Brought to you by Donor Egg Bank USA:
For many professionals, life can become a strategic checklist of moments and aspirations: graduate college, start your dream job, find a reliable partner, and have babies. In most circumstances, we move seamlessly through experiences like these with few hassles and roadblocks.
But what happens when things don’t go exactly as planned?
How do you find balance when life throws you a curve ball and getting pregnant is more complicated than anticipated?
How are you supposed to balance work, life, and fertility treatments all at once?
Luckily, there are simple ways to manage a complicated schedule. Whether you’re undergoing traditional IVF, a donor egg cycle, or some other assistive reproductive technology (ART), these four tips can make a significant difference in your quest to be a parent.
1. Be Upfront with Your Team at Work
While this can be a touchy matter to approach, honesty is usually the best policy when it comes to fertility treatments and work.
If you know that egg donation or an IUI is in your future, let your boss know what’s going on from the start. This way, if you suddenly need an increased amount of time off work or must take longer lunch breaks than usual, they’ll be more understanding about your situation.
However, if you don’t feel comfortable letting upper management know every detail about your fertility treatment process, this is entirely understandable. It’s okay to give them a base overview of the situation without spilling all your conception secrets.
2. Create a Plan
One advantage to most fertility treatments is the amount of control you have when beginning the process. For example, if you’re in the running for a huge promotion or have an important presentation looming on the horizon, it might not be the best time to start treatment.
Create a workable schedule for yourself and figure out when fertility treatments will be more feasible. Most ART options involve significant mental, physical, and time constraints. Plan a timeline that provides space for these things, if possible.
However, remember: age and fertility aren’t always compatible. If you dream of becoming a parent, don’t put off starting the process because of work.
3. Learn to Say No
Balancing work, personal responsibilities, and fertility treatments can feel like three full-time jobs all at once.
Why continue adding more to your plate?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to say no to additional opportunities. If heading to happy hour with your co-workers or attending your friend’s dinner party feels like too much, you don’t have to go.
By adding more items to your to-do list, it’s going to increase the balancing and juggling you must do to make everything work. Get comfortable saying no and allow yourself to do so.
4. Ask for Help
Help can come in a wide variety of different ways. Whether it’s professional help, personal help, or medical help, take advantage of the options available to you. Put away your pride and accept that undergoing fertility treatment is no easy process. Let others help take away some of the pressure if they’re willing to.
This includes setting up an appointment with a local counselor.
If the stress of balancing life, work and fertility treatment is becoming too much, counseling might be an optimal solution to 1) help you find better ways of managing the experience and 2) get a better handle on the emotions you’re feeling.
Are you looking for other ways of asking for help?
Try these:
- Let friends and family make or bring you dinner when offered.
- Ask someone to take care of a pet when it interferes with appointments.
- Allow a co-worker to assist you with tasks at work.
- Be upfront with your boss if you need to reduce your responsibilities for the time being.
- Talk your troubles out with your partner, a friend, or family member.
Here’s Your Bonus Tip: This Too Shall Pass
When people are in the thick of an infertility treatment cycle, it can feel like life will never calm down. Just remember, this experience is a singular chapter in your life. No matter how complicated it might seem, life will eventually return to normal.
Try not to let the pressure of managing your career and your fertility get the best of you. By the end of the experience, you’ll hopefully achieve your dream of becoming a parent… and then life will become busy in a completely new, blissful way!
