do what you gotta do.

As we enter this less-than-three-months wait period before we begin IVF, my husband and I are really committing to being as healthy as possible.  It takes about three months for an egg to mature and for sperm to develop, so it's important that in the three months leading up to an in vitro treatment the couple do what they can to make healthy, nutritious choices.

There's really no explanation for why one IVF cycle works and another doesn't.  Just like there's no explanation for why a girl who uses recreational drugs, eats only processed foods, and hasn't exercised in years gets pregnant ASAP while a fit and healthy girl struggles with infertility.  Sometimes I feel ridiculous for going to extremes in trying to be as healthy as possible -- devotion to daily exercise, lots of fruits and vegetables, not a drop of alcohol, not a drop of caffeine, etc. -- for a perceived better shot at pregnancy.  I mean, can that really make a difference?  We've all been to WalMart, and everyone seems pretty fertile there...  In fact, most of my friends, family, and acquaintances haven't even had to consider their fitness level or diet habits and have gotten pregnant no problem.

I don't know why any of this works the way it does.  What I do know is that there is so much working against me that is completely out of my control.  If I can focus on the things I can control and make healthy choices for my body and my mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing, then I should.  Because what's it going to hurt?

At the end of this process, I will either have a baby or a negative result.  If I am so fortunate as to be pregnant, I want to know that I made really smart choices for my baby and me and that I've created an environment that will hopefully be as healthy as possible for my child.  If I don't come out of this pregnant, I need to know that I did everything I could.  I don't want to end up obsessing over the choices I made and what they might have meant for the outcome.

So that's what I have in mind when I make choices each day.  That doesn't mean I don't eat anything I actually like, because I do.  But I try to eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, organic eggs, whole grains, and good proteins.  I allow myself to indulge in ice cream (because this isn't a time to lose weight), but I choose ice creams that use only natural ingredients.  I don't drink alcohol.  Not at all.  I refuse caffeine and instead drink a lot of water.  I go for runs and walks daily.  And I feel really good for all of these reasons.

My next step in doing all that I can to help this IVF stuff work is to see an acupuncturist.  I've read a lot of articles and studies that link IVF successes and acupuncture.  Do people get pregnant after IVF if they haven't used acupuncture?  Sure.  Do some people go the acupuncture route and not get pregnant? Definitely.  But I'm going to try it.  And if nothing else, I hope I get some quality relaxation and mind-clearing quiet out of the deal.

I'm going to do what I can to put myself in the best possible situation for in vitro to work.  It's all I want, so I'm not going to waste my shot at this.

Here's to hoping it works.