The Side Effects of IVF....

Disclaimer: today I’m leaving the physical side effects behind and talking more about the emotional side effects!

Self-medicating, that’s what has been going on these past 11 days in the Rowh’s world! Things that I used to do for pleasure and relaxation (working out and drinking wine) have been tabled due to IVF treatments, so we’re left to deal with stress and worry in more creative ways.  Hence, this little blog you’ve been following. I thought it might be good to divulge my habits, in hopes of curbing the more expensive things we’ve been doing.

1.       Prayer- thankfully our faith has grown even deeper as we turn to God inwardly and outwardly as a couple to guide us through this journey. We have committed to a deeper understanding and trust of him and with this have spent more time in his word and in conversation with him. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to “go deeper.”

2.       Eating- the not so good of self-medicating! Eating out to be specific! Usually it is our rule of thumb to only eat out on the weekends and cook on the weekdays. The exhaustion from the hormones coupled with two busy work schedules have resulted in many more week night grab and go’s! Thankfully our waistlines and wallets haven’t felt it too much! We’ve managed to keep the eating out to 2-3x per week (in comparison to our usual 1-2x per week) and now that I’m getting to the end of this particularly journey, I’m resolving to begin cooking more.

3.       Shopping- thanks to RueLala and Target, I’ve been getting (on average) 1 package delivered a week. For those of you who know me, you know I love a good sale, and the need to “cheer myself up” has resulted in many good RueLala deals. To date, I’ve only purchased things that I need (i.e. a one piece bathing suit for an upcoming trip we’re taking and espadrilles for the trip) but I’m finding the need to put myself in check!

The biggest side effect that I’ve experienced is my lack of sociability! I love a good party and love to be around people. Since starting the latest hormone regimen this has not been the case. It’s mostly because I’m just too darn tired, but I want my chipper self back, now!