Preparing for IVF

An IVF cycle can be physically and emotionally quite demanding. If this isn’t your first cycle you’ll be prepared, if it is, you may be a little overwhelmed by all the clinic visits, scans and medications schedules. Either way, getting yourself into your best physical and emotional condition and changing unhelpful lifestyle habits can help you reach that ‘blue line’ on the pregnancy test.

Let’s take a quick look at the basics.

Preparing your body

Your eggs have been with you since before you were born and are released in batches over your lifetime. It takes 90 days for the next batch of eggs to mature and be ready for release, and during this time they’re nourished by your, hopefully healthy, blood supply.

Protecting your eggs

This 90 day window is a great time to take an honest look at your diet, physical activity and lifestyle and get into tip top condition. If you’ve missed the 90 day boat, don’t panic, it’s never too late to start.

The sperm factor

And let’s not forget the boys! Your partner’s sperm need to be as healthy as your eggs. Unlike eggs, they are produced constantly, maturing over 64-74 days before ejaculation. They are susceptible to just the same factors as your eggs, so diet and exercise are just as important.

Optimising your diet – some basics

Eat a varied diet, and small to moderate sized meals. Don’t go too long between meals – this keep your energy up and your blood sugar in balance. Chinese medicine talks a lot about balance and you certainly shouldn’t be cutting out any single food group, or eating too much of another.

You need to focus on anti-inflammatory foods, rich in anti-oxidants, healthy fats and lean protein, and don’t forget to get plenty fluid – simple water is always best.

Anti-oxidants are found in brightly coloured fruit and veg. and green leaves, along with vitamins and minerals. Chinese medicine talks about the 5 colours of food – orange/yellow, white, red, green and dark (blue, purple, black) being basic to overall health.

If you get some of each colour on your plate every day, you’ll get plenty anti-oxidants and other essential nutrients – simple!

• Berries are high in anti-oxidants eg blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries 
• Dark leafy greens including broccoli are full of folate, calcium and iron
• Grains whole grains such as brown rice, oats, rye, quinoa provide
• Carbohydrates, fibre, B vitamins and minerals such as zinc and magnesium
• Legumes e.g.lentils and chickpeas contain protein, folate, minerals such as iron and fibre
• Healthy fats include vegetable oils such as olive oil, avocado oil and rapeseed. In all cases unrefined is best.

Nuts and avocados also contain oils and are power houses of nutrients.

Eating fish a couple of times a week is a great way to ensure you get Omega 3 fats – EPA and DHA, which support hormones, egg and sperm quality and embryo implantation.

If you’re vegetarian you can get a type of Om3 from flax seeds, but it’s harder for your body to extract. Your clinic may advise you to take a supplement.

Full fat dairy, in moderation, can be a useful addition to your diet, and has been linked to better IVF outcomes.

Protein

If you’re a meat eater, stick to lean cuts, always cut the obvious fat off before cooking, or on your plate, and grill for preference.

Fish is naturally ‘lean’ and low in the ‘wrong’ sort of fat

If you’re a vegetarian, you can get protein from tofu, eggs, cheese and milk plus the right balance of grains and pulses.

If you’re vegan, tofu and other soy products, beans and pulses with grains such as quinoa can provide plenty protein, but you do have to think about it. It’s best not to overdo the soy products.

The importance of fibre

The bacteria in your gut ‘eat’ fibre, so for a healthy microbiome you should –

Keep the skins on your fruit and veg and eat whole grains such as oats and brown rice.

If you eat bread, make it whole grain and sourdough. Nuts and seeds are also great sources of fibre.

Cut out refined foods and sugar

Too much sugar can contribute to inflammation, disrupt your gut microbiome and interfere with hormones, so cutting out the sweet treats and sugary habits is a real plus.

Refined carbohydrates such as white flour – bread, pasta or pastry – can also affect your blood sugar levels, and adds little in the way of nutrients.

Nourishing your gut microbiome

The gut microbiome helps with oestrogen balances and recent studies have looked into the influence of healthy vaginal and uterine microbiomes in IVF.

It takes a while to alter the balance of gut bacteria, so the sooner you make dietary changes the better.

All of the foods mentioned in the section above support a diverse bacterial gut population

Other important foods include

• • Prebiotic foods such as garlic, onion, leek, and oats

• • Fermented foods such as kefir, yoghurt, sauerkraut or kimchi.
    – not any old rubbish though, it’s important that these foods contain LIVE cultures. Buy them from reputable wholefood stores.

Avoid processed food too much sugar, too much animal protein and too many additives can disrupt the microbiome balance – be a label reader!

A bit about supplements

During this preparatory phase, take a simple multi vitamin, containing folic acid and vitamin D, – both have been shown to be useful for fertility, plus, an Omega 3 capsule.

If you’re vegan you need to take a Vitamin B12 supplement.

Always discuss any existing supplement or herbal regime with your clinical team when you start your cycle, and be cautious of anything you read on line – sadly there are no magic bullets.

