Hello all.
We have found strength from your postings and moving stories.
We are having investigations for male factor infertility at present but hope to start IVF (ICSI) in Sept/Oct.
We are getting our heads around drugs, injections and so on, but have one real worry.
How do I balance work and the 6 week block needed for IVF treatment?
Can you manage a responsible job involving the public with the effects of the drugs?
From the start of down reg to the first scan to check for follicles being stimulated how much time do I need off?
I'm thinking of being off work from week four (the first scan) thru week six.
The days off before this are less predictable, we would love to hear from anyone who has juggled IVF and a job which is difficult to find cover.
Hopefully we get this far!!
I know the questions are quite specific but its great to have a place to talk to people who understand the complexity, and have been through so much.
Best wishes to you all.
BandS [/img]
New comers, with a few questions.
Hi, welcome to the board, you'll find lots of answers on here!
I think it all depends on your particular preference but speaking personally, I don't think there is any need to take extensive time off before the eggs are transfered (ET) back. In fact work, for me at least, helps keeps me sane and not too focused on the treatment (tmt). I find it very, very easy to over analyse every twinge and clinic visit so I like having something else to think about. I don't work with the public as such, I'm a corporate trainer so I have to focus hard when I'm in front of clients and prefer this to the days I'm at home.
In terms of work and any reaction to drugs, I think moodiness, headaches, some abdominal bloating, a few hot flushes and sore boobs amongst other things are not uncommon (but not everyone has a reaction) but not usually enough to stop work over. No one has ever commented that they can see my hot flushes by the way. Not even DF who would definitely speak up (I only got 1-3 a day for a couple of days).
After ET some clinics suggest taking it easy, others say carry on as normal. Mine's one of the latter and I had ET on Thursday. My work is about to stop for the summer, so I'll have 5 days pottering around doing less than normal but will work a little next week. Many do take the whole 2 week wait (2ww) off but I did this the first time and it went soooo s-l-o-w-l-y, enough to make anyone neurotic. The drugs create feelings usually associated with pregnancy (pg) whether you are or not, so it's a fortnight most of us would prefer to do without.
I hope this helps. Others may have very different opinions, I'm sure you'll hear a few more. If you've time, read through a couple of the previous Cycle Buddies threads eg. April or May and that way you'll get a really good impression of how those particular women responded to the drugs and tmt.
Good luck!
Debra.
I think it all depends on your particular preference but speaking personally, I don't think there is any need to take extensive time off before the eggs are transfered (ET) back. In fact work, for me at least, helps keeps me sane and not too focused on the treatment (tmt). I find it very, very easy to over analyse every twinge and clinic visit so I like having something else to think about. I don't work with the public as such, I'm a corporate trainer so I have to focus hard when I'm in front of clients and prefer this to the days I'm at home.
In terms of work and any reaction to drugs, I think moodiness, headaches, some abdominal bloating, a few hot flushes and sore boobs amongst other things are not uncommon (but not everyone has a reaction) but not usually enough to stop work over. No one has ever commented that they can see my hot flushes by the way. Not even DF who would definitely speak up (I only got 1-3 a day for a couple of days).
After ET some clinics suggest taking it easy, others say carry on as normal. Mine's one of the latter and I had ET on Thursday. My work is about to stop for the summer, so I'll have 5 days pottering around doing less than normal but will work a little next week. Many do take the whole 2 week wait (2ww) off but I did this the first time and it went soooo s-l-o-w-l-y, enough to make anyone neurotic. The drugs create feelings usually associated with pregnancy (pg) whether you are or not, so it's a fortnight most of us would prefer to do without.
I hope this helps. Others may have very different opinions, I'm sure you'll hear a few more. If you've time, read through a couple of the previous Cycle Buddies threads eg. April or May and that way you'll get a really good impression of how those particular women responded to the drugs and tmt.
Good luck!
Debra.
I was fortunate enough not to be working when I underwent my first cycle. To be honest, I think I could have handled working while downregging probably through the first 5 or 6 days of stimming (although some people end up stimming faster than I did). I think I stimmed for 14 days and I remember that about 4 or 5 days before the EC I was feeling quite uncomfortable....not just bloating but also pain when Iwalked, difficulty going to the loo, etc. I didn't feel like being around other people but maybe that is just my personality. I also kept having to go back in for scans at least every other day. I think there were even a few days I had to go in every day. That would have been difficult to coordinate with work and I was very glad not to have that extra headache. And, after the EC I definitely would not have been able to go back to work the next day as some people do. I kept gradually feeling better physically. I think I would have been okay with working after a few days into the 2 ww. It would have helped keep my mind off things and I was feeling much better physically at that point (still moody but I think work might have helped).
Everyone has quite different experiences with the whole thing so it is difficult to say. I mean it seems there are plenty of women who feel absolutely fine right before and the day after EC. I was not one of them!
If you wanted to play it safe but avoid taking too many days , I would start taking days off a few days into stimming (perhaps after you go for your first or 2nd scan) through the first week of ET and perhaps go back into work on the 2nd week of the 2 ww.
Just my advice but I am far from being an expert!
Staci
Everyone has quite different experiences with the whole thing so it is difficult to say. I mean it seems there are plenty of women who feel absolutely fine right before and the day after EC. I was not one of them!
If you wanted to play it safe but avoid taking too many days , I would start taking days off a few days into stimming (perhaps after you go for your first or 2nd scan) through the first week of ET and perhaps go back into work on the 2nd week of the 2 ww.
Just my advice but I am far from being an expert!
Staci