Thursday 19 December 2013

Take care of yourself while undergoing infertility treatment

As an infertility specialist I talk to my patients on various topics other than infertility. It is part of the treatment because the patients need to be counseled and motivated. I speak a lot about self care and underline the importance of it repeatedly.

Why self care is so much important? 

Well, there are fundamentally two reasons of it.
a) It is very much possible that the patients forget about self care during the treatment cycles. Infertility treatment is a long-term process. There are unending iterations of treatment, medication, clinical examinations and tests. The patients forget everything else during the treatment; about the job, business and self care.
b) Treatment cycles of infertility are tiring and frustrating. Hence, the patients should take extra care of them to keep fit, young and charming.

What is self-care?

When we say self care in this context, there are basically two aspects of it, physiological and psychological. Infertility treatment involves very high physical and emotional involvement. Failure cycles generate intense agony and frustration. Higher stress levels, feeling of isolation and dejection are the most common symptoms. The treatment process demands more physical energy and affects the overall health.

Self care means keeping the morale high and maintaining physical and emotional fitness in the proper manner.  There are no fixed parameters for it. We can say that every single effort to enhance the personality is self-care. However, there are some tips for it:

1. Sleep well: Sound sleep is essential for good health. Couples undergoing infertility treatment must sleep for at least six to seven hours. It reduces the anxiety. The procedures and steps involved in the treatment are quite tiring. Inadequate sleep may cause fatigue, drowsiness and depression.  I always suggest reducing the intake of caffeine and alcohol because it creates chemical imbalance in the body.

2. Try something different: It is a great idea to do something very different that takes you away from the thoughts of infertility, childbearing and everything related to it. Believe it or not, but it is a great way to take care of yourself. It reduces the tension and frustration caused by infertility problem. You develop positive attitude and look at the brighter aspect of the life.

3. Exercise regularly:  It is recommended doing exercise daily not just to stay fit, but to enhance the positivity. Exercise makes the body energetic and you feel happy, enthusiastic and alert. Indulge in any kid of exercise you feel suitable. It may be light jogging, aerobics, weight-training or meditation and Yoga!

4. Build a support system: It has become quite challenging in the modern times, but you can build a strong support system if you decide. Meet people who have overcome infertility problem. Talk to them and understand the way they fought against infertility. Discuss with your doctor regularly about the distress and agony. You will find new ways of dealing with it.

It is very important to take good care of yourself to conquer infertility problem. After all, you need a lot of stamina to fight against it!

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