Gift ideas to support a friend going through IVF

If you have a friend that has opened up to you about their struggles to get pregnant or has mentioned they are pursuing infertility treatment, first take the time to thank them for sharing such a difficult topic with you, that must have been tough for them to say out loud.

For people that have no experience with infertility, it can be difficult to figure out what to say to your friend or even what you're allowed to ask.

Everyone handles their infertility journey differently, some people will want to share all the information while others might keep it to themselves for fear of not being understood.

The sure-fire way to let someone know that you support them and are thinking of them during this time is not just to give them any gift but to give them a fertility-related gift that will actually be helpful while they're undergoing in vitro fertilization. 

We reached out to our instagram community and got some great ideas. 

Whether the person you're getting a present for is your friend, your sister, daughter, or wife, we think they'll be over the moon with any of these options.

Here are our top gift ideas to give to a friend or family member who is going through IVF. 

Infertility treatments can be very stressful and your friend likely has to do a lot of medication injections, get poked and prodded at the fertility clinic, & will be on the move a lot heading to appointments & picking up prescriptions. And that's all on top of a regular work day and normal life activities. 

Needless to say, they might really enjoy being given a massage certificate so they can have the power to schedule a time that works for them to relax and disconnect. 

Even if they're too busy to use your gift soon, maybe they'll end up being able to use the certificate after treatment for a prenatal massage!

Remember how we said that your friend may be extraordinarily busy during IVF? 

Give your friend some of their time back by taking over errands that they have to do for regular life but maybe do not have as much time for at the moment. 

We know you're busy too so take advantage of all the great apps there are out there to provide a service as a gift to your friend.

Even if you don't live in the same city as your friend, you can still go online to schedule: 

Whatever you think your friend would appreciate most having taken off her plate. 

We think this is a very smooth gift idea. You can shoot her a text to say you've already scheduled the errand to be done for her and ask what day works best. We bet she'll really appreciate that you are giving her back that time to relax. 

Something you and your friend might not know about are fertility coaches!

Fertility coaches are experts when it comes to supporting women going through infertility treatment. They are usually nurses or previous infertility patients who have been through IUI or IVF themselves and now offer guidance to other women who are trying to conceive.

Prepaying for a 1 on 1 session with an infertility coach might be just the thing your friend needs to feel understood and supported. After all, they will be talking to someone who knows the process very well.

Sometimes it's easier to talk to a third party outside of friends and family who know what the heck they are talking about, especially without having to stop and explain all the infertility acronyms!

Wearing a pair of customized socks during the embryo transfer portion of IVF is very popular amongst the infertility community. 

Why?! 

There's an old wive's tale that warm feet mean a warm uterus, so to err on the safe side and to make an emotionally-draining process more lighthearted, women wear these types of socks on the day of their embryo transfer. 

Some of the socks are really fun and have writing on the bottom of the feet, saying things like "Stick Baby Stick!" or "Knock me up, Doc!". 

When they lie down in the operating room for the embryo transfer, their doctor, nurse, and embryologist can read the little message!

The pineapple is a very commonly used symbol for fertility. That's how we got our site mascot, Piña! 

Pineapples have been associated with fertility as is the fruit contains bromelain, an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties.

It is thought that the bromelain will help increase blood flow to the uterus, encouraging implantation after an embryo transfer. Because of this, some women eat pineapple and some even eat the pineapple core after their transfer as it has the highest concentration of bromelain.

Any gift with a pineapple involved works for this type of present. There are Etsy shops solely dedicated to infertility clothes and accessories that have a lot of pineapple designs.  

This one was suggested by our instagram community! 

Many women going through IVF keep a fertility journal to keep track of all the moving parts of their treatment. 

There are usually sections for a medication inventory, medication time schedule, appointment reminders and notes from consultations with their doctor. 

Keeping a journal during the process helps a lot of women to feel more in control, which is helpful as fertility treatment can be very overwhelming and there's a lot of information to keep track of.

The writing process may also help them to cope with how they're feeling while they're doing IUI or IVF and better express what they need from themselves and others during this time. 

If you want to go old fashioned and more personal, write a letter! 

If you're not the best at discussing sensitive topics in person, then writing down your thoughts can let your friend know you're thinking of her in a way that allows each of you the space you need to start that conversation.

If your friend/relative hasn't shared very much about their struggles to conceive, this could be a great option as a gift that's more indirect and not too obvious. 

This can make them feel more comfortable while providing the added benefit of you making it clear that you are available to talk if she ever needs without having to say it to her in person or over the phone.

This also works great if you're unfamiliar with infertility yourself. 

Writing words of support to your friend can help you build empathy around the situation and emphasize what you really want them to know about you as a friend during this time. 

You may wonder what to say to someone who is going through IVF.

Know that you don't need to say anything. 

They're not coming to you for suggestions or answers, they're coming to you to vent. They want to talk and just be heard. 

Sometimes the best way you can support someone struggling with infertility is to just listen to what they have to say.

Ask questions, be patient and empathetic but don't feel like you have to give suggestions or alternatives. They're most likely still processing and they probably know about all the alternatives already. 😉

These are the ideas we have come up with so far using inspiration from the IVF and IUI communities. 

See our Infertility Gift Guide for what to get a friend doing IVF. 🎁

We scoured the internet for some great brands that make products to support women undergoing infertility treatments. 

Many of these brands are actually created by women and couples who have been through IVF themselves! 

So we think they're a great place to start when looking for something thoughful to send in the mail.