Crazy IVF Tips

[IVFhoping]

Hi everyone,
I’m due to start my meds tomorrow for our first IVF cycle. I’ve done so much reading and have seen so many tips and tricks repeated so just wondered if anyone had any crazy/unusual tips that worked for them?? Things to eat, activities to do, anything really!

I know everyone’s cycles are different and I’m not relying on anything but just eager to see if anyone swears by anything that I might not have come across!

Wore slippers on cold / tiled floor after transfer

Ate lots of vit c and iron rich foods

Walked b4 fet for blood flow etc

Did pgta testing

( we were very lucky - our first fet worked - currently 13 wks preg)

I bought bamboo kitchen utensils - stopped using plastic ones

Good luck / bon chance

Sometimes its sadly a bit of a numbers game

Thanks @worldwidetravel2017I’ll add those to my list!
Congrats on your good news 🥰
Where we live means that we’re only eligible
for one round on the NHS so keeping our fingers and toes crossed for first time success too x

The biggest tip I have is ice the spot you’re injecting when doing your shots!! It only takes a minute or two with an ice cube but it made ALL the difference to me! Even better than lidocaine cream which I swore I would never give up on

I’ve had two rounds and things I think helped the second time to lead to success were
cutting out caffeine completely, not using the microwave at all, drinking lots of water, eating more antioxidants and adding in a vaginal probiotic. I downloaded Yuka and little bean and removed cosmetics that had endochrine disruptors as well. I also had a frozen transfer which I think gives your body more time to prepare. I also had a plan b which I think helped me be less stressed. I didn’t have this the first time. Also, for my first round, work was very busy and stressy whereas it was calmer for the second round. I also did Accupunture which I started just before the second round and it helped me sleep better. I’m currently 17 weeks. Good luck with your cycle.

Yep - i hear you - we only get 1 nhs round too

Yep - i hear you - i also put ice pack on b4 injection

( i was also on injections after fet - i didn't use ice packs after fet )

Congrats on being 17 weeks :)

Thanks @ziraficathat’s a great idea. I’m administering my first injection this evening and am very nervous about it all.

@confused2025congrats on your 17 weeks and thank you for the Yuka recommendation, I have downloaded it this morning and am HORRIFIED by the products I’m using currently!

Thanks @worldwidetravel2017@IVFhoping. now just need to make it to next milestone and very anxious about that scan on 26th Sep.

yes, it’s crazy especially things like purfume. I used to spend a fortune on products like Elemis and Aveda thinking it would be safe but they’re not. Choices are very limited in this area. I’m going on holidays next week and it took ages to find the right sunscreen and after sun and nail varnish but there are some good products out there. Little bean is £4.99 but it is more focused for fertility/pregnancy and I literally just take a pic of ingredients online before I make a purchase now x

@IVFhoping
hey!
Heading to my next round and this is what I wished I knew first time:

1. Insta and Mumsnet are full of diet advice, most of it not really backed by much evidence. I heard Emma the embryologist say ‘don’t do anything you might then blame yourself for, even though it’s unlikely to have much a difference’ and I think that’s good advice. A healthy diet (pulses, fish and low fat meat / eggs, vegetables, fruit - Mediterranean type diet), 1 coffee max a day, no alcohol & obvs no tobacco, some conception supplements (e.g. Ovum was the brand I was recommended by my consultant) seems like pretty safe advice.

2. get support. It’s hard to go through this, emotional rollercoasters, learning about all of the IVF lingo, protocols… Fertility action runs online support group- they are really good.

3. Be prepared that one cycle might not work. I don’t know your age, situation, and I really hope you’re one of the lucky ones. But my consultant prepared me for this, and at least, although it was hard, it wasn’t a total shock.

4. lots of self care. For me, it was taking a whole week off after my second egg retrieval (first time I have done this in my entire career!).

wishing you very good luck. Do you start a short protocol soon?

@confused2025 congrats on your pregnancy 💜 can I ask, did you continue to use the vaginal probiotics after your transfer?

@frenchgal I agree on the being prepared for the first round not working. I went into IVF clueless and just assumed it would work and it was such a crash when it ended in a chemical.
@jenk91thank you although it still doesn’t feel real. yes, I’m using Optibac intimate women’s flora and this is suitable for pregnancy. I really think it’s such an important area that is overlooked. If I was to redo things. I would have done a Daye diagnostic test before embarking on my round (and in IVF terms it’s not that expensive but is so overlooked by UK/Irl clinics and the more I read, I definitely think there’s something in it).

