TTC on a budget – your 2022 guide
Trying to conceive can be an expensive process, even more so if you’re having fertility treatment like IVF or fertility preservation. When you start trying (or when you start having difficulties), the options can be overwhelming. Is it worth spending money on fertility trackers when trying to get pregnant? Should you spend money on fertility drugs or treatment? And given your new shopping and to-do list, is TTC on a budget even possible?
The Ribbon Box has created this informative article to help you decide what is the right support for you on your journey and how applying these things to your situation may help save money when trying to conceive.
By Katherine Compton and Holly Pigache
Find the best deal before jumping into fertility testing
Fertility testing will likely be one of the first suggestions from a fertility specialist. Before accepting the prices of testing at a fertility clinic, look around to make sure you are getting not only the best deal but also the right tests for you.
Blood tests might not always be as thorough as other types of testing. Other tests such as genetic or hormone testing can look deeper into your specific fertility concern and help create a tailored approach to your family building efforts.
If you’re TTC on a budget, at-home testing could help
Fertility testing can be more affordable at varying fertility clinics and even more convenient if you go with home testing kits. Semen analysis testing can also save money when TTC and may be more convenient – depending on the clinic you choose and whether they offer at-home testing.
For those in the USA wanting to know more about your sperm health, it might be worth having it analysed (speed, quality or perhaps DNA fragmentation). By advocating for yourself and getting your fertility tested, you will be able to understand if fertility specialist treatment is needed. This could save money on fertility treatment.
Legacy offers the most advanced semen analysis kit available. They analyse the five key factors of sperm health, including assessment of sperm DNA fragmentation, which no other at-home semen testing kit offers.
Modify your exercise regime
Improving your fertility with exercise is particularly great because it is effective and free! But be aware that studies have suggested that exercising too often or not enough can have a negative impact on sperm health and menstruation. It is recommended we exercise “moderately vigorously” a few times a week and there are many exercises you can do for free.
Here are some recommended fertility exercises. Exchange your sweaty gym workout, or your sedentary lifestyle, for a moderate but daily yoga practice, swim or jog.
A yoga routine can benefit both your physical and mental health as meditation is incorporated into the exercises. Swimming, especially in cold water, has been known to reboot your immune system and improve overall health. A gentle jog is a good way to get the heart racing without exhausting yourself with a full-on sprint. It’s also free.
Moderate exercises are a way to keep fit and healthy without overdoing it. It also helps to prevent the overheating of testicles (as a man) as opposed to strenuous and long workout sessions at the gym, which may be financially costly too. By avoiding a gym membership, you can save money TTC (keep those pennies for fertility treatment).
Bulk buy tests
Another way to save money when TTC is buying tests you may need often (such as OPK strips and pregnancy tests) in bulk. Buying in bulk helps save money in the long-term compared with purchasing one test at a time.
At-home conception kits
Will at-home conception kits save you money? They’re pricey, we know, but for some people, conception kits can help to avoid more expensive investigations or treatment (such as IUI) during the TTC process later on. At-home conception kits can help you get pregnant faster and some people may not feel ready to visit the fertility clinic and may want to explore other options first.
Ferti·lily offers a conception kit bundle to help faster conception. The bundle includes a conception cup and a fertility friendly conception gel that aims to boost fertility. But how would this bundle help you conceive naturally?
Ferti·lily’s conception cup improves chances of conception by a minimum of 48% and helps couples conceive from the comfort of their own home by enabling more sperm to reach the cervix. The Ferti·lily conception gel mimics natural fertile fluids to protect sperm as it travels to the cervix and it contains fructose which can provide extra swimming power for sperm.
All of these pros combined may be able to help you conceive naturally quickly without medical intervention, helping to save money on expensive fertility treatment in the long run. For 15% off use code: HUBBUNDLE at checkout.
Ovulation trackers
There are some tactics for tracking ovulation including the calendar method, basal body temperature tracking and hormone testing. Understanding the method of each can help you find which would be best for you along your journey and help you decide whether you wish to spend money on specialised tracking devices.
The (free) calendar method has been used for many years to track ovulation. However, this method is not always accurate as periods can be irregular and ovulation timeframes can change, even for those with consistent menstruation cycles.
Ava is a non-invasive way to track your ovulation without the added stress of remembering to test your temperature every morning. This is a simple ovulation tracking device you wear on your wrist as you sleep. It provides instant results in the morning (after syncing the app to your phone) for you to see your current fertility status.
Ava works by tracking the physiological signals that can relay information about to your hormone levels. This means results accurately depict ovulation instead of simply predicting when you may be ovulating.
For $20 / £20 off Ava, use code FERTILITY20 at checkout.
Hormone testing can be extremely useful for tracking your ovulation and working out how your hormones are impacting your fertility. Hormone trackers can help you figure out which of your hormones are out of balance and potentially contributing to symptoms associated with infertility and conditions such as PCOS. Tracking your hormones can help you get pregnant faster and could save you money on fertility treatment.
Your Hormone Balance uses a comprehensive saliva test system to give you an in-depth analysis of your hormones. Following your results, YHB will offer personalised holistic results to help you improve your fertility. Check out the hormone testing and rebalancing package here and use code: FERTILITYHELPHUB for $25 off.
Fertility supplements
Lastly, fertility supplements can be an affordable solution to improving your fertility. Whether you’re trying to conceive naturally or you’ve already begun medical intervention, supplements can increase your chances of successful conception by improving your hormone production, function and health.
Fertility supplements have been known to improve fertility considerably and help couples in all stages of their fertility journey. Beli is a prenatal brand dedicated to improving couples’ fertility. They have a comprehensive male fertility supplement tailored to improving sperm health, quality, quantity and morphology.
Likewise, their fertility supplement for women can help to improve the function of the reproductive organs and encourage a balanced hormone production which is great for improving fertility.
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