The Two-Week Wait
The Waiting Game
There will be good days and bad days over the next two weeks as, full of anxiety, hope and a desperate longing to know if youre pregnant or not, you ride yet another emotional roller coaster. Allow yourself to be optimistic. Even if this is not your first IVF cycle, you are bound to feel a sense of anticipation. Try to banish negative thoughts and repeat to yourself I am pregnant. This is working.
Days 1 to 4
After all the regular scans and tests, you may feel a bit at a loose end and cut off. You should:
Ring the clinic at any time if you are concerned.
A friend can be a great support, especially if your partner is adopting a pragmatic attitude.
Could use an IVF website or chatroom to talk to other women who are going through the same experience.
Lie on the sofa with your feet up as often as possible. Watch videos back-to-back; read books.
The Chinese believe that if you focus your mind on a particular area in your body, qi or life energy will flow to that spot. So, spend 15-20 minutes every morning and evening visualising what is going on inside your uterus: the embryos are floating safely and are ready to embed in the endometrium, which is thick and well prepared.
In TCM, the kidneys play and important role in reproduction. They may quickly become depleted of energy during an IVF cycle. The kidneys are particularly active from 5pm 7pm so make sure you rest quietly then.
Deep breathing will help you relax and enhance the supply of oxygen reaching your uterus.
Keep the lower abdomen warm.
Eat warm, nourishing food.
Certain essential oils used in burners or candles can help to lift your mood or soothe and calm you.
Make sure your diet is rich in protein, zinc and essential fatty acids. Take a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement and DHA. Eat foods that a rich in selenium and remember to drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day.
Days 5 to 7
You may be starting to get restless, obsessively thinking about the implantation, looking for signs that things are going according to plan and possibly misinterpreting every symptom. Sore breasts, mild shooting pains and bloating are all indications, in fact, that things are going well. Its very important to keep yourself occupied:
Go for a leisurely walk or do some gentle yoga.
Focus on the colour blue if you feel yourself starting to panic.
Practise deep breathing and meditation to help you relax.
Talk your worries with a friend or your partner but focus on the positive.
You might like to consider acupuncture 7 days following transfer when the embryo will be starting to implant.
Days 8 to 14
You may be starting to get restless, obsessively thinking about the implantation, looking for signs that things are going according to plan and possibly misinterpreting every symptom. Sore breasts, mild shooting pains and bloating are all indications, in fact, that things are going well. Its very important to keep yourself occupied:
Meditate for at least 20 minutes everyday. Do lots of positive visualisation.
Pregnancy Testing:
The only way you can be sure whether or not you are pregnant is to have a blood test and HCG or beta blood test at your fertility clinic. It really is best not to use a home testing kit, which might give you an agonisingly misleading result, but of course I know that in reality many women will just not be able to resist doing so.
Even the most sensitive blood test cannot detect HCG until about ten days after ovulation, and there is huge variation in what is regarded as the normal level. Pregnancies that eventually miscarry or which ectopic often show normal HCG levels initially, whereas low levels may still produce a healthy pregnancy.
If you were given HCG injection as part of your fertility treatment, it might distort readings for 14 days. Doing 2 tests on different days usually solve this problem: if the level increases on the second, the likelihood is that you are pregnant. So, do try not to resort to using the evil pee sticks and wait until your clinic can give you a definite and accurate result that will not be accompanied by any nagging doubts.