Is there such thing as an IVF diet?

[Shoegal30]

Hi

I am due to start my IVF injections next month and want to try and optimise the procedure.

I have had murmurings of an ivf diet but can't really seem to find any literature on this. I did ask the nurse last week and she totally dismissed this.

Has anybody got a diff view? I'm also doing acupuncture.

There are some who think that optimal nutrition and someone called Zita West claims to have had some success with diet.

I think there may be some truth in having a good diet, but I don't think that anything is going to help instantly, you probably need to be on the diet for a good few months beforehand if it's going to help.

My acupuncturist told me to have a cup of hot water each morning and evening (tastes yak but you get used to it) and I also ate honey on my toast each morning. It probably did nothing, but at least I felt like I was doing something rather than being passive. I also cut out all alcohol and caffeine.

Good luck. It took me 3 attempts to get my miracle.

Me too, didn’t heard of specific IVF diet, but most of the experts recommend following a healthy, balanced diet full of whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables to maximize your health and the health of the baby you are trying to conceive through IVF.
There are certainly some do’s and don’ts in your diet while going through IVF procedure, which can help you optimize success of it. My doctor had advised me to cut off alcohol and limit caffeine and cholesterol. Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish (also called white snapper), because they contain high levels of mercury. Eat high protein diet (if you are vegetarian, go for tofu, nuts/nut butter etc.) and drink lots of water. Avoid soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheese. These cheeses are often unpasteurized and may cause Listeria infection. Avoid raw fish, especially shellfish like oysters and clams.
However, please remember, maintaining your weight within a certain normal range is necessary for getting pregnant. Women with body mass indices of over 35 or under 20, do experience lower pregnancy rates.
Fertility blessings!!!

My IVF consultant advised me to eat a high protein, low carb diet - and regardless of any fertility outcome, I feel better for it. I'd been a long-term non-meat eater, but started eating a little meat because he pointed out that most non-animal proteins are quite carb-heavy. I was verging on insulin resistance, which is detrimental to fertility. I was advised to start this a month or two before treatment, but it's become pretty much a way of life now.
During the treatment itself, I was advised to drink 2 litres of water and a litre of full cream/semi milk every day. Doesn't leave much room for other drinks, with the side-benefit that you ditch the caffeine!
Alcohol can interfere with sperm development, and sperm take 3.5 months to produce, so if you can persuade dh/dp to give up alcohol and take a good quality vitamin supplement, you won't do any harm.

Good luck...

I haven't drunk for about 3 weeks before cycle and during short cycle.

Tried to eat more protein and drink loads of fluids, but I think that was more to do with avoiding OHSS.

I think I've been a bit rubbish though as I ate loads of chocolate and treats all through the cycle. I bit like rewards for the injections..

MrsTaylor is very knowledgeable. I read that post feeling nervous, but I think I avoided most apart from the cheese foods.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice ladies. I have tried to adopt a higher proteins and lower carbs diet over the past few days.

I haven't gone too strict but have completely cut out bread as I understand this is the worst carb.

I've also read about avocados. Something about it can triple your chance of success? Anybody else heard about this?

I was advised to eat as though I was already pregnant - I.e. Cut out soft & blue cheese, alcohol, caffeine, etc. but the most interesting thing I was told (and already mentioned by Purple Meggie was to drink a litre of milk (told full fat, semi or skimmed was fine) and 2 litres of water.

Pregnant & successful birth on first attempt, despite being about 2 stone overweight.

Good luck x x x

Wow congrats artfool. That's great news.

I'm not a big alcohol drinker and don't drink any tea/coffee. My only weakness is a can of diet coke every day which I will need to cut back on.

Drink loads of water but will start with the milk too. Do you have to drink that milk every day when pregnant?

Just wanted to wish you all the best with IVF shoegal ! I've just have a cycle which didn't work but I still have a frozen 5 day blastocyst so I'll be doing FET in the new year.

I was strictly advised by the consultant to drink 2.5 litres of water a day with a healthy balanced diet, no alcohol and one cup of tea/coffee a day. He said I must to all those things but the main thing is the water.

I tried to eat high protein low carb as much as possible and that diet suited me because the stims make you feel v bloated.

I really hope it works for you Shoegal xxx

When I was going through IVF over the summer I came across a study that showed drastically improved egg quality and pregnancy rates after patients switched to higher protein and lower carb. It was too late for me to benefit from it for that cycle, but I'm now attempting to include much more protein in my diet whilst reducing refined carbs. Just beginning to contemplate a 2nd IVF attempt in the spring which hopefully gives me time to improve my egg quality.

I'm feeling particularly fragile about my failing fertility today for some reason, I thought I'd begun to accept my situation (secondary infertility, I have a ds who is 6 and we have been ttc for 5 long years) but today it has all come crashing down on top of me again and I'm starting to think about giving IVF another go when we said initially we'd just give it one go.

Best of luck shoegal x

Eat/drink as if you were pregnant ie no alcohol and take folic acid. That's it really. Seriously it working or not working will not be down to your diet although I understand people want to feel they have control on the process.

Shoegal, yes you really need to cut back on the diet coke. I was drinking it every day until a naturopath said it shuts down the ovaries. Despite my ovary sizes being normal, they respond very poorly and I usually start with only 5-6 follicles on day 2 scan of an IVF cycle instead of the 15-20 like others with ovaries my size. Makes me wonder if the diet coke did this after my naturopaths comment.

Howhardcanitbe, I too am suffering secondary infertility and I too am trying the high protein / low carb diet before I attempt IVF again. Very interested in your story and chatting since we seem in similar circumstances if you are happy to.