I think both partners should try to be as healthy as possible; healthy diet, no alcohol, exercise, drink plenty of water and be well rested and relaxed. It might be good to take a multi vitamin

Be as fit and healthy as you possibly can be. Don’t stress about it, stress can be detrimental to anything in life, particularly pregnancy and attempted pregnancy. And be prepared for disappointment, it’s not always sucessful

relax and ask as many questions as you need. get your body physically and mentally prepared

yeah physically going through the process can be hard for some women.

I hope it all went well! research, and relax! follow all instructions and pray! and save money

Our little girl (Miss 2) is an IVFer. Our biggest hurdle in the beginning was the mental challenge. I don’t think we prepared enough. My tip is when you start investigating, don’t rush in. Look at getting healthy first. Look at alternative medicines. If you don’t like the clinic, swap to another one.

Its a very stressful ride and you need to have support around you to hold you up during the down periods (sorry, but you will have down days).

I wish you luck and hope you succeed.

get healthy to prepare for the baby

I’m not sure if you have chosen a clinic yet, but my advice is to take time to select a successful IVF center. When you screen potential IVF sites, ask questions! Research the clinics in your area and visit them before you decide. Most have free counselling services which allow you to get a good feel for the people who work there. I don’t think many people realise its OK to shop around. I went with Genea in Newcastle even though it meant 7 hrs travel each way to get there each time. It was one of the more expensive places we researched but I think it was well worth it. The staff were amazing, my doctor was so easy to talk to and I trusted her completely. Nurses and counsellors were on call whenever I had a question. And most importantly, I was successful first round!! Not everyone will be so lucky I know, but I have friends who have had multiple treatments with much cheaper places without success and in the long run have spent more than I did. I feel like my clinic took the time and effort to maximise my chances and in the long run, the money was well worth it.

The best thing that helped me mentally prepare for IVF was talking everything through with my partner, and making future plans that didn’t just include having a baby. For example, we planned to take a break after a year of trying and go on an overseas holiday – something to look forward to that wasn’t directly related to the success of IVF.

First things first get a full set of bloods done by your GP. We went through 2 years of IVF with no success (hubby had low count) after giving up I went to a new GP as we had moved and my sugar levels where too high. With high sugar your body will not allow you to fall pregnant. It is an emotional roller coaster but with the support of your partner you will cope. I was lucky enough to have been supported by my work and the girls were great when each time I found out it failed. Stress is something you should try to avoid if possible, but I was told by our IVF Dr not to change my life eg. work as you need to be as normal as possible (no cotton wool). On a brighter note once my diabetes was under control I have 2 children both naturally conceived 1 5 years old and 1 15 week old. Best of luck and as I stated try not to stress

It will be an enormous roller-coaster of emotions for you, going through IVF. Make sure you and your partner talk about your hopes, worries and any concerns that you have, before, during & after the procedure. And choose who you tell about what you’re doing. Not everyone will agree with you (not that it’s their business), and some opinions may be hurtful. I really do wish you well.

All I can say is stay positive.
My parents had to try IVF but were unsuccessful and instead they adopted me & my sister.
I don’t have many tips or anything as I have not been through IVF personally, but as someone who’s life has benefited due to my parents not being able to fall pregnant through IVF I wanted to say – everything happens for a reason.
Best of luck xx

As they say…feel the fear but do it anyway! This helped me when we went on our IVF journey. I found it best to simply take each step as it came. Like any aspect of pregnancy, you just can’t control nature, so there isn’t much planning that can really be done to ensure a positive outcome. I ate as healthy as I could, went for a walk a few times a week and made sure that during the process I had friends and family on call to help when hormones and emotions took control. It was all worth it as we have a very healthy set of 13 year old triplets! (Don’t worry, those were the days when 2 embyros were transferred)!

I had IVF as i had my tubes tied(long story) and my husband had a low sperm count.
I think you just have to take each day as it comes. Yes you have to inject yourself and have scans and blood tests but at least you know its all for a good reason.
Also dont go into it thinking its not going to work or thinking because you got pregnant first time last time it will happen quickly this time.
Good luck hope everything goes well for you xx

I’ve done the whole IVF thing a few times and the best advice I can give you is try not to let your whole life revolve around it (which is absolutely impossible advice to follow!). Try to feel as healthy as you can by doing some exercise everyday and eating well. During the process, set the alarm on your phone to remind you when to take the drugs/injections so that you’re not always watching the clock. Schedule in non-IVF things such as a massage or lunch with the girls (or playdate for your little one) so that you can release the pressure valve a little during those stressful few weeks. Many women feel hormonal and all over the place. I was lucky in that it barely had any impact on my moods or how I felt. Everyone is different. Just be kind to yourself and good luck!

If you have to do the full treatment and have your eggs taken out first then my best advise is to make sure that you a fully prepared before you even get to that stage of the hormone pills/injections. I had a pre surgery to clean me out and though I didn’t get pregnant naturally from that all the lead up treatment worked and we were successful first time. It also depends on why you need to have IVF treatment as everyone has different reasons. Remember that you only need one good egg to get pregnant and nature will do the rest.

Also the support of your partner is very important and just talk to them to let them know where you at and how you feel about it all. Don’t get caught up with the injections either – they don’t hurt and even get your partner to do them sometimes (don’t do it yourself if you’ve had a few drinks like I did though lol)

There is nothing wrong with doing IVF either and don’t think of yourself as a failure. Think of the positive outcome that this process leads to as you are still creating life – just with a bit of help.

Good Luck!

I hope it all goes well, think positive

Just remember er your hormones will go nuts, so make sure you have a lot of support around you, that people are aware what your doing so they don’t get cranky at you.

Look into accupuncture – there have been medical studies done on the effectiveness during an IVF cycle, and it’s been proven with higher pregnancy rates. I remember reading one study from Adelaide Uni but there would be more. You have sessions while you’re injecting and something like twice on the day of transfer (before and after). If nothing else, I found it really relaxing. Good luck!!

IVF just gets harder when you already have other small children, because of the need to be so precise with the timing of injections and so on. You’ll really need your partner’s help. Otherwise… I don’t know. I found IVF tough, but I guess you just survive it if you want that baby.