Dec

Tell Your Infertility Journey, Or Keep It Quiet

The holidays are always a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and a great opportunity to catch up on the latest and greatest in everyone’s lives.  But what happens this year when it’s your turn to share and you are in the middle of a struggle with trying to get pregnant?  Do you pour your heart out and tell the story of your infertility journey or do you prefer to keep this personal matter private?

There are a lot of variables to consider before you decide to tell or not to tell.  First, it depends on your personality.  Are you typically an open book or the silent type?  It depends on your audience.  Will they be understanding or are you scared they will be judgmental?  Most important, it also depends on how you expect to feel after you say something.  Will you be relieved to share your story or regretful that you shared too much? 

If you decide to tell, the holidays could actually be a great time for a “therapy session” with your close friends and family.  You may even find that someone else has gone through a similar situation and could offer valuable advice from a place of experience or become an important part of your support system.   If nothing else comes out of it, at least people will stop asking the annoying question, “When are you going to start a family?” 

If you decide not to tell, there’s an argument for that as well.  This is especially the case if you’re not one who typically opens up about personal matters or feels funny about divulging such personal information at a party or family dinner. If the right moment and the right audience presents itself, then fine.  If it doesn’t, then that is okay too.  There’s no need for the added stress of feeling like you have to share everything.  You and your partner may even decide to take a break from all things infertility until after the first of the year.  This would give you both a much needed break and a chance to relax and refocus. 

Whether you decide to tell or not, you and your partner should agree on the final decision.  It won’t go over well if one of you opens up when the other wanted to keep it quiet.  The last thing you need is to be arguing over the holidays, especially when it’s a time to relax and be merry!

From all of us at IVF FLORIDA, we wish you a very happy holiday season! 

By IVF FLORIDA at 22 Dec 2016

Keeping Nutrition in Check During the Holidays

Tis the season for good tidings and all things festive, and unfortunately, it’s also a time for serious overindulgence – alcohol, sweet treats, and all those delicious, irresistible small party bites where portion control goes completely out the window.  This holiday season, try your hardest to keep your nutrition in check, especially if you are trying to conceive (this goes for the guys too!).  Here’s why….

Why You Need to Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being overweight puts the cardiovascular system in overdrive, promotes pre-diabetic and diabetic states, increases cholesterol, and causes abnormalities in hormone levels in both men and women that can have a negative effect on eggs and sperm.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

• Do not skip meals but rather eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
• Include a balanced diet of lean proteins, low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
• Eat protein at every meal (i.e. lean cuts of meat, fish, nuts, beans, dairy products, etc.)
• Stick to a low glycemic diet that will have a limited effect on raising blood sugar. This includes foods such as vegetables, most fruits (watermelon, bananas, and grapes have a higher GI range), oatmeal, peas, carrots, skim milk, and beans. Avoid high GI foods such as white bread, white potatoes, and sugared sodas.  (Keeping a low glycemic diet is especially important for women effected with PCOS who are already prone to making high levels of insulin.  This is because high level glycemic foods allow large swings in blood sugar, which in turn allow sustained elevations in insulin.  Insulin acts as a growth factor in the ovary and releases male hormones, thus lowering chances to conceive.) 
• Stop the bad habits!  This means giving up smoking and minimizing alcohol intake. 
• Exercise more frequently.  This is especially true for men as it can help sperm production. 
• Men should stop taking male hormone enhancing drugs which routinely decreases sperm production. 

While it’s certainly a challenge during the holidays, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can have a positive impact on fertility in both men and women, especially those effected with PCOS.  For more information on fertility treatment options or to schedule a consultation at IVF FLORIDA, please give us a call at (866) 770-2168.   

By IVF FLORIDA at 5 Dec 2016