Calendar Math
Latte Talk Therapy is back with the Infertility Blog. The main focus of this article is to shine light on one of the stressors embedded within the infertility experience. It is written in solidarity with those trudging through the fertility process, validation for those who have past experience, information for those seeking to support loved ones, and awareness to the general population.
First, it is important to emphasize that all things are scheduled and revolve around Cycle Day 1 or CD1 for short. CD1 is the first day of the menstrual cycle and signals the commencement of whatever treatment plan is in store. The bashfulness of when you were young and snuck tampons or pads into the bathroom goes out the window! In the fertility world you tell the world, or at least your clinic and partner, when the day finally arrives. Although it may come as a shocking surprise, CD1 isn’t always very predictable. Fertility treatment medications themselves, an array of medical diagnosis, and at times stress and sickness can cause CD1 to be a moving target. For varying treatments, monitoring and medications start within Day 3-5 with the likely addition of monitoring appointments, medications, and/or procedures being scheduled on subsequent cycle days. Now, before you begin to think that once CD1 is identified, the rest is locked in place, please remember this is fertility; the realm where few things are that simple. The monitoring appointments are to keep a steady look on what’s transpiring and make adjustments to the plan accordingly. Sometimes the monitoring appointment is to figure out when the next monitoring appointment needs to be. Then you throw in time-sensitive medications where the doctor will give a time window for these medicines to be used and that is when you find out you have an appointment approximately 36 hours later.
Hopefully by now it is clear that it’s quite a commitment. Fertility treatments are not typically the only thing within a person’s life. There’s jobs, family, friends, and….PLANS?? It’s challenging to balance other areas of life with the often felt urgency of pursuing fertility treatments. How can you plan a trip for 2 months from now when you aren’t sure if you’ll be doing treatment, what type, and when? This can quickly lead to a stark imbalance where fertility takes over with not much room for anything else. In the short term, maybe this is manageable, but how long and how depleted can other areas of life get before it doesn’t work for you? Check out “Mindful Decision Making” for an activity that I use to help individuals and couples determine next steps.
