Bitesize: The importance of support and self-care during your IVF cycle - from the Nurses at CRGH

The Fertility Podcast

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize. We are in conversation again with Kirsty Lee Wright and Joycelia Green, two Senior Nurses at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health explaining how valuable getting emotional support during your treatment is, whether it's from professionals or from your friends. Plus the importance of setting boundaries.

What we discussed:

• Find your tribe
• Talk to someone
• Tell the nurses about your good and your bad days as the forums and online groups can be helpful but you shouldn't compare yourself to anyone else.
• Our bodies do different things and sometimes info online can be confusing and conflicting
• If you decide you need a nurse and you want to talk - or if you want to be left to your own devices do what is right for you
• Self-care - destressing with exercising, or decompressing is important
• You are having hormone treatment, so don’t apologize as you will experience a range of emotions and that is why you need the right support network.
• Set boundaries with friends and family as you might not want to tell them much
• Speak to the counselor at your clinic, if you want to do that before starting, it can be. Don’t wait until things go wrong no matter how strong you are, sometimes that objective opinion is what you need.
• Your nurse can support you in how to talk about this at work, you can bring your work diary into the clinic, to work out a treatment plan so scans fit around your schedule.
• Use work as a distraction but also you need to give yourself time for yourself.

You can find out more about CRGH here

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