I took a couple baby steps in the last 24 hours to prepare my brain and body for the months ahead.
Prenatal vitamins
I stopped by the store after work last night for a couple of things and figured it was time to start the prenatal vitamins. I have been a daily multi-vitamin.
I stood in the vitamin aisle for quite a file trying to find the prenatal ones. There were very few options in the rows of vitamins A, B12, C, D, Fish Oil, K, etc. I finally found 2 options: pill and gummy. I hate pills, so I gravitated towards the gummy.
My first thought: Why is there crystalized sugar on them?
Seriously. My regular gummy vitamin is sort of like a gummy bear. All gummy. No sugar crystals.
My second thought: Why on earth do I need this? I mean, I get it. My body should be equipped with all of the vitamins and minerals it needs to prep itself for a potential baby and this will help. On the other hand, I am pretty sure my mother never took supplements before she conceived. My grandmother surely didn’t.
At any rate, progress!
Reproduction and genetics class
Yes, seriously. My clinic sent me a link to an online course they offer, as pre-work for my treatment. I have a bit of a science background, but not in biology. My last biology class was a lot of years ago.
The class started with a review of basic genetics. It concentrated on what genetic tests are used to look for both dominant and recessive diseases.
However, the primary focus of the class was on the reproductive cycle and how treatment augments that cycle. This depends on how much treatment a woman needs. Treatment can be basic for women with few fertility issues: “here is the point in which we introduce sperm”. On the other hand, treatment can be more complicated for women with more severe cases.
I am on the “easy” side of the spectrum (so far!), but seeing the process for all cases was remarkably helpful.
I highly recommend asking your potential clinic options about their education options. You may know all about how your body works and all about the reproductive cycle. However, choosing a clinic that cares about the education aspect is super important.
It shows that they want you to know exactly what your body will undergo during this conception process. This process feels like a very personal science experiment. It may work. It may not. There are plenty of variables and, therefore, even more outcomes. Knowing the parameters of this experiment is critical.
Tagged: conception