Deep dive into how sleep, exercise, toxin exposure, diet, and other lifestyle habits affect egg development and fertility outcomes.
People often say how lucky I am that my IVF worked first time – twice. I smile and nod in agreement but inside I think I didn’t feel very lucky to be needing IVF in the first place. I know based on the statistics of IVF working, I did seem to have lady luck shining on me but actually I think a lot of it was to do with how disciplined and focused I was before and during my treatment. I addressed both my IVF rounds with military precision and organisation, and I absolutely believe the additional steps I took above taking the IVF drugs on time brought me my babies!
By the time I had reached the point of being told that we should try IVF in order to have a baby I made a pact with myself that I would do everything within my power and capability to ensure it was a success as the process sounded pretty horrendous both physically and emotionally and it wasn’t something I wanted to repeat multiple times.
In 2018 when I had my 1st round of IVF, the stats on each cycle of IVF resulting in a live birth was on average 26% and 29% for a woman at my age of 37 …
I researched what I should and shouldn’t be eating, how I should be exercising, self care and what holistic treatments I could be having in order to prime my body both mentally and physically for the journey that the IVF treatment would be and how I could optimise my chances. I read forum after forum, detailing hundreds of women who had had success and what they had done which they believed helped the process. I trawled page after page of IVF based blogs and information on IVF clinic pages, searching for hints and tips on how I could best do this. I realised that if I wanted the drugs and science to have a positive outcome I would have to accept some responsibility to help along the process too.
Below is a list of the actions I took before each cycle of IVF and whilst yes of course there was an element of luck I wholeheartedly believe that it was the combination of the things I did below that brought me the success and my two babies… I am not saying this will be the perfect formula for everyone but I feel taking action and being in control of some of the process helped me to focus and give me something tangible I could do instead of leaving the whole thing down to just the science…
- Fertility Yoga
During this time of my life I was working in a rather stressful role based in an office 40 minutes from home and had to be present there between the hours of 8am-6pm! 10 hours of sedentary desk sitting plus another hour twenty of driving…. Being out of the house for almost 12 hours, I thought there wasn’t any time left in my day nor energy to do any exercise however if you want something bad enough you will find the time!! Where focus goes, energy flows…
Three months prior to my IVF treatment commencing (as this is the length of time it takes for an egg follicle to mature), I started to get up at 5am in order to fit in some fertility yoga – certainly not the most energetic of exercise but focused sequences to get the blood and qi moving around the body, especially concentrating on the uterus to help promote healthy follicles and improve egg quality. Later in my treatment, once I had undergone the egg collection, I switched the focus to encouraging a thick and healthy uterine lining for the embryo to be nestled in! I had not practiced yoga before but I found a fantastic Youtube channel called YogaYin (www.youtube.com/@Yogayin) which has many free resources for all sorts of different fertility issues including optimising egg quality and endometrium thickness.
I made my 5am starts into a morning ritual, steeping warming fresh ginger and lemon in boiling water whilst I completed the yoga routine which then cooled to a drinkable temperature by the end of session. I did this for at least 6 days out of 7, some routines were only 20 minutes, others up to 40 minutes. Getting up this early and doing something that was just for me whilst the rest of the world slept soundly was oddly comforting and gave me the headspace and clarity to help me to cope with all the stress and anxiety that accompanies the IVF process. Importantly, it also gave me some ownership of the situation as it is easy to feel completely helpless. I knew that by moving my body in this way, I was doing that bit extra to help the process along.
High impact, strenuous exercise that activates the sympathetic nervous system is something that should be avoided during the IVF process as this can increase heart rate, elevate cortisol and adrenaline levels and reduce the blood flow to the reproductive organs as the blood is diverted to the muscles and the heart, so even though you think a good vigorous workout is healthy it may be more damaging to your fertility than you think!
- No caffeine or alcohol but lots of water
I had read that even one caffeinated drink a day could be damaging to my IVF chances so I switched my coffee to decaf – only allowing myself one in the morning and my tea to Rooibos which is caffeine free for 3 months prior to IVF and then continued this throughout my pregnancy. For the same time frame, I stopped drinking alcohol completely. I also made sure my husband drank a lot less caffeine and alcohol as both had been flagged as having a big negative effect on sperm quality.
Hydration is key throughout the IVF process to keep body fluids free flowing and so I drank at least 2 ltrs of room temperature water a day too. No cold drinks (or cold food) is advised when going through IVF especially after embryo transfer to ensure no energy is wasted on warming up the cold food and drink to body temperature after consumption. All the energy and blood flow is needed to help implant the embryo and keep it there!