The wisdom of movement

Exercise has a positive effect on your mind, body and mood. It helps reduce stress and anxiety, both of which have the potential to interfere with fertility.

If you’re an exercise devotee, it can be hard to reduce the amount you do, but too much exercise can have a negative effect on hormone balances and on IVF.

So aim for moderate intensity exercise or transition toward the gentle or stretchy things such as qi gong, yoga (except hot yoga), tai qi, Pilates or swimming. Walking is brilliant, especially in nature.

Breathwork – Taking in the Air

Breathing techniques can have a remarkable ability to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. You could start or end your day with a breathing exercise in bed to set the rhythm for your sleep or your morning. IF you’ve never done any breathwork before, the simplest thing is first to focus on your natural breath – is it deep, is it shallow, is it fast, is it slow? Rest your hands lightly on your lower abdomen. When you breath in, do you feel your belly rise? If not,bring your in-breath into your hands and ffel them rise as your tummy expands. There are a zillion videos out there with all kinds of breathing exercises.

Adjusting your lifestyle

Rock-a-bye baby

Regular sleep is SOO important. Establish a routine and follow it.

• • Aim to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning – whether you’re tired or not!

• • Don’t watch TV or doom scroll in bed, the blue light will affect your sleep.

• • Don’t smoke and don’t vape.

• • Ideally you’ll give up alcohol – maybe move to mocktails,

• • Keep caffeine to a minimum – probably just one coffee a day.
    (Sadly, decaff isn’t a brilliant substitute as chemicals are used in its production)

Time to find the stillness within

Finding time to put your brain into neutral with meditation or quiet contemplation, is a helpful addition to your day. 10 minutes can be quite enough. Watching the day come in in the morning before you get up, or watching it recede in the evening is a wonderful way to help you feel part of the natural world and release stress.

Preparing for the emotional roller-coaster

IVF can be a stressful and isolating undertaking so it’s important to:-

• • Prioritise yourself and treat yourself gently

• • Be optimistic, that’s not ‘thinking positive’ but simply maintaining a calm mind

• • Do something enjoyable every day:- read some poetry; listen to some soul nourishing music; see an art exhibition; go to the theatre; go for a walk

Managing stress

Firstly, manage your energy reserves, its easier to cope with life if you have enough energy, so eat regularly and well. Think about what drains you and what you can simply stop doing. Don’t over extend yourself, you need your energy to care for yourself.

Learn some breathing techniques and incorporate 10-15 minutes of breathwork into your routine

Get out into nature as often as you can – there’s nothing as restoring as the green of trees and grass, or the blue of a river or the sea.

If you like journaling, why not not buy a new notebook specially for your IVF journey

Be very careful with Social Media; in fact cut out as much as you can. It doesn’t really matter what some TikToker says – this is your journey.

Going professional

Everyone is different. Some people may benefit from seeing a fertility counsellor or nutritionist. This is entirely up to you, it isn’t make or break, and you need to think about how much you want to spend.

As an acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese Medicine, I’m bound to say that acupuncture is a wonderful support through the preparatory months and throughout your cycle. It can help regulate your hormones and menstrual cycle, improve blood flow to the pelvis to support follicle development and the uterine lining, and reduce anxiety.

A treatment session also provide a safe space to discuss how you’re feeling. Most acupuncturists who specialise in fertility are well able to help you with your eating plan and to offer the support of experience for most of the questions you may have.

Some practicalities

Set up your support group.

Choose who you want to include in your inner circle. You’ll probably have to tell ‘work’ as you’ll need to take lots of time out for clinic appointments.

If you have a partner, be sure to include him/her in each decision along the way and be open about how you’re feeling.

Don’t include busy bodies! Or at least make sure you set up some boundaries.

Minimise your admin

• • Keep all your clinic notes and schedules in a single folder or digital space

• • Streamline your calender – scan it regularly to identify possible conflicts with clinic appointments.

Choosing an IVF clinic

Of course, most importantly, you need to choose your IVF clinic.

If you think you might be eligible for NHS treatment, talk to your GP.

If you are self funding, you could start with the HFEA website and look at which clinics are in your area and what their success rates are. It’s important that the clinic is convenient to get to as you will have multiple appointments.

Make a short list.

You can check for reviews to see what other people think, but experiences are personal and you’re best to talk to a consultant to find out what they offer and whether you feel at ease with him/her.

I recommend you visit the HFEA website for a fairly comprehensive list of things you might want to ask about, but here’s a starter list.

Questions for the clinic

• • Success rates in your age range

• • Success rates with your diagnosis

• • Thaw rates

• • ICSI

• • Genetic testing

• • Freezing

• • Total cost of treatment, including meds, scans, blood tests etc

The human factor

Perhaps most important of all, on a human level, you really need to like and feel comfortable with the clinic staff as you will be relying on them for support and compassion throughout your treatment.

 

I hope you found this little guide helpful and wish you all the best for your IVF journey