Embryo Transfer Day: Superstitions, Traditions, and Good Luck Charms
Superstitions and old wives’ tales come up a lot in life, especially during important times in people’s lives. Surrogacy is no exception. I have to admit, I only knew and practiced one of these superstitions on embryo transfer day when I went through my surrogacy journey. The embryo transfer day is a big day that has a lot of superstitions connected to it. Here are just a few!
acupuncture improves blood flow and lowers stress
Acupuncture
The Science is out on whether acupuncture improves the outcome of the embryo transfer but a lot of women still choose to get acupuncture before or after the embryo transfer, or both. Science has proven that acupuncture improves blood flow and lowers stress so those things could improve the chances of the embryo transfer being successful. I chose to get acupuncture before AND after the embryo transfer. I did end up getting pregnant but there’s no way to prove that the acupuncture had anything to do with that.
salty foods absorb extra fluid
Eat French Fries
Maybe this is just a good excuse to eat french fries guilt free but hey, who is going to turn down eating fries? Eating fries for fertility first started for egg retrieval. The doctors were recommending eating salty foods to absorb extra fluid. Fry eating eventually spilled over into embryo transfers too. I don’t hear anyone complaining.
warm feet equals a warm uterus
Wear green or yellow socks to the embryo transfer
Green and yellow represent fertility so a lot of people want to wear those colors to the embryo transfer. The sock part comes from the old wives’ tale that says warm feet equals a warm uterus. I know when my feet are cold, my whole body is tense so it makes sense to me to keep your feet warm to stay relaxed.
symbol of womb health and receptiveness
Turtles
Turtles are a symbol of womb health and receptiveness, as they are water animals (water represents the womb), and they are associated with protective energy. Some women to choose to wear a turtle charm necklace throughout their surrogacy journey for good luck. Sounds pretty harmless and cute to me!
thinking sticky thoughts will make the embryo “stick” in the uterus
Sticky thoughts
This seems to be the most common one. If you go through an embryo transfer you’ll probably hear this saying over and over: “Think sticky thoughts.” The hope is that thinking sticky thoughts will make the embryo “stick” in the uterus and grow. Some people give gifts during this time that are sticky or represent something sticky.
lowering stress during this time is always a good thing
Clowns
I say NO THANK YOU to this one. I don’t want any exposure to clowns but some people believe that being exposed to clowns right after the embryo transfer can increase the chances of success. There was even a study in Israel that where the chances of implantation were 50% higher among women who were exposed to clowns after the embryo transfer. If clowns make you laugh it could help lower your stress level and lowering stress during this time is always a good thing.
~ The Honest Surrogate