IVF This Podcast Episode #177 IVF and Doomscrolling
Welcome to IVF This, episode 177- IVF and Doomscrolling
Hello, hello, hello, my beautiful friends!
I hope you are all doing so, so well. Whatever day you’re listening to this, I hope you are taking a deep breath, maybe unclenching your jaw, and allowing yourself a moment of ease. Because today, we are going to talk about something that has come up a lot in my coaching sessions and—if I’m being totally honest—something I have absolutely fallen into myself: Doomscrolling.
If you don’t know what doomscrolling is, it’s essentially the habit of endlessly consuming information—especially online—even though it actively makes you feel worse. It’s that moment when you pick up your phone “just for a second” and, before you know it, an hour has passed, your heart is racing, and you feel more anxious, more hopeless, or more self-critical than you did before you started.
And here’s the sneaky part: doomscrolling doesn’t always mean negative information. Sometimes, we doomscroll positive things, but in a way that turns them against us—using them as a weapon to compare, judge, and reinforce our own fears and insecurities.
And if you’re in the IVF space? Doomscrolling is practically an Olympic event.
So today, we’re going to break this down. We’ll talk about:
Why doomscrolling happens—because your brain isn’t broken, it’s actually trying to protect you.
How doomscrolling uniquely affects those in the IVF process—because let’s be real, it’s not just regular doomscrolling, it’s infertility doomscrolling, which has its own special flavor of self-torture.
How doomscrolling with positive things can still be harmful—like scrolling IVF success stories or baby announcements and turning them into evidence that you’re behind or failing.
How to break the cycle—without forcing yourself into an all-or-nothing rule, because we both know banning yourself from Google isn’t happening.
Why We Doomscroll (Even When It Feels Terrible)
First, let’s talk about why we do this.
Your brain is wired for survival. It is constantly scanning for threats, trying to predict and prepare for worst-case scenarios so that you can stay safe. Back in the caveman days, this was helpful. Your ancestors who anxiously checked the bushes for tigers were the ones who survived.
But in today’s world, and especially in the world of infertility and IVF, your brain treats uncertainty as a threat.
Because IVF is filled with uncertainty—
Will this cycle work?
What are my odds of success?
What do my symptoms (or lack of symptoms) mean?
What happened to others who had the same protocol as me?
Your brain is desperately searching for certainty where none exists. And it thinks that more information = more control.
Except… that’s a lie.
Because doomscrolling isn’t actually giving you control. It’s just amplifying your fear.
How IVF Doomscrolling Shows Up
Doomscrolling during IVF is insidious because it feels productive. You tell yourself:
“I’m just doing research.”
“I just want to be prepared.”
“If I know what can go wrong, I won’t be blindsided.”
And then, before you know it, it’s 1 AM, you’re reading a Reddit thread from 2016 about someone who had a failed cycle, and now you’re spiraling—despite the fact that this person’s situation has nothing to do with yours.
Some common doomscrolling patterns I see in IVF include:
Over-researching statistics.
Looking up every possible outcome, fixating on success rates, and refreshing clinic websites like they hold the secrets of the universe.
Symptom-spotting gone wild.
Googling “mild cramps after 5-day transfer” and reading through 72 forum pages, only to conclude that your cycle is simultaneously doomed and possibly successful.
Comparison doomscrolling.
Watching other people’s IVF success stories on Instagram and feeling like you’re falling behind or “doing it wrong.”
And let’s just name what’s really happening here: It’s fear in disguise.
Doomscrolling Positive Things (Yes, That’s a Thing)
Now, this is where doomscrolling gets even trickier. Because sometimes, we doomscroll good things—and then use them as evidence against ourselves.
Ever caught yourself…
Watching IVF success stories and thinking, Why hasn’t it happened for me yet?
Scrolling pregnancy announcements and feeling like you’re being left behind?
Reading inspirational IVF journeys and somehow twisting them into, I should be handling this better?
This is toxic comparison, and it’s a different kind of doomscrolling. Instead of leaving you in panic mode, it leaves you feeling defective, unworthy, or like you’re failing at something that’s out of your control.
When we compare, our brain is filtering out all context—we don’t see their struggles, their losses, their messy middle. We only see the highlight reel, and we convince ourselves that we’re doing something wrong.
But you cannot measure your worth based on someone else’s chapter.
So, How to Break the Doomscrolling Cycle?
So, what do we do? How do we still get the information we need without slipping into doomscrolling-induced panic?
Here are four strategies I want you to try:
1. Implement the “Pre-Scroll Check-In.”
Before you open Google or social media, pause and ask yourself:
What am I hoping to find?
Will this actually help me, or am I just trying to calm my anxiety?
How will I feel after scrolling for 30 minutes?
If you’re searching because you need a legitimate answer (like medication dosages), fine. If you’re searching because your brain is in panic mode, walk away.
2. Curate Your Feed Intentionally.
If social media is a doomscrolling trigger, take control of your algorithm.
Mute or unfollow accounts that make you spiral.
Follow people who bring calm, realistic, and supportive energy into your space.
Set a timer when scrolling so you don’t get sucked into an endless loop.
3. Use the “One Trusted Source” Rule.
Pick ONE source for medical information—whether it’s your doctor, a reputable clinic website, or a single trusted podcast (hi, hello, welcome!). Anytime you feel the need to Google, redirect yourself to that one source instead of going down a rabbit hole of despair.
4. Practice “Scroll and Stop.”
If you find yourself doomscrolling, practice stopping mid-scroll. Not after “just one more post.” Not at the end of the page. Right now. This builds the muscle of disengaging before the spiral takes hold.
Ultimately, Doomscrolling is a form of self-protection, but it’s a misguided one. Your brain is trying to control the uncontrollable, and in doing so, it’s stealing your peace.
So, if you recognize yourself in this episode, please be kind to yourself. This isn’t about willpower. It’s about awareness. Small shifts add up.
And if you need a little more support? That’s what we do here. You can book your complimentary “Take back your life” call by either going to my website: www.ivfthiscoaching.com or go to my IG page, IVF This Coaching, and you can book in the link in my bio.
Ok, that is what I have for you this week. Until next time, take care of yourselves.