Beginning of IVF, how to proceed with work when there are risks RE lifting, moving and handling… !???

[Saskiahope]

Please help.

I am about to start IVF, first drugs to begin next week and all the rest (including embryo transfer) to happen in March.

I am a self employed befriender and there may be risk involved for me during the ivf process and then (the hopeful) pregnancy that follows. This is because the teenager I work with has sudden unexpected seizures, during these my role is to hold her (sometimes lifting as she falls onto me) and then to guide her to the floor safely, and also then to help get her up after a seizure. It’s heavy work and I think is about the same as lifting.

What do I do?

I am gonna take the first month off during some of the drug schedule and some of the waiting phase for sure, but now the conversation has just cropped up with the girls family and they are basically saying that they think I probably won’t want to do that element of the job at all for the whole pregnancy, and that therefore possibly I won’t be fit to do the job at all.

I am going to speak to my fertility team on Monday to get their advice, but I wanted to also ask you guys your thoughts. Perhaps you’ve had experience of this?

Basically what I guess I’m asking is.

If you imagine a 10 stone person falling towards you, and needing support during a seizure, would you say this is probably unsafe for the whole pregnancy? My thoughts are probably yes.

The sad thing is that I have worked with this individual for many years and this situation has never actually happened, somehow she’s always been sitting during seizures, but it has happened with her family, and I have to plan for all risks!

Also,

How are people generally feeling about how much they can do in the early stages of IVF and beyond throughout their pregnancies.

Seems like I could be facing being jobless as I’m self employed…. anyone else found themselves in this situation, is there any support for self employed people in this boat?

meh.

[Twiglet2]

If you are going to be off after egg collection and in the TWW that won’t be an issue but you would need a risk assessment if you became pregnant (whether self employed or not) normally an employer in the care sector would have to put someone else in to cover that element if deemed too risky in an assessment and give you something else to do but as you are self employed that isn’t the case but you do still have someone who is paying you ie employing you to do the work so if it’s direct payment from the family you need to work with them to see if any reasonable adjustments can be made for elements of the role that are too risky or if it’s via the local authority you are paid or a charity organisation/private fund then you would talk to them and the family.

You would want to keep assessing things throughout too as it will change what you can manage as it progresses. In the early stages the embryo is fairly well protected and you can move normally but that does start to change. Every pregnancy is different I had 2 ladies working in a retail shop in my team at the same stages of pregnancy and their assessments were always completely different throughout on what they could and couldn’t manage and the adjustments we made.

You might want to take one step at a time though with treatment and see the outcome is. There are a few pregnancy related charities that could also give you support when the time comes so I would look them up in your area. But here is one that I think is UK wide maternityaction.org.uk/advi...

I also used ‘pregnant and screwed’ for something different and they were wonderful!

Good luck with everything! Xx

[Saskiahope in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you so much for this information, it’s really given me some food for thought. I’m going to try to keep as calm as possible (I’m worried any stress will affect the ivf outcome), between now and the actual testing to and then will assess following the outcome. In the meantime I am going to take some time off where the risk is and do other hours with a family where there is very minimal risk.

It’s stressful really, I never imagined I could find myself pregnant and jobless. Well for now I will try to at least focus on the getting pregnant bit and then I will have to sort the rest of it out after (hopefully)!!!

[happyseal]

It may also depend if you usually carry weights. The risk is for ovarian torsion etc. But a lot of the recommendations are based on what you used to do before starting IVF. Discuss it with your doctor to find what ways can you manage it.

[Saskiahope in reply to happyseal]

Thank you so much, yes that’s going to be my next step, the doctors may be able to provide me with a bit more concrete advice re lifting etc. Ohhh so many things to think about after the pregnancy trying and hopeful success.

[happyseal in reply to Saskiahope]

That's true...so exciting. All the best luck on your journey.

[Saskiahope]

To update on the above post it was confirmed by the following team no lifting from stimulation, which was very clear. And amazingly the work situation ended up being fine as the family totally changed their minds and decided to accommodate me with a shadow when I can’t lift!

Crazy times !