Four Ways A Fertility Coach Can Make A Difference
Wondering if a fertility coach might be right for you? In this article, Claire Tomkins, Founder & CEO of Future Family, walks us through the benefits of having a Fertility Coach while undergoing fertility treatments like IUI or IVF.
BY CLAIRE TOMKINS, PHD
When people ask me about my IVF experience, I always give the same answers: it wasn’t easy, but it was successful. What made it so tough was the lack of support. Even though I have an amazing husband and great friends, none of them had gone through IVF. This led to me feeling increasingly isolated as I continued on my journey.
photo by: Drew Bird
I also had so many questions when I came home from my fertility doctor appointments. Between the clinical terminology, confusing acronyms, and all of the different medications, it can feel overwhelming fast. Going online for answers often led me to incorrect information. I knew there had to be a better way to go through IVF. In hindsight, I know exactly what was missing: a fertility coach.
A Fertility Coach guides you through your IVF experience, so you feel informed and prepared to take on treatments, getting the care you want and the answers you need. She is your advocate to make sure you are prepared physically, as well as emotionally, to have the best IVF experience possible.
A lot of people don’t understand exactly how a Fertility Coach can make a difference for someone going through infertility, so we created a list of four ways a Fertility Coach can help you through IVF:
Experience IVF confidence.
Your coach will prepare you and your partner for what’s ahead. It’s easy to go into a meeting at your fertility clinic and leave feeling even more confused than before. Your Fertility Coach will prep you for your appointment with your fertility doctor, so you can make the most of that time and ask the right questions to prepare you for the next steps. Your Fertility Coach can also debrief you after each appointment to answer any questions you still have and translate any medical terminology, so you have peace of mind moving forward.
Say goodbye to med confusion.
Medication can be one of the most intimidating parts of the IVF process. Your Fertility Coach can train you on your medications and even join you via video for administration. Your nurse will also take care of ordering your meds and help you stay on top of refills.
Get peace of mind.
Having access to a Fertility Coach gives you answers from a trusted source when you need them. It also gives you peace of mind knowing that you’re making an informed decision. Google is notorious for leading people looking for health answers on a downward spiral, especially at night and on the weekends when the clinic is closed. Your Fertility Coach has a medical background with experience in fertility healthcare to provide the correct answers to your questions, even during after-hours. A good Fertility Coach is like having a fertility encyclopedia translated into layman terms at your fingertips. No question is too big or too small.
Feel supported.
There is a reason the term IVF warrior is so popular. It is a super intense and stressful experience, leaving many people who are going through it feeling isolated and anxious. It can be hard to share your IVF experience with your friends and family if they haven’t experienced fertility issues. That’s why having a trusted expert who understands the very unique experience you are going through can make you feel so much better. Your Coach is always there for you, to talk to you and support you every step of the way.
In a nutshell, your Fertility Coach can help alleviate your stress by not only addressing issues you’re worried about but by helping manage your care so that you can focus on your treatments.
Your Fertility Coach will go the extra mile to help you with things, like letting you know when you’ll require medication refills, checking in on how you are feeling on your meds, answering your questions, and being in constant contact during your stimulation, egg retrieval, and implantation phases.
Your Fertility Coach is all about your individualized care. Sure, you may have read or heard about what worked for someone else, but your Fertility Coach is there to explain the options that make the most sense for you.
Going through IVF changed my life for the better, but I knew there was a better way to go through the experience. That’s why I started Future Family, which removes the two biggest barriers to IVF—cost and complexity.
When people sign up for a Future Family membership, they not only get access to our low-interest-rate financing and medication discounts, but we also partner members with a Fertility Coach to make IVF more manageable. Our Fertility Coaches are all registered nurses with years of experience in fertility healthcare.
Our Fertility Coaches have helped tens of thousands of women through IVF and understand every step and every issue, staying on top of the latest fertility trends so they can offer you the latest information possible. Because our Fertility Coaches are online with access via phone, texts, or even Facetime, you can live in Alaska or NYC and still have access to your Fertility Coach. They can make a huge difference in lowering stress when going through IVF.
One of our past clients, Christina Contreras said, “My Fertility Coach made herself completely available to me. She was very supportive throughout the whole process. She walked me through the medications and the procedures. She would video chat with me and my friend who was helping me with shots. If I was just at my breaking point, she would talk with me for an hour. Nicole helped me get through it all.”
Another client said, “I loved having someone to talk to throughout the process to gain support and insight into the treatment. It was the most helpful tool I had.”
I have spent the past three years building the best solution for women and couples going through IVF and the one thing I’ve learned is that having a dedicated trusted advocate can make a huge difference. If you are about to go through IVF, consider working with a Fertility Coach.
Claire Tomkins, PHD is the Founder & CEO of Future Family. After going through IVF herself, Claire set out to create a company that provides the support and guidance she wishes she had when going through IVF treatments. What resulted was Future Family, which offers flexible financing plans and dedicated support for IVF and egg freezing. By removing the barriers of cost, complexity, and convenience, their mission is to help everyone build the family of their dreams.
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