I had a successful IVF pregnancy last year following our second embryo transfer, using a frozen embryo and our delightful baby girl is now eight months old. I was using patches to thicken my womb lining prior to the transfer, and I had a scan to assess the thickness of my lining and a blood test to check hormone levels the day before they were due to thaw the embryo to ensure my body was in the ideal condition prior to the transfer. We had a round of IVF on the NHS prior to this which had sadly failed with a fresh embryo transfer and no other embryos created of sufficient quality to be frozen, and, while the care we received from the NHS was excellent, they did not offer the extra scan and blood test offered by our private clinic prior to the transfer which I do think was helpful in working out the optimum time to perform the transfer.
As for tips, I didn't do anything special really. I don't drink alcohol, smoke or eat any of the things you're advised to avoid while pregnant so there weren't many lifestyle changes I had to make, though I switched to decaf tea some weeks before beginning IVF. The doctor who performed my embryo transfer advised me to stay active, just go about my normal business as keeping good blood flow to the uterus was important for achieving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. He strongly advised against bed rest or even just staying at home for a few days post transfer, assuring me that I would not shake the embryo loose by going for a walk or climbing stairs, so, immediately after the transfer I went out shopping and for lunch with a friend and kept busy doing things I enjoyed during the seemingly endless period between transfer and test date! I don't know if it made any difference to the success of the IVF but being kind to myself, doing things I enjoyed, avoiding stress and generally trying, often unsuccessfully, not to dwell on the momentous event that may be occurring, definitely helped my mental health and that must surely have a positive effect on physical health and pregnancy outcomes too!
The only other tip I'd give is, do not do what I did, both before and during the IVF process and throughout much of my pregnancy, which was to engage in endless Google doom spirals. There is an infinite amount of information online, most of it extremely unreliable and unhelpful, about what you should and shouldn't do while pregnant or while trying to conceive. I found myself Googling the most ridiculous questions and disappearing down crazy rabbit holes which only worsened my already sky-high anxiety. In the end my very sensible husband calmly told me that I needed to stop as it was getting out of hand. He wisely pointed out that the NHS has very good sensible and easy to follow advice on how to remain healthy during pregnancy and that, if the NHS isn't telling you to avoid something it's probably fine.
Very best of luck with the exciting yet daunting journey on which you are embarking!

@frenchgal
Thank you for these and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one overwhelmed by all of the IVF lingo. I’ll definitely check out Fertility Action.
Good luck with your next round 🤍 I’m starting my long protocol today so a mixture of nerves and excitement!

@Everlore
Congratulations on your little girl 🩷 thank you so much, I am definitely guilty of doom spirals! Can I ask if your patches were prescribed or are they available over the counter??

How did it go? I hope it went ok! My first ones were definitely the worst, took an hour and a half to get two in. By day four we were done in 10 mins 😂 it gets so much easier, thinking of you tonight!

@zirafica
Thank you so much for checking in! It made me quite emotional and I’m not sure I can blame the injections for that yet 🤣 we have chosen not to tell friends and family that we have started and so it was really strange not discussing it with anyone so really nice to have this space. It went okay! It took a while but hoping we’ll speed up with practice! The ice helped so much though, not sure I could have done it without.
Can I ask if you had any side effects with yours?? And if so, when did they really start to appear??

oh I’m so glad it went ok!!!
I was the same! We ended up telling some friends cause we had to avoid social events due to the shots being refrigerated and having to be at home, but I’ve not told my family cause I just need to have space to handle whatever happens on my own first!
I honestly didn’t get any symptoms until maybe 2-3 days before my collection (which was on day 12) and then I just felt heavy in my ovaries. But no bloating or mood swings. oh my boobs did hurt like mofos. That’s actually JUST STOPPED and it’s been 10 days since my collection. That was by far the worst thing, i was so sore.
other than that, my fiancé said he noticed I was happier (lol) so I did think maybe I was deficient in some of the hormones they were pumping me with 😂😂
I hate needles but I think it was just the relief for finally starting them and realising they’re not that bad! ICE WAS A LIFESAVER. Glad it helped!!

I didn't do anything crazy. I ate a healthy anti inflammatory diet, cutting out caffeine and anything with added sugar. I did meditations from a mindfulness app everyday to try and relax. I usually research everything but I decided the more I knew the more I'd stress out so I stayed away from googling anything, I knew my odds were lesser due to age and I didn't want to dwell on that. I ended up being overstimulated so it had to be a freeze all cycle so I had a break between my egg collection and Frozen Embryo Transfer. I did acupuncture then it really helped me relax and feel recovered after egg collection. I didn't tell any friends or family about having fertility treatment so my weekly appointment with my acupuncturist was a nice chance to chat about treatment with someone familiar with the process.

For the transfer I stuck to the same principles and refused to symptom spot or Google anything that might stress me out. I tested on the official day and it was positive. My baby is nearly 5 months old now. I have no idea if anything I did had any effect on the transfer but it made me feel good about the whole process and made me more relaxed.

Best of luck, I hope your treatment goes well.

On my successful round I was exercising less and was a lot more relaxed about what I ate than I had been the previous few. I think that made the difference for me.