The Unasked Questions of IVF patients

Many infertile patients have lots of questions and anxieties about their  IVF treatment.  Common queries include: Will the hormones cause me to become fat ? will they cause me to run out of eggs ? will they cause ovarian cancer?  Many of these anxieties are much worse when you are using a third party - for example, when doing donor egg IVF. What does the egg donor look like ? what will my child look like ? will people suspect ? will my baby be normal ? And when it involves surrogacy , the anxieties are multiplied a hundred fold. Will the surrogate be responsible ? will she take good care of herself during her pregnancy ? will she hand over the baby to me after birth ? will I be able to manage all the legal processes ?

IVF treatment is complicated because there are so many moving parts , all of which need to be synchronised in order to make sure that it goes off flawlessly.  It's a daunting exercise, and it's perfectly normal to have all these anxieties.

Sadly, some patients suppress these anxieties . All these questions prey on their mind, but they are scared to ask them.  This is why they never get any answers , and when these anxieties are repressed and these questions remain unanswered, the risk for problems actually increases.  Thus, when patients don’t hear back from the doctor , they automatically assume the worst, or they think the doctor doesn’t care. think it’s important that patients air their worries and share their concerns with the doctor.  After all, the doctor can’t read your mind and it’s very unlikely that you’re going to have a question which he hasn’t encountered before . It's far better for both of you that you be open and let him know what’s on your mind , so that he can put you at ease.  And even if he can’t do so, at least you will have peace of mind that you did ask for your doubts to be clarified. If you don’t, it's quite likely to cause you sleepless nights and unnecessary anxiety - and you will kick yourself when you find out later that it was a very basic question , and he could have reassured you with just a simple email.

This is why it’s important for patients to make sure that all their doubts are clarified before proceeding with elective treatment such as IVF, especially when there are so many emotional issues involved in the process.

Have questions about IVF treatment ?  Ask me and I'll be happy to reply. My email is [email protected]