Self Care & Infertility
Self care is certainly a hot topic these days. It became especially important during pandemic life as we learned more and more about the importance of taking care of ourselves in order to support immune function, prevent illness, and/or to recover more quickly from infection.
What is self care? Self care is all about the multitude of ways you can take care of you. It can mean any variety of things to each person, but it tends to hit the following pillars of health:
Meeting nutritional requirements
Engaging in physical activity
Mindfulness, spiritual and emotional support
Community engagement
Adequate hydration
Rest/sleep
Other things to consider include:
Risk avoidance (ex. Social toxins like alcohol, cigarettes, and recreational drugs)
Good hygiene - which is even more important these days
Take a look at the International Self-Care Foundation’s approach to self care: https://isfglobal.org/practise-self-care/the-seven-pillars-of-self-care/.
You might even hear the term, self care is the new healthcare. Certainly we’re learning that taking care of you can mean less risk of overall health issues.
What does self care mean for infertility?
In my clinical work, I help patients understand what it is they need to form a self care perspective in order to achieve their fertility goals. My treatment plans include a variety go things:
Nutritional changes
Physical activity recommendations
Stress management options including meditation and acupuncture
Sleep management options
Hydration recommendations
Supplementation strategies
And more…
You can see that the overlap between self care and preconception care for infertility is quite high.
What does does self care meant for you?
That is certainly a more difficult question to answer because each person is unique, and will have a different set of needs. Aside from the basics (food, hydration, rest, physical activity), it’s important to understand what your non-negotiable items are
At the end of the day, it’s important to know that self care is absolutely not selfish!
Take a look at my self-care checklist to get some ideas about self care for you:
