First ICSI cycle & stress!!

Hello all!
I am new to this & am really looking forward to having the opp. to discuss probs, concnerns, positives & negatives, and the high's and low's, with other people going through IVF/ICSI as well.

After many, many 'speed humps' over the last twelve months, we have just commenced our first cylcle of ICSI - I have started taking the OCP & am waiting to hear from clinic to advise when to commence synarel. I have been feeling so excited but also extremely anxious! :o To add to the stress, we have experienced problems with good friends being so shockingly unsuppotive, :shakehead:, which I have found I am really not coping with, plus a 'family crisis' resulting in us stressing+++.:redface:

Does anybody have any advice on how to reduce stress, as I am certain that it can't have a positive effect on preg. outcomes?!!!!

Hi Possum80,

Welcome! And sending you loads of luck for your cycle. I too had IVF/ICSI - unfortunately my first cycle resulted in a BFN but I did get some frosties from it. I now have a 16 month old daughter as the result of HRT FET. The difference between my first cycle and my second was:
I took the whole day off work for my transfer - the first time around I went in and had the transfer and then went straight back to work.
I started acupuncture. I had this in the lead up to transfer and then the day before transfer and in the few hours after the transfer. I really found that this helped with my stress levels also.

The other thing that helped with my stress levels was BB! It is sometimes hard for our IRL friends to be able to cope with and understand what we go through. Whereas all the women on hear understand and support each other.

So I just wanted to welcome you and wish you heaps of luck.

Janie xxx

Hi Possum80
Sorry to hear your friends are being difficult - it's not really an excuse, but they probably have no idea how hard this is. I had one friend react with "how exciting!" (not my immediate thoughts), but at least she was trying to be positive :rolleyes:

Good luck with your first round! I hope it goes really well for you. I find the medication and procedures pretty straightforward. I was pretty anxious about needles and operations the first time through, but they're not that bad. The hardest part is the waiting for results. I tend to read a lot more, cook elaborate meals and do time-consuming tasks I've been putting off like taking up hems - not very exciting but it passes the time!

If your friends and family are really stressing you, is it an option to avoid them for a while? Maybe let them know that you are having a hard time and you need some time to come to terms with it yourselves before you can have a proper discussion with them. Hope things turn around soon:hug:

Hi Possum80
We have done 2 rounds of icsi, no luck yet but about to start third round. We have not told our families about IVF and only 2 of our friends know (one is TTC assisted as well). We did not want to deal with anyone elses opinions etc... so we decided to keep it on the DL. I think I cause myself the most stress worrying I will never be pregnant. Everything is pretty simple, the hardest thing being egg pick up as i usually get a headache from going under and stomach cramps after (but I have had OHSS both times)
Good luck