Patient Portal
There’s no doubt that going the assisted reproductive technology (ART) route can be stressful. In most cases, by the time you’ve even started to look into ART, you’ve already been down a stressful road of conceptions missed, babies lost via miscarriage or a diagnosis of conditions that make it difficult for you and your partner to conceive a baby naturally.
Caught in the Fertility Treatment Hamster Wheel? Take Some Time to Relax and Recharge!
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is take a break and give yourself some space to recharge your batteries and connect with things that were important to you before your entire focus revolved around a microscopic sperm and egg. Or, if you aren’t interested in taking a break now, do take some time to relax and recharge your batteries. You never know – – giving your body the positive energy and space it needs could be the best thing you do to help your conception along.
- Take a yoga class. Yoga is one of those things that is beneficial any way you look at it. It is focused on being present in your body, something that is difficult to do when we are feeling stressed or upset. The practice of holding asana positions, while working on taking deep belly breaths, infuses the body with oxygen, and a host of positive “feel good” chemicals, and the relaxation techniques you’ll learn in class will come in helpful when you eventually go into labor. If you are in the middle of IVF treatments, seek restorative yoga classes or classes designed specifically for pregnant women so everything you do is nurturing for both you and your potentially developing fetus. Also, do not take Bikram (Hot) yoga classes if you are trying to get pregnant as it’s not good to elevate your core temperature once you’ve conceived.
- Visit the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Take yourself on an afternoon or full-day trip to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It’s impossible to walk through the gorgeous paths, breathing in the scents of lush plants, flowers and trees and connecting with Mother Nature without feeling positive effects. In addition to the Arboretum, there are more than 300-acres of land, much of which is given over to beautiful hiking trails. Ditch the phone and gadgets and escape into peace and quiet. Become a member and you can do it for free whenever you need an escape.
- Check out acupuncture. Acupuncture has been used as a way to relax and rebalance the body’s energies for thousands of years. It has also been used medicinally to help regulate women with irregular menstrual cycles, relieve the side-effects of issues related to female reproductive help and there are several studies that have shown a correlation between specific types of acupuncture and more successful conception and live birth rate for IVF cycles. Make sure you visit a licensed and certified acupuncturist, and seek one with positive references from people you know.
- Get some girls together and hit the spa. Or not, perhaps you’d prefer to go alone. Either way, indulge and pamper yourself by booking a day – or a weekend – at a health spa. The minute you walk through the door, take a deep breath, savoring the delicious scents and the feelings of tranquility. Once you take your first sip of herbal tea or cool cucumber infused water, you’ll know you have officially left the planet of reality and arrived somewhere magical. Take advantage of a soak and/or scrub, massage, a facial and anything else that calls to you. Celebrate your body and give it a little love.
- Spend a romantic day with your honey. Remember when you and your honey used to have fun together? Or spend hours lounging by the river? Perhaps you used to eat dinner at a nice restaurant and listen to live music, reveling in your love and celebrating the things you both enjoy doing together. It’s time to pick a relaxing item off the “things we used to do together” list and make it happen. Maybe it will be a couple’s massage at a spa (See #4) or maybe it will be something as simple as a picnic in the botanical gardens (See #2). Either way, make sure babies, family and pregnancy are OFF TOPIC. This is your time to relax and unwind.
What have been your saving graces during your journey to fertility? Have you found a special place to go or a specific activity that has helped you relax and escape a bit from reality? RRC and our blog followers would love to read your suggestions.
Image Source: freedigitalphotos.net/Marin