How much time off?

G

Gracey

Registered User
When I did IUI, I took no time off work. Since I had no injections (just oral meds) I only had to go in for a few ultrasounds and one IUI a month. It was really fast and simple. It was a little bit of a pain to schedule my ovulation with my work schedule, but it was doable.
Now I'm on my first IVF and took one week off.
A warning to other working women out there -- TAKE TWO! In retrospect, that's what I should have done.
By day 5 of the injections, I was bloated and tired. I managed to sit 8 hours a day at my desk, but it was unpleasant, and I probably was working badly anyway.
Now, the doctor says I need 14 days of shots. (Originally he said 10 days, but it can actually vary from 7-14 depending on the person). That delays my egg collection and transfer by several days. And now I'm in the situation of having to ask for a few extra days off. And I'm still going back to work earlier than doctor would like.
So advice -- take 2 weeks off for IVF if you can!
And a question -- how long did other women take off?
 
Hi Gracey, I took two weeks off but I took it off after the embryo transfer. Advice about whether to take time off after the transfer was mixed as some people thought it was better to keep distracted, but I wanted to make sure that I was completely rested and stress free. The whole period up to that I worked as normal. I didn't have any side-effects from the drugs though - other than some emotional ups and downs. That was my first (fresh) IVF which wasn't successful. With the subsequent FET I didn't take any time off at all. That one worked ironically.

Whether or not to take time off, and when to do it is largely dependent on the individual. As I said, I had few issues with the IVF process so was fine to work, but I know women who find it much harder.
 
For my fresh cycles, I think I took the day off for the EC and the afternoon off for the ET. For my frozen cycles, I just took the afternoon off for the ET. It really does depend on the individual whether to work or not. I was glad to be at work to keep my mind occupied, but I didn't have any particular side effects from the drugs, although I didn't feel 100%. For me, I would have found it stressful not to be at work during the cycle.
 
Just like Liquorice - I took it easy after the transfer - it didn't work:)Go figure - the next transfer was in the moring and I was at work by the afternoon and a postitive test two weeks later.
I had some side effects like bloating and being all hormonal but I found working helpful as otherwise I would have gone stir crazy thinking about the test results.Good luck with your test and hope the side effects don't last too ,long.
 
Hi everyone -- Thanks for your replies!
I had a particularly weird problem. I'm too fertile, and overreacted to the drugs, even though the doctor had me on a small dose. By the end of the injections, I was having 2 appointments a day -- morning blood test, evening ultrasound. There was no way I could have done this and gone to work, too.
Yesterday, he told me that my hormone levels were too high and that we might have to abort this cycle to avoid over stimulation. I'm not usually emotional, but I almost cried. After all those shots, tests and thousands of dollars! Wasted!
So we're going to do a compromise. He's going to take them out early (my follicles are only about 13-14mm) and try to grow them in the lab. Needless to say, I'm bummed.
Mela -- I agree with you. In some ways, I wish I was at work, since my mind would be off it. Today, I went out for a lunch with some friends / colleagues and it was nice to get out. Otherwise, I'm just sitting at home in my bathrobe worrying and feeling useless and sick. But, unfortunately for my case, it would have been impossible to work through it. :(
I wish you all have better luck!
 
I was overstimulated the first time round and what they did was still take the eggs out and freeze the embryos after so I had a frozen cycle rather than fresh. Pregnancy makes overstimulation worse.
I feel your pain tho - it's soooo frustrating!!! Hugsx
 
Hi Mela, You know what's funny? Well, funny and happy. My doctor was pessimistic -- said it probably wouldn't work. But in the end, several of my eggs matured, fertilized and were good quality. We did egg transfer a month after and he ordered 2 full weeks bed rest. Actually, he said some a snide comment about working women.
I thought this was too much. I was bored and stressed all alone lying in bed. Online studies show no better rates after 2-3 days of rest. Most Western studies actually say it's better to resume moderate daily life.
Like Iolana, I went back to work, where I was happier and less stressed, since I was distracted and around people. And it worked! I'm preggers. :)
Looking back, I think that an IVF either works or it doesn't. You can take reasonable precautions, but either the little embryo imbeds in 2-3 days or it doesn't. If it's meant to be, I doubt that a normal commute, or a few hours sitting quietly in an office, will disrupt a pregnancy.
 
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Thank you, Mela. The doc had me half scared to death about MC, but I've decided not to worry so much. I'm taking my medicine and being a good girl -- no coffee, no NY champagne! I'm going to take a walk outside -- beautiful weather -- and not stress. I'm only 5 weeks along. It's a happy New Year surprise.
 
I took a week off from work for the egg collection and the embryo transfer, mainly because I didn't want to have to explain to my boss why I needed the days off to do the two procedures. I'm also finding that it's nice to just have some time to rest, as I'm still bloated and feeling some twinges of pain in my abdomen after the egg collection.

So I've got an excuse not to go to the gym, but the downside is that I'm using all my free time to go on the Internet looking up information on how long it takes an embryo to implant, what the earliest signs of pregnancy are like etc etc. I need to get out and go for a walk more often.
 
You need to get lots and lots of series to watch:) As my doc used to say little knowledge is worse than lack of it! Good luck
 
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