to what I did: Fresh versus Frozen, how many we implanted, etc., and my Transfer Day Checklist. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE MEDICAL ADVICE AT ALL. Just what worked for me.
Our IVF Gameplan
We did a Fresh Transfer 5 days after my retrieval
My husband provided a fresh sample on retrieval day
We implanted 2 embryos
We DID NOT do genetic or gender testing – you can’t with a fresh transfer
IVF Transfer Day Checklist
I had been seeing a functional medicine doctor for hormone healing and natural mineral makeup restoration/balancing months prior. This deserves its own post entirely. Coming soon.
ACCUPUNCTURE ACCUPUNCTURE ACCUPUNTURE. I had started doing routine weekly acupuncture appointments three months prior to starting IVF. Most importantly, I did acupuncture the night before my transfer, and did it again right after my transfer, literally 1.5 hours after. If I could have done acupuncture the morning of, I would have, but my procedure was so early
Eat McDonald’s French fries directly after transfer. You read that right. Google it. IVF old wives tale, but if nothing else, you get to eat delicious fries.
Pineapple core tea. Look this up on TikTok. I literally just blended the core of a pineapple up with some water, then strained, and then sipped in the am and pm especially on the day of transfer. Technically, I drank starting three days before transfer. This is believed to help with inflammation in the uterus. The theory is that reducing inflammation helps your embryos “stick” better.
I literally stayed off my feet for 48 hours after my transfer. I also tried to stay as much of those 48 hours as horizontal as possible. You will feel like one of the grandparents from Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Hopefully, it’s worth it. Find a good show or a good book and cozy up.
I didn’t lift anything remotely heavy for the time the doctors recommended. I think it was ten days. I understand this is impossible if you have children/toddlers – and please don’t worry if you do have to lift them; there are medical studies that say this is outdated.
I stopped working out as soon as I started the IVF process. There is a risk in general to working out while you’re taking your injections and before retrieval because your ovaries are so enlarged. I didn’t want to add any unnecessary stress to my body. You should absolutely consult with your doctor about what is right for you before and after transfer. I did not work out after my transfer up until my second trimester. Again, talk to your doctor about what’s right for you. I am somebody who typically works out 5-6 times a week. But my priorities changed once we started IVF.
I stopped drinking alcohol on the day I started the IVF process, so Christmas Eve. I’ve heard so many different opinions when it comes to this: that giving it up during the whole process helped or didn’t make a difference. I also heard from a few friends that the rounds they didn’t stop drinking; it was their best retrieval. NONE of this is medical advice or anything I’m telling you to do. Just trying to share my experience and what I’ve heard from others who’ve gone through the same thing. If you’re typically someone who drinks socially, stopping cold turkey could cause more stress to your body. You want to stop once transferred, regardless, because you should have a baby inside you, then😊
I wrote my list of affirmations starting with: THANK YOU, GOD, FOR MY BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY TWINS. That’s what I believed and wanted to happen more than anything, and I said it out loud every single morning, along with several other positive beliefs. I’m a big believer in speaking what you want, either in prayer and/or affirmations.
I meditated every single morning. The biggest thing you can do is limit the amount of stress in your life. Try to get outside daily and walk, even if only for ten minutes. Sit in silence and/or meditate. Yoga could be great too, but that counted as exercising for me and I hadn’t been doing a lot of yoga before IVF so I didn’t want to add anything new to my routine that may or may not cause stress to me.
I started taking baby Aspirin every morning once the embryos were implanted through my pregnancy. I also started taking my daily Lovenox injections which is a blood thinner to offset the anticardiolipin and antiphospholipid antibodies that more than likely led to our previous stillbirth. Read more about that here.
I hope this helps you and if you’re about to begin your IVF journey for the first time or begin another round, I am so excited for you. I can agree some of this seems ridiculous, but you all ask me what I did, and I don’t want to leave anything out, especially since I’m very much a “leave no stone unturned” kind of gal. Remember to LOVE yourself during this process and give yourself grace. Build an environment that provides you peace and PAUSE or CUT OUT anything or anyone that takes away from that. This journey is not for the weak but can be the most rewarding thing you ever do for yourself and your partner. Social media was a huge trigger for me at this time so I limited it entirely to keep me mentally as balanced as possible. Again, if it doesn’t create or add peace, cut it out. Limiting your stress completely is the best and most important thing you can do for yourself. You have my permission to shove anyone who says to you, “It happens when you least expect it, or when you relax, or when you stop thinking about it/trying for it!!!” WOOF. There’s a special place for those people 😊 And if you are one of these people, STOP saying these things to people. It is the very opposite of helpful. Sorry Mom.
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