Weight gain and IVF

[Youngatheart00]

Saw this mentioned in the midst of another thread but thought it warranted one if it’s own.

Anyone else struggling to shift weight gained during IVF? It’s just over 3 months since my last cycle, I’m preparing for another but I’m the heaviest I’ve been in my life despite trying to eat relatively well and going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week. I gained 5kg during my first round and haven’t lost any of it. Worried about going through it all again and gaining another 5 😫 which would then put me firmly in the overweight category

[Crumpets124]

Yes. I’ve put on a stone over the past year and it’s so hard to shift even though I’m eating healthily and cut out alcohol etc. I had put it down to ivf too but then a friend of mine did ivf and is still stick thin so I don’t know why I put on weight and she didn’t. Another friend is starting it soon and is very thin so it’ll be interesting to see if she puts any weight on. I’m very fed up of it.

[melissa1215]

I didn't gain any weight during IVF but my doctor did tell me weight gain could happen due to changes in hormones

[Youngatheart00]

Glad I’m not the only one. I suppose there was a small element of comfort eating after the cycle failed, but then a good healthy and active spell before and after Christmas but I can’t shift the very stubborn fat around my middle, since IVF I’ve completely lost my waist. Just another thing to knock my confidence along with infertility

[EL8888]

I have the exact same problem and l gained about 5kg. It is all tummy for me as well. The weight doesn’t seem to have gone on anywhere else e.g. bum, arms, legs etc. Another thing to add to the list of side effects that the clinic didn’t warn me about 🙄

[duckhouse]

@EL8888 what kind of side effects ? Pls share.

I have also gained weight mainly around tummy over last ivf cycles. Not sure how i can lose it fast before next cycle. Also ladies how are you cleansing your body with all hormone injections and meds ?

[Youngatheart00]

@EL8888 it’s really tough isn’t it. And the irony is I can’t afford to buy a new wardrobe of clothes which flatter as I’m so broke from the IVF bills. So I’m trying my best to be as active as possible between now and when my next cycle starts in a couple of weeks. Last time during stims I practically lived in PJs whenever I could! Think I’ll have to go to Sainsbury’s, H&M, Primark etc and get some cheap dresses / long tops to wear over leggings for this cycle as none of my jeans fit without being very uncomfortable.

@duckhouse nothing in particular to cleanse, although my clinic did tell me to drink up to 3l of fluids a day

[EL8888]

@duckhouse apart from the weight gain then l got quite intense vaginal pain when l stopped the pessaries and bleeding vaginally constantly for 3 weeks straight after it failed

[Morvana]

Yes! I did two collections, and one FET and now I'm 50 pounds! (20kg) over my normal weight. The injections made me feel like a stuffed chicken, so I couldn't exercise as much. But the biggest weight gain happened when doing controlled embryo transfer estrogen patches, tablets and progesterone. The weight is all over my body but mainly the middle of my body and boobs. I've been exercising hard for a month and lost only 1kg. I think the drugs overload your liver and take 3 months to leave your body. While the drugs hang around in your liver weight loss is near impossible. I'm just at the 3 month mark now. So I'm hoping the exercise and diet will now start working. I'm 43 do that is also making it hard I guess 😰 If anyone has any tips or has lost the weight they gained I'd love to know how? I'm so sad and scared I will never be a healthy weight again

[Exilecardigan]

Hi all, I was in the same situation. 9 and 1/2 stone pretty much my whole life, nearly 3 years into our fertility journey and despite trying calorie counting slimming world etc the weight just wouldn’t come off. I weighed in at 11 stone 5lbs after our second failed ivf and contacted a nutritionist. I’ve been following the diet she gave me and finally the weight is dropping off. Ive lost 18lbs since 8th of June.

