8 tips to support you through IVF

Preparing for IVF – what we’d do again

Whether you’re just beginning your fertility journey, or preparing for IVF follow-up treatment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the path ahead.

A few of us at team TRB have been there ourselves, and we know that, from staying on top of appointments to connecting with fellow fertility warriors, a large part of the challenge is staying organised – and sane. 

We’ve partnered with wawa fertility, a 100% free, data-driven fertility app, built to equip women with all the support they need while going through IVF and other treatment. Their buzzing social community and fertility expert network are just a tap away, as are tools for tracking treatment and a huge library of informative content.

Together with wawa we’ve jotted down eight science-backed tips for lining up the support you need during your IVF journey.

1. Put your questions to the experts

When it comes to planning for a family, there’s no such thing as a silly question.

It’s important that you feel informed and able to voice any concerns throughout your journey to parenthood, so ask all your most pressing questions about fertility and don’t hold back.

Through wawa you can speak to a team of fertility experts 24/7 who can help with any queries – big or small – outside of your doctor’s hours.

Getting the answers you need will give you peace of mind (stress reduction is always beneficial for supporting any fertility journey) and help you make decisions based on your own personal situation.

 

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2. Talk to others about treatment

Emotional support is as important as medical advice on your TTC journey.

As well as your own friend network, you need people who really understand what you’re going through. The free wawa app gives you access to a like-minded community where you can speak freely about your experiences with a peer support group. 

With wawa you get a direct link to a social community that is full of real people offering support from a place of compassion. This is a safe space where you can speak informally to women in the same boat as you, and all personal advice is moderated by wawa’s team of medical experts.

3. Acknowledge how you feel, mentally and physically

This is a big one: it’s definitive that your mental state is as important as physical health when it comes to fertility treatment.

Many people experience psychological distress when trying to conceive or receiving an infertility diagnosis. Whatever they are, your emotions are valid, and understandable and are something that should be taken seriously. 

It’s a good idea to keep a rough diary of your mood, as well as any physical symptoms you experience throughout treatment, to track your progress, identify triggers for low mood and feel better faster. wawa helps you acknowledge and track your mood and overall well-being with their handy in-app diary and a quick daily survey.

4. Try and resist Googling everything

It’s tempting to turn to Google with any and every worry that comes to mind, but sometimes it can lead to more stress and confusion.

While the world’s favourite search engine can be a fantastic tool, when it comes to fertility there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. 

With wawa you have a whole fertility library in your hand. Browse an encyclopaedia of premium content from industry professionals, and get information that you can 100% trust on major topics around IVF and fertility.

5. Keep track of treatment

From your initial medication to egg retrieval, embryo transfer to taking that first pregnancy test, IVF treatment can be a long and winding road.

With all the check-ups and phone calls along the way, the extra admin can really wear you down. 

Save time and energy with wawa’s innovative smart treatment tracker, which can help you stay on top of each step in your treatment – plus it gathers all the results along the way so you don’t have to.

6. Prepare questions before clinic visits

It’s a good idea to do a little bit of prep before you visit your IVF clinic, especially for your very first visit.

wawa has a lot of content about each appointment during IVF, and what to expect and ask at each stage, so you can have a clear gameplan to bring to your clinician.

7. Allow yourself to take breaks – from everything

It’s all too easy for TTC thoughts to start taking over and trickling into other areas of life.

Work, family occasions and social events can all become a lot more draining, especially if well-meaning friends are checking in on you. You are allowed – no, entitled – to take a break from these conversations and activities. 

If you feel you need to take it a little easier at work or raincheck on that dinner, we encourage you to do it.

8. Be kind to yourself

We can’t stress enough how important self compassion is at this time. IVF treatment affects everyone differently, so there is no right or wrong way to react. The last thing you should be doing – for yourself and for the success of the treatment – is giving yourself a hard time or holding yourself responsible for what happens.

Fertility is an imperfect science, so even if you’re doing all the ‘right’ things, you don’t have complete control over the outcome. If it feels like you need to take a break, run a bath and curl up in front of the TV, give yourself permission to do just that.

wawa helps make life easier for IVF warriors by streamlining the admin side of things while offering a compassionate forum for sharing experiences.

Download the shiny new wawa app for immediate and bespoke support on your own fertility journey, today.