Couples who are trying to conceive often travel great distances to seek treatment from the experience of the best fertility doctors in the world. Some patients love the opportunity of travel for medical reasons, and others feel apprehensive or stressed about it.

If you are considering seeking treatment from a prestigious (but far away) fertility doctor, there will be some amount of travel required, even if many services can be arranged over the phone. If you’ll be traveling to an infertility doctor, here is a list of things you and your partner can do to minimize stress and enjoy your traveling experiences while trying to conceive and undergoing fertility treatment.

Step one: plan your travel well in advance.

The excitement of traveling for medical services can be fun and exhilarating, but can also be somewhat exhausting if you don’t plan out things well in advance. The stress of travel is greatly minimized when you don’t have the worry or stress of unfinished work assignments or other obligations that were not met before you left home. Many patients are so eager to meet with Dr. Jain that they may schedule their travel appointments sooner then is really feasible given their work responsibilities. Make sure that you and your partner will be able to attend any required face-to-face meetings and that work and other obligations can be set aside for the duration of your visit. This can help you get the most out of your time with the celebrated fertility specialists at Santa Monica Fertility Clinic. Plan to take some vacation time for your trip and if possible enjoy a day or two in California or Santa Monica while you are here.

Step two: eat healthy meals and get plenty of sleep.

If you’ll be traveling to the US or Hong Kong for IVF, Mini-IVF, egg donation, or other services, you need to take care of your health above anything! Make sure you are getting proper rest throughout your travel. This might not be the best time to take a red-eye flight. Stay hydrated, since airline travel is very dehydrating. Drink plenty of water and juices, and forego the ice in beverages if you’re not sure if the water is safe. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins, and make sure you are following any dietary recommendations given by your doctor.

Step three: listen to your doctor.

Some patients are asked to make lifestyle changes in order to maximize their chances of getting pregnant. This could include losing a reasonable amount of weight, eating a slightly different diet, adding 15 minutes of exercise into your day, or cutting down on strenuous exercise during your fertility treatment. Somehow, these lifestyle recommendations are often the hardest for patients to implement. It seems much easier to have an IVF, or pop some pills every day, than to lose 20 pounds, but the benefits of listening to your doctor will really pay off. Dr. Jain knows what has helped thousands of couples conceive and has worked extensively in this industry for 20 years. To maximize your chances of conceiving, please listen to and apply the doctor’s advice.

Step four: enjoy the journey.

Whether you are traveling on a plane to have state-of-the-art fertility services, or you are driving in rush hour traffic through Los Angeles to get to Dr. Jain’s clinic, try to stay calm and focused and resist the temptation to become overly stressed about your situation. It can be hard to not put your childless state in the forefront of all you do and forget the other great things you have in life. Take time to enjoy other things about your life that are going well. Perhaps your career is flourishing, or your relationship with a parent is stronger than ever. Stop and smell the flowers from time to time and appreciate the blessings you do have in your life. De-stressing won’t make parenthood come any quicker, but it can certainly help you deal with day-to-day stress as you find fulfillment in other aspects of your life.

Step five: during travel, take time to build your relationships.

Traveling can give you time to catch up with old friends, call extended family members during a layover, or keep friends updated on your progress through social media. Traveling together can also give you time to enrich your relationship with your partner. Infertility is stressful for many couples, but studies show that couples that overcome the obstacle of infertility can actually become closer in the years ahead and have a stronger, more stress-proof relationship, which will be a great thing as you move into parenthood. So send a postcard to your sister, pick up a souvenir for your supportive friend at work, and have a relaxing dinner with your partner while you’re in California. You’ll be glad you did.

At the Santa Monica Fertility Clinic, we work with patients all over the world each day, helping build families in many nations. Our patients travel to our offices in Hong Kong and Santa Monica, California from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, South America, and all over the United States. Dr. Jain and his staff are experienced at working with international patients and minimizing travel requirements, including offering phone appointments and working with local clinics to perform initial tests and dispense medication. Click here to request information about services at Santa Monica Fertility Clinic, or to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Jain, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with over 20 years of academic and clinical experience.