There was a time when the thought of giving up my wine and morning coffee and daily runs were good enough reasons to not get pregnant. I worried less about the weight gain, future sleep deprivation and just how I would juggle a baby and my life than giving up daily rituals. I never imagined that I might need to cut these necessary parts of my life just to get pregnant!
Sure when I was trying to get pregnant the first time, the doctor said I might want to drink less and cut down on the caffeine. But that was when Dave and I regularly polished off a bottle a night and I had not entertained any Decaf in my life. So I drank a quarter glass of wine and a half a cup of coffee but I never truly cut it out, even when I was pregnant. Even my acupuncturist agreed that a little was fine. The hard and fast rules weren’t meant for those people that cant control themselves.
Two failed IUIs and a hard-core Chinese acupuncturist set me straight. No alcohol. Not even a sip. By then I read an article that supported that even moderate alcohol decreases chance of pregnancy so I abstained. As for my coffee, which by then was a a quarter cup of half-decaf a day, that was a no, too. Both caffeinated and decaf. Something about an enzyme in any kind of coffee that disrupted blood flow to your uterus. And I was to eat pineapple every day, massage my uterus so it was less twisted and do acupressure on my pelvic region to increase blood flow to my uterus. And running was out of the question. Swimming, gentle yoga or light walking was best. I was also instructed to drink special herbs twice a day except when on IVF meds and the doctors forbade it. But most of all, I was instructed to rest. Let the dirty dishes sit in the sink, make my husband do the laundry, don’t worry about my sons birthday party, just take naps.
Because more than anything, I want to have another baby, during my first IVF, I followed the instructions to a tee. I suffered the caffeine withdrawal and actually enjoyed waking up without needing caffeine. Life was clearer without the wine and a lot less of a hassle when there is no workout to try to fit in. My husband stepped it up and I rested. And I didn’t get pregnant even though I barely lifted Miles for two weeks after the transfer, didn’t so much as walk to the park and ate my pineapple religiously every night.
For the second IVF, I made changes. I fired the hard-core acupuncturist, drank the herbs during treatment and let myself go about my normal life, workouts and all (save for the running, alcohol and coffee!). Perfect cycle, perfect eggs, and perfect embryos and still a BFN.
Looking ahead, CCRM asks no coffee or caffeine of any kind (goodbye chocolate) for 72 hours before the work up. Apparently, its policy as well during treatment so my last vice – dark chocolate – will also have to go. Many of the women there are also follow strict supplement regimens including DHEA, Royal Jelly, Baby Aspirin, Prenatals, extra folic acid and a host of others.
As we get ready to jump on the treadmill at CCRM, I wonder if its any of it makes a difference. I cant count how many people who tell me some story of a woman who got pregnant without any of this crap. They drank, ran, over-caffeinated, and toted their kids around. They didn’t analyze their cervical mucous, cross of their daily vitamin checklist, eat extra pineapple or prowl the internet for the best fertility doctors. So maybe I take it to the extreme and maybe some of these things help but I am beginning to feel that its all a big crapshoot. You increase your odds with IVF or IUI but nothing is guaranteed and sometimes, when you sit out a round, you score big.
Not that I am ready to throw in the towel but the last week when I have allowed myself a couple glasses of wine and my morning coffee, it feels good. I felt like myself, more relaxed, more positive and hopeful. And that is something I want to hold onto.
No comments:
Post a Comment