# Questions please - Hair Colouring / Sunbathing during stims



## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi everyone.

I'm about to start my 4th fresh ivf cycle with IVI Valencia this time, and have a couple of (possibly silly?!) questions - I am due to start stims this Thurs 19th (all being well at scan on Tues) and have a hair colour appt booked on Fri 20th to get my highlights re-done...will this have any affect on stimming?? I recall reading something when researching before that hair colour shouldn't be done during stims, can anyone advise? 

Also, we are due to go to Valencia next Tues 24th (until 4th June) to continue our treatment out there (stims / scans and hopefully egg collection). I like to sunbathe - will this do any harm when stimming? I'm already looking into chemical free sun-tan lotions! Any advice in this would be much appreciated. 

I know these may seem like random questions, but these things are playing on my mind! 

Thanks all. xx


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## Kieke (Apr 8, 2015)

Hi Nicnik - I personally would not have my hair coloured whist stimming. It's very much a personal choice but when I was stimming I always stayed as natural/organic as possible (make up/toiletries/cleaning products) and even didn't use anything perfumed. 
Regarding sunbathing, I think a bit wouldn't harm you but I wouldn't go full out - again I think it's a personal choice.
Good luck!


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi Kieke,

Thanks so much for your reply.

Yes, I'm already using toxin free cleaning products and Neal Yards natural body products.  I agree with you, I don't think the sun itself will do any harm whilst stimming, it was more the sun screen I was thinking of.  I've been googling chemical free sun screens for a week or two and it really is a mine field!  Currently looking at a Green People sun screen.  Would you have any recommendations at all....? 

Thanks for the advice so far.  X


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## Kieke (Apr 8, 2015)

Hi Nicnik - I have never purchased organic sun screen but will be having a look soon myself since apparently summer is on it's way ;-)
I think anything organic would do to be honest and makes sure you keep on drinking plenty of water. Exciting times ahead for you x


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you Kieke!  

I just noticed that you had a success late last year.....huge congratulations, very exciting times ahead for you and not too long to go either!!    

All the best for the future. xx


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## Vickicuk84 (Apr 26, 2016)

Hi ladies, thanks for this thread, and congratulations to you Kieke   Nicnik - how is your cycle progressing?

I'm currently on bcp in the lead up to my second fresh cycle, due to start stims on 6th July, and have the hairdresser's booked for what has turned out to be a few days before egg collection (hopefully!) - I guess it's not ideal to have it done at that time (especially as during my first cycle i suffered with moderate OHSS and could barely walk by that point) but do you think it's ok to have my highlights refreshed just before the 6th?  Or should I not have them done at all.

For my first cycle I did everything by the book and lived like a Nun only to suffer a m/c anyway, so Im hoping this time to be a little more relaxed about it - my RE isn't strict at all and says "why couldn't you dye your hair? If it makes you feel better then go for it" but there's always a niggle in the back of my mind that it will interfere - but i guess he should know!

Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant and any advice  
xx


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## Kieke (Apr 8, 2015)

Hi Vicki – exciting times ahead for you! 
I personally wouldn’t have my hair highlighted so close to egg collection but it’s a personal choice. I made a big deal about staying away from anything chemical related when I cycled but wouldn’t say I lived like a nun since I would have the occasional glass of wine to keep me sane… So it’s half a dozen one or the other. If it makes you feel better just go for it! Nothing is proven about any of this so you will never know what the magic formula is.
Good luck!


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## Vickicuk84 (Apr 26, 2016)

Thanks for replying Kieke! You're right, I don't think having my hair done just days before EC is a good idea, so I will see if I can get in before I start stims...I have highlights using foils, so it doesn't touch my scalp and will hopefully be ok!

Do you have any advice on exercise during the cycle too? Since my last miscarriage in March I have been focusing on trying to lose weight (I have severe PCOS and am overweight despite a healthy diet) - I've lost half a stone so far, and am feeling much better in myself, but I read the other day that exercise has detrimental affect on IVF....this is crazy! I'm hoping that it means excessive, over the top, exercise (which is not what Im doing!) as I feel for my sanity over the next foru weeks I will need this outlet still! Im sure once Im well into the stims I won't feel like exercising, but would like to continue for as long as possible for a healthy body and mind!!

Thanks again for tkaing the time to reply to me


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## Kieke (Apr 8, 2015)

You're welcome!
I know how it feels to come close to cycling again and wanting to make sure you are doing everything you can possibly do to make it work!
I'm overweight but have a very healthy lifestyle (BMI before pregnancy 29) and did exercise a lot. I used to run 5k a week and attend bootcamp/boxercise twice as well. I stopped exercise both times a couple of days into stimms. This time I have to admit I haven't returned to any and now I'm too big to do anything haha 
I was amazed how quickly I got back into the 'not doing anything' regime.