- Nutritious Diet with High Protein / Low Carbs focus
I made major changes to my diet from about 2 months prior but ideally to have the best effect on egg health, it should really be from 3 months out for maximum effect . I read this article https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/05/go-low-carb-increase-fertility-chances-five-times-experts-say/ and it wasn’t that I consumed zero carbs but as a rule, tried to only consume around 50g carbs a day to ensure my insulin levels didn’t spike and the chance of inflammation was kept low. This was really difficult at first as I adore all things sweet and crisps are my passion! There were days when I just wanted to gorge on pizza and chocolate especially when the IVF drugs have your emotions going haywire but I remained steadfast to the low carb and I’m so glad I did! Lots of fresh vegetables including leafy greens, low carb fruits such as berries and healthy fats from nuts along with high levels (at least 70g) of good quality protein – organically farmed where possible to ensure my eggs had the best nutrients and nourishment as I could possibly give them.
A happy side effect on me focusing on my diet and lowering my carbohydrate intake was that I didn’t gain any weight during my IVF protocol which can be common due to the amount of hormones that are pumping around the body.
- Keeping warm
In my very thorough research of all things IVF, I had read that that was essential to keep your uterus warm to make sure that the blood and energy was free to flow around there and that in keeping it warm it would ensure the blood flow was rich and to help promote a healthy lining to develop.
I made sure that this part of me was always layered with a vest and wore high waisted trousers. A hot water bottle on the uterus in the days after egg collection but before embryo transfer can help with ensuring this area has good blood flow to ensure that the endometrium is well nourished and lovely and thick in readiness for the embryo.
After embryo transfer it is necessary to keep hands and feet warm and toasty as all time so that no unnecessary energy is wasted or blood diverted on trying to keep extremities warm! Slippers and socks at all times! Always keep tummy covered and warm but don’t have any hot baths or use saunas / hot tubs as it can be damaging to the embryo to be expsosed to too high a temperature!!
Remember to only eat warm foods and drink warm drinks after embryo transfer to keep a steady flow of blood to the uterus.
- Meditation and Manifestation
In addition to my morning Yoga routine, I created space in my week to allow myself to practice some mediation which included positive affirmations. Up until this point in my life, I hadn’t ever turned to mediation before, but I noticed it helped to calm my thoughts and I felt wonderfully grounded and tranquil afterwards so I continued to do it to try and keep a handle on my stress. I would purposely light a candle with intention whilst I did this and made sure I was wearing comfortable clothes which felt warm and cosy so I had no distractions from being in the moment.
I also allowed myself to dream and visualise our life with a baby in it. Letting myself have this dream helped massively with keeping focused and disciplined when it came to food and drink choices.
I especially found the mediations to be useful during the IVF process but also during the dreaded two week wait which is an unbelievably very stressful and anxious time and all you can think about is symptom spotting. I found Zita West’s meditations found in link below to be very helpful and comforting during this process.
- Reduce work schedule
I know this one is much easier said than done but ideally if possible, try and schedule some annual leave around the time of embryo transfer. I personally took a week annual leave both times after my embryo transfers so I did not have any additional stress to have to worry about and so I could take it easy for a few days and enjoy myself! Watch that TV series you have been wanting to binge, go and see a comedy film in the cinema, (I read that laughter can help IVF success too ☺), have a few lunch dates, spend time with family and friends, take a gentle walk in nature – it will have been a long road up until this point and no job is bigger at this moment than you and your future family! In a year or two no one will remember if you missed that meeting or presentation and remember to an employer you are very much dispensable! Your biggest priority is you and your family and don’t forget it! Have fun and enjoy the excitement that you could be pregnant!
- Acupuncture
What can I say? Acupuncture changed my life! I have two beautiful children which I fully believe acupuncture played an integral role in creating and it motivated me to retrain and start a new career in this amazing medicine! For me, it really was a case of when life gives you lemons…make lemonade. I am so thrilled to now be able to help other women who may be struggling with their fertility.
I was very fortunate to find a brilliant acupuncturist who was affordable enough for me to visit every week for a good three months before I started my IVF treatment, to completely restore balance within my body and treat any issues that may have prevented the IVF from working successfully. From my very first appointment, I felt I slept more soundly, I had more energy, a better mental clarity and the painful bloating I was experiencing daily reduced and reduced until it completely disappeared. The pain associated with my periods also dissipated. Acupuncture helped me to relax, helped me to focus on only what was necessary and took away any anxiety I was suffering with before, during and after the IVF procedures. Even when I had a positive pregnancy test, I was still terrified that it would not go to term and so I continued to have acupuncture right throughout both my pregnancies to nourish the foetus, raise my energy levels and help with any pain I was experiencing. Acupuncture also greatly helped with the nausea from morning sickness. It also calmed my spirit tremendously and quelled any anxiety I was suffering with during the whole process.
I am so pleased to be able to assist women and men going through fertility struggles and I offer great value fertility acupuncture packages in Swansea to help you prepare and support your body and mind throughout the IVF process. I have been there, I have lived throughout the struggle of not conceiving naturally and completely understand all the worries and toll that IVF can bring on the body and the mind as well as your relationship! I look forward to supporting you through this highly stressful but exciting time – contact me now for further information or book in using link below.
