INFORMATION
Which IVF Unit?
The choice of which IVF Unit to receive treatment is a personal decision, of course, after advise from your Doctor.
To start with… the ideal IVF Unit will consist of the following personnel:
Gynaecologist: Specialists in Assisted Reproduction.
Clinical Embryologists: Personnel with experience in all procedures related to IVF. In 1998, embryologists founded The Greek Association Of Clinical Embryologist (PEKE) with the aim to set a standard in Laboratory Practices and to advance clinical embryology in Greece.
Midwives and other health care workers with a closer insight into the human approach in infertility treatment.
Also a very important role is played by the secretaries / coordinators who form an important link between you and your doctor. Anxiety can be avoided by the smooth running of the IVF unit.
The location and surroundings of the unit
The unit must be designed to be spacious with pleasant internal design to make the couple welcome and comfortable. Privacy, and discecretion is at all times needed; sufficient consultation rooms are a necessity in large IVF units.
The "men's room" where the semen sample is produced should be in a quieter area of the unit with direct access to the laboratory to avoid anxiety and awkwardness.
The center you choose should have:
The laboratory is situated in the same grounds.
Providing all the laboratory services.
E.g. ICSI, TESE, embryo and sperm cryopreservation? Donor sperm?
Situated in Hospital or Clinic?
Many services that are available regardless of weekends and holidays.
The history of the Center?
Where have the personnel trained? What experience have they? Links to IVF units/ hospitals/universities abroad.
Learn the success rate of the unit (beware of exaggerated numbers)
The Price of treatment?
Although in a perfect world it should not be a primary concern, however, it is in reality an important factor.
Look for what is included in the price and what is not!
It is very important the chemistry between the couple and the IVF team, resulting in a more stress free and optimistic approach.
Finally, the center deals with every woman as a unique case?
Treatment with care and close monitoring of every ultrasound scan and blood test in the IVF work-up, aiming to achieve the optimum stimulation cycle.
The aim of this article is not to support any one unit but to highlight the various requirements that make for a pleasant, successful IVF unit.
The couple must feel that through the work of the Fertility Specialist and staff that there treatment is unique.
A pleasant atmosphere diminishes fears and eliminates stress.
Talk to others who have experienced IVF treatment and trust your instincts to choose an IVF unit suited for you!
Top Tips to "survive" your IVF treatment
Stage 1 Starting out
An IVF cycle can be very stressful thing -the main IVF hint is to pamper yourself!
Use the cycle as an opportunity to focus on yourself and on each other.
Buy a fertility book and try to find out as much as you can about the IVF process beforehand. There are always new advances, so try to keep up with the changes in techniques.
It can be very comforting to find someone, either in cyberspace (see ivfconnections.com for chat room) or in person, which is in a similar situation
Will producing a sample be a problem? Can it be done at home?
Frozen sample can be stored if you anticipate a problem on the day of egg collection.
Try and keep a sense of humour and make things less clinical.
Stage 2 Scans and tests and waiting
Try to get to know the people who are treating you so you aren't just another patient.
It may help to make a friend or two who is at the clinic for IVF, too.
Clothes suitable for changing when undergoing ultrasound scans.
Bring a book, magazine, with you to appointments. You might be there for a while.
Rest is very important, even before transfer. All those developing eggs are taking up a lot of space and energy.
Make sure you do a mock transfer prior to the actual embryo transfer- it is necessary that they know the depth of your uterus so they know where to put the embryos.
Be very good to yourself during this time -do whatever it is you need to do to make this manageable for you. (Naps, backrubs, favorite foods, etc..)
Decide ahead of time where and how you want to get news each day for how much medication to take, etc. This is especially important on the big days of finding out about fertilization and pregnancy test. Those days can be tough if things don't go well! You might want your partner, WORK COLLEAGE or a good friend around!
IF TRAVELLING TO IVF
Finding a hotel with a refrigerator in the room is helpful for keeping the medication at the right temperature.
Don’t forget to give the clinic the Hotel telephone number.
Travelling to do IVF may make it less stressful for you.take your time. Get ready for the trip ahead of schedule.
You can do a lot of sightseeing and you may be obsessed less about the cycle than you would have if you were home and working.
Limiting work means fewer responsibilities to worry about and you can concentrate on your cycle.
Bring loose clothes with you. You may be bloated and need looser clothes to be comfortable.
Remember that some people get very uncomfortable and even have a lot of pain as the ovaries are stimulated. This may get worse as the follicles ripen. Loose clothing may help.
Don’t worry about your weight unless you are tracking it for hyperstimulation purposes. Most of the weight gained during an IVF cycle usually disappears once your period starts and if you are lucky enough to get pregnant your weight won’t matter anyway!
Don't talk to your partner too much about his role. This may cause him extra anxiety during an already stressful time and the extra stress can aggravate the performance anxiety that men suffer on the day of retrieval.
Remember that all cycles are not alike. Using the exact same protocol on another attempt even at the same clinic can lead to different results.
Some clinics use medications to help implantation (link) which may increase your chances of success. Check with your clinic to see if they think it would make a difference for you.
If something seems unclear, ask for clarification. Write things down!
If you think you will have extra embryos beyond what you want to transfer to avoid high order multiple risk, decide whether you will freeze them or discard them. Decide whether you would consider selective reduction. These are not things to discuss under pressure right before transfer!
Try favorite music tapes to keep your mind on warm and fuzzy thoughts.
Keep social contacts to a minimum.
Try to relax and think positive.
For sanity sake, review the odds of success ahead of time. Some people try to stay as neutral as possible to avoid major ups and downs, others try to stay hopeful to help make all the procedures easier.
Try doing things to take your mind off the process. Visualization may just make the obsessing worse.
Try to manage stress in whatever way works best for you. Some suggestions are relaxation or deep breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation. Cinema?
Stage 3 Egg collection and beyond
You will probably need at least the day after your retrieval off of work. You may be in pain or you may just be tired and need the rest. Levels of pain post-retrieval vary from person to person.
A heating pad on your belly may help with pain after egg retrieval.
Have someone there to drive you back from retrieval and transfer.
Make sure that you tell them about any allergies.
Some clinics suggest you avoid soaps, shampoos, and perfume on retrieval and transfer day as embryos can react poorly to odors.
Don’t eat before your egg coll. Not even coffee
Don’t wear fingernail polish to retrieval. Some clinics use a clip on your finger to read oxygen saturation levels during retrieval and fingernail polish will interfere with that.
Remove contact lens.
Remember that not every follicle contains an egg, so don't be surprised if the number of eggs harvested is less or more than the number of follicles you've been watching develop.
If you have any significant pain within the first couple of days after retrieval, something may be wrong. (see implantantion) LET YOUR CLINIC KNOW IMMEDIATELY! Some people have had a blood vessel nicked which led to bleeding so they had to go to the hospital for monitoring.
Bring some music to distract you.
Most clinics recommend you avoid the following after transfer: swimming, saunas, intercourse before your test, generally taking it easy and avoid strenuous!
Try to keep a very flexible schedule the week before the pregnancy test. Some people start their periods early and are stuck somewhere where they cannot just be alone and grieve.
SPOIL YOURSELF, favorite food and shopping therapy.
Good luck!!!!!....Send us your top tips to us