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi Vicki,

I decided against getting my highlights done when I had started the stimming in May - it was a personal choice really and mainly because we were going over to Spain a few days later and the sun damages the newly highlighted colour, so that was my main reason.  I actually checked with my consultant at IVI Valencia and also with the head nurse at my old IVF clinic in Scotland and both said it is absolutely fine to colour your hair during stims / ivf cycling (especially foil highlights, which is what I get and the colour does not touch the scalp) - they both said no reason why you shouldn't.  So, if it will make you feel better about yourself during what is a generally tough time, then it seems that it's fine to go ahead however, if you think you have any of your own doubts in your mind, then wait until after EC.  As per Kieke, I did change my body wash and body lotions to chemical-free ones and I also bought chemical free suntan lotions (for going over to Spain). 

Re; exercise - I've always been told by my consultants that light / moderate exercise is fine, walking is probably the best option - keeps the blood flowing around the right places but nothing too strenious.  I usually do yoga but gave that up during stims as I believe that some of the 'twists' could affect the ovaries.  But I know that there are many ladies who carry on as normal with gym classes etc.  

Afm - cycle has gone quite well thanks.  We retrieved 9 eggs, 7 fertilised, but only 1 embryo made it to Day 5 blasto.  The good news is that the PGS chromosome testing results came back 'normal'  , so now we just need to decide and plan when we go back to Spain for FET. 

Good luck for your cycle and hope all goes well for you.   xx


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## Kieke (Apr 8, 2015)

Great news about the blasto waiting for you Nicnik!


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## Vickicuk84 (Apr 26, 2016)

Yes, that's fab news Nicnik - you have a perfect embie waiting for you....how long do you think you'll wait to head back over there? 

I didn't even consider changing body wash etc...did you do from the start of stims? I read that on day of EC you shouldn't use anything scented, but I didn't realise it should have been from that early on! Iv'e already started on my three brazil nuts a day - i did this religiously last time, and like to think it helped....

Im going to be on double the dose of Gonal F this time around...we only got 4 eggs last year (due to high risk of sever OHSS, which I ended up only getting moderately), so RE agreed with my wishes to up the meds in the hope to get a few more eggs this time around. It may end up in a "freeze all" cycle if I get too ill, but Im trying to already increase my protein intake etc to try and limit OHSS....it was horrible last year, but worth it to get that bfp!

Kieke - tell me about it - after my first fresh cycle last year, and the bfp it came with, I cancelled my gym membership and decided just to go for walks instead...but after the mmc, and the depression that followed I put on a fair bit of weight and had no motivation to get out of bed, let alone head back to the gym! I then had my FET whilst still only walking, but after i lost that one too, I decided I needed exercise for my mental health if nothing else! It takes an awful lot of heard work to lose even 1 lb, but I'm hoping it's helped for this time around....


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Morning ladies,

Vicki - don't worry, it's not essential to change to chemical free body / beauty products at the start of cycling and neither of my clinics have ever suggested this to me.  It was a friend (who had a successful ivf) that suggested it to me, plus I also decided I wanted to do everything I possibly could for this cycle in order to improve the outcome / make it work, so I've been using Neals Yard body wash (unfragranced) and the same body lotion since before stims.  I haven't changed my hair products or my face products (love my Clarins!),  but I thought if I change the body products, this would hopefully help me be almost "chemical free".  It may not make any difference, but it makes me feel better. I've probably been living like a Nun since January, absolutely no alcohol since then (apart from a few drinks the other weekend, which was a week after EC anyway and I decided I needed to relax a little), super healthy diet and just walking / yoga -   all this clean living makes everything worthwhile....it can't do any harm anyway and at least I'll know I've done everything I possibly could.  

I'm sorry to hear about your previous miscarriages, and and how you felt afterwards, it really is so so tough.   I took a year out after mine, just to try and 'live' a little, but falling pregnant again was always at the back of my mind. Sounds like you're on a positive path now though and exciting that you're soon to start stims again - I always find the stims part not too bad, as you know that the injections are having a positive effect, it's all the other parts in between that seem harder, I think. 

Not 100% sure yet when we will go back for FET - our Patient Coordinator at IVI has advised that my consultant and his team are out of the clinic from 1st Aug - 1st Sept, so this makes things trickier, as the ideal would have been to start preparing for FET with my August cycle, which would have given my body plenty of time to recover from stims and get my mindset and body prepared (more yoga for blood flow etc, as I only go once or twice a week at the mo).  My next period will likely come around 6th July at the very earliest and FET is between days 19-24 of the cycle, so it may be cutting it a little fine since they are off from 1st August.  So, looks like we may have to wait until my September cycle which seems like forever away, but I guess gives me time to get in peak condition for FET (body and mind). 

Kieke - hope you are keeping well. 

Keep us posted on how things are going for you.  Best of luck. XX


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