Diet is:

Fasting - I eat between 10am to 7pm and fast afterwards only water
No dairy (linked to my sinus issues rather than diet based I am having sheep’s yoghurt and cheese so I guess if you’re not dairy intolerant you could keep it)
No sugar or added sugar
No snacks 3 meals a day only
Low carb
At least 4 Different veg/salad with every lunch & dinner

So as an example I have
Breakfast @10: natural yoghurt, 20g flaxseed 10g chia seed, chopped apple and berries (I also put in 1 tsp of raw cocoa powder which feels like my chocolate fix

Lunch: currently eating salad with mixed leaves, cucumber, cherry tomato, dried cranberries, beetroot, pine nuts and sheep’s cheese (similar to Feta). Had it with 1 seeded oat cracker with tuna and hummus.

Dinner: salmon plus salad 4 veg // steak and prawns with salad // chicken breast with carrot broccoli, peas and a sauce made my self with garlic celery onion tinned tomato. // hake with asparagus peas carrots & the sauce // stuffed peppers with chicken topped with avocado and sheep cheese // curry (sauce made self nothing processed) with chickpeas and butternut squash.

I honestly don’t find it bad and I’ve really gotten into salads (never thought I would say that!!)

Only thing is it’s hard to do out and about so the 3 times I’ve been out for food I haven’t kept it but I have been a lot better about avoiding chips and asking for salad etc.

So you can get the weight off. I feel loads more confident and figure even if round 3 doesn’t work at least I’ll be thin again and can fit into all my old clothes.

[Exilecardigan]

I should say exercise wise I don’t do much. It really is all about what you’re eating. I do Pilates x2 a week and try get around 8,000 steps in a day.

[Morvana]

Ok this is super helpful - Thank you so much for all this info. I'm so impressed with your dedication and willpower. I'm going to try all this right away - I'm close to your diet but I need to add in fasting and watch the snacking! I also need to get those steps in every day I've been skipping days due to muscle ache. I'm super inspired by your weight loss - that's 8kg thats a LOT! I need to lose 15kg. Is it 3 months since the end of IVF for you?

[Eggcellent29]

Oh God, the weight gain!

I slaved away to lose 5 stone before our first round.

I miscarried and had gained 3 stone. Part of it was pregnancy weight (just without the joy of the baby) but I swear the meds made it stick around.

I did exactly the same as I did to lose the initial 5 stone - didn’t make any difference and I didn’t lose a bloody pound before round two.

[Exilecardigan]

@Morvana yes we did our 2nd round in May. Definitely try the fasting anyway. Honestly it’s not so bad. In a way it’s nearly easier to say that’s it no more food from 7 instead of ‘will I won’t I have a biscuit’ for the whole evening. Or if you eat later just adjust the timings for the next morning. Most of my motivation is as my egg quality was so bad for my last round we didn’t even get any embryos so I’m hoping that the healthy eating will do something this time round. I was told fasting was good for the immune system too and going sugar free and low carb good too for egg quality.

@Eggcellent29 yes the meds definitely do something. I’d previously lost weight and maintained my weight doing my fitness pal and it did nothing for me when I tried it again post IvF. I think trying something totally different and more drastic is what did it for me.

[Exilecardigan]

Also a tip if you hate salads. Maybe it’s obvious to everyone else but I hated the tons of leaves and then trying to find bits of cucumber etc in the middle of them. I now chop the leaves up small and then mix in a small bit of olive oil and it’s far nicer. I love my lunchtime salad now which is nothing short of a miracle for someone who probably had one Salad a year!

[Paige2207]

Yep I too turned into a Unit after IVF was cancelled last year & it was definitely the meds that added pounds (like a lot of prev posters have said). I was very low too & the comfort eating certainly didn’t help!

I had put so much weight on during lockdown & was still working all the way through I decided enough was enough. I’ve now lost 12lbs and probably the fittest I’ve been in yrs, recently turned 40 but still got a couple of pounds to go.

It’s not been easy but when the time comes when we (finally) get our treatment then I’ll know I’ve prep’d better for it this time around and my mental health is definitely improving with more exercise.

Team RH is by far the best weightloss program I’ve ever done. Never hungry & easy to follow. Not expensive either.

Good luck on your weightloss & fertility journey ladies we’ll get there x