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Taking it Easy (When Trying to Conceive)

By Megan Potter

Test tubes, foot stirrups, thermometers, calendars, "specimen" containers and sex schedules. It sounds oh, so romantic, doesn't it? And of course, a romantic environment is a stress-free environment, right?

Don't we all know that is simply not the truth? Trying to get pregnant can be one of the most stressful events of a lifetime. Of course the stress and emotional roller coaster of the questions (Am I ovulating? Did we do it in time? Can we afford this? Will it work? and more) can leave a wake of fallen comrades, made up of your friends and family, who have born the blunt end of a bad day, week or month.

It's no good feeling guilty about it now. It won't change the fact that we've been out of line every now and then. All you can do is apologize, move on and, well, of course, learn how to not have it happen again. Or at least not quite so often.

There is nothing we can do about the stress levels of the circumstances, and I'm sure the doctors are doing their best to make it easy on us. So what are we going to do about it? Here's a tip: take a break. No, I don't mean pick yourself up a Kit Kat bar (although, if it works for you...). I mean take it easy; allot some time for you.