Ive had one fresh transfer( didnt work) and one frozen transfer - again didnt work.
On the second attempt, 2 months out I made sure I used paraben free everything, used charcoal toothpaste, didnt colour my hair, didnt excersise (I used to so triathlons so just excersised all the time), didnt drink caffinated coffee, ate really well, took a whole 12 days off work after the transfer, drank beetroot juice and ate pineapple , tried to get as much rest and as much sleep as possible - and it still didnt work. To say that im angry and dissapointed is an under statement.
I now want to colour my hair - to cheer myself up a bit. I bleach foil my hair in a salon. Ive got to the point im so paranoid - even during this part were now im going to have 2 months off from this vail situation, that I fear it will affect the next transfer . Weve got one frozen transfer left.
Do I colour it or not is my question.
Its such a delicate situation Im starting to wonder wether its safe to do so.
Ive asked the clinic and they seem not to give direction on any of these types of things leaving me feeling confused and undecisive.
To all of you going through this shit show- remind yourself how well youre doing despite everything. Its not easy and people have no real clue unless theyre doing it . So make sure you cheer for yourself and give yourself a good pat on the back.
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ArdenJ
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I want to colour my hair too but I’m too scared! I think any toxic chemicals including bleach can impact things but obviously for so many people who get pregnant naturally it doesn’t make any impact! Sorry I’m not much help, just sharing in your dilemma
Hi. Hair colour is one of the most tested cosmetic products. The Hairdressing Federation say Just don’t leave it on too long, as sperm especially hate strong smells. Why not use a mild hair tint for now, so you still look glam. Good luck. Diane
Sorry to hear of your BFNs - so hard to take each one.
I was super cautious throughout the first 4 of my transfers, I was even advised not to handle receipts as the ink in them can be toxic... they were all BFN.
When I did the 5th I was much more relaxed and it was still BFN. My 6th transfer I barely took care at all and lo and behold - it worked.
My point being that I don't think it makes much difference in reality - a bit of hair colour / nail colour isn't going to make the difference between and BFN and a BFP - whether the embryo is chromosomally correct / your immune system isn't going in to overdrive / your progesterone is high enough - these will make the difference.
I do know what you mean, its almost at the point where you relax and dont give anything a second thought is perhaps when the magic happens. Lets see 🤞thanks everyone for your replies. Wishing everyone latchy ones xx
colour your hair! 🤗💜 as you said you can do everything every book recommends and it doesn’t work anyways! So live your life! for me the rounds I ignored all that s**t have been the ones that worked.
It looks like you are having a frozen transfer anyway so your embryo is already made so even if the theories about it affecting egg quality have some truth to them you aren’t needing your eggs at the moment as it’s already been used to create the embryo. My last frozen transfer I dyed my hair about a week before it (I dont like colouring it once embryo on board though as chemicals strong personal opinion though) then I went to my friends wedding 2 days later and danced all night, then flew on holidays to the canaries, had some Prosecco on the plane, ate a lot of crap, jumped about the pool and generally lived my life (I was drinking alcohol free cocktails once there though) tested halfway through holiday and BFP, nearly 10 weeks now and I will dye my hair again once I’m safely past the 12 scan mark 🤞🏽 I will likely use an ammonia free one though. The same thing happened with my little boy (he was a FET too) although I went to the highlands not the canaries lol but we climbed about castles, ate loads of rich food and joined in some Highland Games and I had dyed my hair just before the transfer then again at 14 weeks pregnant. Hope that helps lovely 🥰 xx
I’ve done sooooo many transfers and egg collections and also been super cautious at times too but I have just found it makes no difference and I have started to value my mental health aspects of it a little more but still go through times where I think ‘is this my fault, is it cos I didn’t do x,yz or had that chocolate cake or night out’ but I know deep down it isn’t it’s the viability of the embryo and whether the conditions are right and progesterone levels etc all good so what I do is largely Irellevant as long as I’m not sky diving and getting drunk! Xx
Honestly I would just get your hair done! You’ll enjoy it, it will make you feel better and no one did or didn’t get pregnant because of a trip to the hairdressers! I dyed my hair throughout all my IVF and pregnancy and everything was fine x
hey! I coloured my hair at a salon 2 days after transfer and again 6 weeks later! I got a BFP. The levels of toxins within hair dye shouldn’t be strong enough to affect things. If there is a way you can have foils lower down than usual (think balayage), that might help ease your anxiety over it? I had straight hair dye on the roots and all is ok so far. Currently 13+6. Wishing you all the luck for your next frozen cycle! 💗
this is what I am planning too for my next round - no bleach at/near scalp and my hairdresser says we don't use the chemicals that previous generations did
I know it is hard going through this and it’s easy for people to say they understand or “it will happen” when they have no idea about the intricate details.
When I had my first fresh transfer, I done every single thing that you done, the time off, no exercise, beetroot juice, pineapple absolutely everything plus more.
I want to encourage you. My first egg collection resulted in total fertilisation failure. All 8 stopped at pretty much the same time. A really unique situation that happens to 1-2% of people (i.e extremely rare) with minimal understanding and research as to why it happens and how to avoid it happening again. Devastating!
I was curious so conducted lots of research. Amongst many different various things, hair dye and perms. I used to perm my hair and believe I done so not long before I started. There was a lot more I could do to prepare my body. In November is when I managed to have a transfer.
My view to you would be… you are striving to be a mummy. Tell yourself you are beautiful and even though you want to get your hair coloured, do something else that will make you feel great. Whilst it make work for some, instantly, without too many lifestyle changes - we are all different. Eliminate what you can, be patient and do everything that you possibly can to give yourself the best chance with a positive attitude (yes it’s hard, I know. Sometimes I cry but I really am hopeful).
Then, at the end of the day, you can tell yourself “l tried” and won’t be saying what if.
I have always coloured my hair in between cycles (never during, and usually at least a couple weeks before a cycle starts), and have just had a baby using DE x.
I actually asked both my doctor and hairdresser about it, and they both said the same thing: a balayage is fine before the transfer and once you're past the first trimester. My hairdresser also said that he was always more cautious with women who want to get pregnant/who are pregnant not to put the foils too close to the scalp to make absolutely sure that the chemicals don't touch your skin; you may consider asking yours to do the same and/or to use milder products!
Also this is anecdotal, like previous posters' stories, but my FET that worked happened at a time when I was crumbling under immense stress and pressure (think moving to a different continent for a new job without my husband in between the blood tests to check beta HCG was doubling... far from ideal). Yet, this is the one that stuck and I am now 32 weeks today!
Striving to be healthy is great, and it does give us a sense of agency in a situation where we have little to no control, but I think it's also important to put things in perspective and not become too obsessed by micro decisions that have little impact in the end.
Ultimately, only you know what decision feels right for you--listen to your gut, and don't put too much pressure on yourself (easier said than done, I know)! Sending you a lot of courage and baby dust 💫
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